I appreciate that people have very strong feelings on both sides of this issue. Without addressing any of the other questions raised, I would like to note, in regard to Question #3, that social sciences research does not bear out the conclusion reported below. That is, social sciences research has not found evidence of "post-abortion syndrome" or that PTSD related to abortion exists. That is not to say people do not have strong feelings. As you might expect, reactions and responses vary: Some women report negative feelings; some women report great relief. But when large groups of subjects are studied, this conclusion of a form of PTSD following abortion does not hold up. There is some evidence that women with prior mental and emotional problems (e.g., existing depression or anxiety disorders) can continue to experience those problems.
Leslie Cameron
-----Original Message-----
From: asa-owner@lists.calvin.edu [mailto:asa-owner@lists.calvin.edu]On Behalf Of Sheila Wilson
Sent: Monday, October 11, 2004 8:55 PM
To: asa@calvin.edu
Subject: Re: new abortion quiz
Question #1: Do more people (post-natal) die from murder or from natural causes? Who cares, murder is still murder and against God's laws. The question/argument is irrelevant.
Question #2: What percentage of Evangelical Protestant women are beaten to death by their husbands every year? Who cares, murder is still murder no matter who dies or how they are killed - including unborn babies.
Question #3: How many women suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder after having an abortion? 19% have diagnosable symptoms, 50% have mulitple symptoms. Post-traumatic stress also affects the husband, other children, other family members, and even friends. I know this from personal experience of friends and family.
Question #4: When does conception begin? Psalm 139:13 "For you [God] created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother's womb." We do not have the ability to decide when life begins or when the soul exists but God does. Until God chooses to tell us that exact moment, we must not assume and take the life. We were created by God with a plan and a purpose (Jeremiah 29:11, 2 Timothy 1:9).
Yes, we need to improve the lives of children now living and those who are to come. We cannot do this by sacrificing some of the unborn. I personally know of too many people who found out AS ADULTS that their mother had an abortion and then wondered why and even wished they had also been aborted.
We must quit making excuses. Unborn babies don't belong to "Caesar," they belong to God. Abortion, whether legal or illegal, will always be a choice just like any other sin is a choice. We must educate people, help them learn that God has a better way, and show them the way. That is our calling.
Sheila
Sheila McGinty Wilson
sheila-wilson@sbcglobal.net
Received on Tue Oct 12 09:02:41 2004
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