Abortion has real-life consequences
by Minister Delita Johnson  

The number of abortions performed in the United States, although staggering, is reportedly trending downward. According to The Washington Post, between 2000 and 2005, the rate at which women of childbearing age aborted a child dropped 9 percent. The total number of abortions in 2005, the last year for which figures were available, was 1.2 million, an 8 percent decline from the 1990 peak number of 1.6 million, said The Post. That's the lowest number of abortions since 1976, when the figure was just under 1.2 million.

Why are these numbers declining? One cause could be the number of abortion clinics that are shutting down. Since 1992, two-thirds of abortion clinics in the United States have shut down. Another cause could be that teenagers are suddenly realizing that there really are extreme consequences of premarital sex and abortions. Just maybe they're learning not to be so impulsive.

Life does not begin when we want it to. It begins when 23 chromosomes of the father join with 23 chromosomes of the mother to form a unique, 46-chromosomed individual, with a gender, who had previously not existed. No argument, no debate. And the age of the embryo is not a determining factor. It's not OK to take a life, either before or after birth.

One real experience for me was when I accompanied a young girl to Birth Choice, right here in Jackson. This teen had decided to abort her baby until she had an ultrasound and saw her baby AND she got a chance to hear her baby's heartbeat. She immediately had second thoughts about murdering her unborn child. This teen now has a beautiful baby girl. This type of technology could also be a determining factor as to why abortions are declining. A teen's ability to see and hear the heartbeat of the baby before it is born is an amazing experience.

As parents, we must teach our teens to think rationally rather than emotionally. Even though teens may be physically capable of having children they are not ready mentally or financially. They need to stop to consider the long-term consequences and effects of their decisions.

Teen girls who find themselves pregnant usually abort for two reasons; either to avoid discovery by their parents or they are trying to hold on to their boyfriend. Let your teens know that you love them unconditionally and that sexual activities do not keep boyfriends and girlfriends together.

There are psychological, social, physical, and spiritual consequences of an abortion. Psychological and social problems include drug and alcohol abuse, increased sexual promiscuity and depression. This is particularly true for teen girls who have secret abortions, which create a psychological burden and can hurt future relationships. It's not surprising that studies have found that teen suicides one year after an abortion are significantly higher than teen suicide after childbirth.

Physically, surgical or chemical abortions may cause complications such as perforation, scarring, hemorrhaging, infection, or even death. Girls who abort run risks of future infertility, miscarriages, ectopic pregnancy and premature birth of future children. For some teen girls, abortion may mean never being able to have children. Abortion is also identified as a risk factor in breast cancer. Spiritually, abortions make you feel ashamed of your actions, and often, teens feel like they've just been disconnected from God.

Parents don't expect for Planned Parenthood or the abortion clinics to give you good advice. Don't expect them to have your daughter's best interest at heart. Their job is to persuade and make money. They could care less about the well-being and good health of your child.

May is teen pregnancy prevention month. Talk to your teen today about sexual abstinence until marriage. Abstinence guarantees 100 percent protection.

Here is some information about Tennessee abortion laws. Those laws:

Require parental consent from only one parent.

Allow minors to bypass parent's consent by obtaining court approval.

Allow abortion in a medical emergency without parental consent.

Allow abortion in cases of abuse, assault, incest and neglect without parental consent.

Here are some examples of teens who died from complications or suicide after they had abortions without telling their parents:

Holly Patterson, California, died at age 18

Erica Richardson, Maryland, died at age 16

Dawn Ravanell, New York, died at age 13

Tamia Russell, Detroit, died at age 15

Sandra Kaiser, St. Louis, died at age 14 of suicide

(9) R. Kerrison, "Horror Tale of Abortion," New York Post, Jan. 7, 1991.