Page 27 - Msingi Afrika Magazine Issue 18

Leadership
Health & Healing

How Abortion Affects a

Woman’s Relationships

By William Lawyer | November 10, 2021 | | https://www.hli.org/

any women seeking with her other family members and in relationship problems.
abortions fear that a children as well. Research shows that women who
child might interfere had an abortion and remain in their
Mwith their relation- Relationship with a Partner existing relationship have vastly
ships with their partners. Some- Among women who have abor- worse experiences and interactions
times a woman’s partner, parents, tions, a common reason for their with their partner than before the
or friends encourage her to have decision is a worry that not abort- abortion. They are at a higher risk
an abortion or express disapproval ing will damage their relationships. of conflict with their partner over
if she wishes to keep the child. Be- According to some studies, nearly money, and nearly twice as likely
cause of this, women often fear that 30% of aborting women fear losing to have conflict about or with their
if they do not have abortions, their their partners. Their fear is under- partner’s relatives. Moreover, women
relationships may suffer. standable, particularly since nearly are significantly more likely to expe-
three out of four women also say rience sexual dysfunction, including
While this fear is understandable, that they experienced at least some a 112% increase in an inability to cli-
abortion does not tend to mend pressure to abort. max, and a 182% increase in women
bonds with others. Rather, more reporting pain during intercourse.
often than not, it has severe nega- Relationship Quality
tive impacts on a woman’s relation- Having an abortion, however, is For men, arguments over future
ships—not with her partner, but associated with a significant increase children increase by nearly 200%

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