NCJ Number
44716
Journal
PEDIATRIC PSYCHOLOGY Volume: 1 Issue: 2 Dated: (SPRING 1976) Pages: 62-67
Date Published
1976
Length
6 pages
Annotation
A PROPONENT OF ABORTION EXAMINES RESEARCH ON THE EFFECTS OF DENIED ABORTIONS ON THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE CHILD AND THE CHARACTERISTICS OF SOCIETIES AND PERSONS THAT PERMIT ABORTION AND THOSE THAT PUNISH ABORTION.
Abstract
THE CONSEQUENCES TO SOCIETY WHEN PARENTS ARE DENIED THE RIGHT TO HAVE ONLY WANTED CHILDREN AND OTHER ASPECTS OF THE ABORTION ISSUE ARE EXAMINED FROM THE PERSPECTIVE OF THE BEHAVIORAL AND SOCIAL SCIENCES TO PROVIDE A BASIS FOR EVALUATION OF THE MERITS OF ABORTION ON DIFFERENT GROUNDS AND TO CLARIFY THE MOTIVATIONS AND SOME OF THE SOCIAL AND PSYCHOLOGICAL CHARACTERISTICS OF THE PROABORTION AND ANTIABORTION PERSONALITY. RESULTS ARE REPORTED OF A SWEDISH STUDY ON THE DEVELOPMENT OF 120 CHILDREN BORN BETWEEN 1939 AND 1941 WHOSE MOTHERS HAD BEEN DENIED ABORTION AND OF A CONTROL GROUP OF CHILDREN WHOSE MOTHERS HAD NOT APPLIED FOR ABORTION. UNWANTED CHILDREN APPEARED TO BE TWICE AS LIKELY TO SUFFER SOCIAL, EMOTIONAL, AND EDUCATIONAL DISADVANTAGES AS WANTED CHILDREN AND APPEARED TO PRESENT CERTAIN COSTS TO SOCIETY: INCREASED DELINQUENCY, A HIGHER NUMBER OF WELFARE RECIPIENTS, A MORE POORLY EDUCATED CITIZENRY, AND A GREATER NUMBER OF PSYCHIATRIC PROBLEMS. OTHER STUDIES SHOW A CORRELATION BETWEEN CHILD ABUSE AND NEGLECT AND ILLEGITIMATE AND UNWANTED BIRTHS; ILLEGITIMACY HAS IN TURN BEEN LINKED TO ADULT HOMICIDE AND THE KILLING OF UNWANTED INFANTS. CROSS-CULTURAL STUDIES OF 11 PREINDUSTRIAL SOCIETIES THAT SEVERELY PUNISH ABORTION AND 12 SOCIETIES THAT HAVE LITTLE OR NO PUNISHMENT FOR ABORTION REVEALED THAT THOSE CULTURES WHICH PREVENT AND PUNISH ABORTION ALSO SHOW DISRESPECT FOR HUMAN LIFE (THE PRACTICE OF SLAVERY), ARE PHYSICALLY VIOLENT (KILLING, TORTURING, AND MUTILATING ENEMY PRISONERS), REPRESS THE EXPRESSION OF PHYSICAL AFFECTION AND PLEASURE (SEXUAL REPRESSION, PRACTICE POLYGNY), AND PLACE A HIGH VALUE ON VIRGINITY. IT WAS ALSO SIGNIFICANT THAT 100 PERCENT OF THE CULTURES WHICH PUNISH ABORTION ARE PATRILINEAL AND THAT 71 PERCENT OF THE MATRILINEAL CULTURES DO NOT PUNISH ABORTION. A PRELIMINARY STUDY OF CONTEMPORARY SOCIAL ATTITUDES WAS CONDUCTED USING THE SOMATOSENSORY INDEX OF HUMAN AFFECTION; THIS QUESTIONNAIRE WAS ADMINISTERED TO 96 COLLEGE STUDENTS WHOSE MEAN AGE WAS 19. FINDINGS SUPPORTED A RELATIONSHIP AMONG VARIOUS ATTITUDES TO CHILD ABUSE (HARD PHYSICAL PUNISHMENT OF CHILDREN), PUNISHMENT OF ABORTION, REPRESSIVE SEXUALITY A PROFILE OF PHYSICAL VIOLENCE (SUPPORT OF CAPITAL PUNISHMENT AND VIOLENCE AS NECESSARY TO SOLVE SOCIETY'S PROBLEMS), ALCOHOL (AND DRUG) USAGE PREFERRED TO SEX, AN INDIFFERENT MOTHER (DEPRIVATION OF PHYSICAL AFFECTION), AND A PHYSICALLY PUNITIVE FATHER. IT IS CONCLUDED THAT THE ABORTION ISSUE SEEMS TO CARRY WITH IT DEEP PERSONALITY CHARACTERISTICS AND VALUES WHICH ARE LARGELY INFLUENCED BY EXPERIENCES OF PHYSICAL PLEASURE AND PAIN OR THEIR ABSENCE DURING THE FORMATIVE PERIODS OF DEVELOPMENT. THE 'RIGHT TO LIFE' PRINCIPLE ADVOCATED BY ANTIABORTIONISTS AND CONTRADICTORY RELIGIOUS BELIEFS RELATING TO ABORTION AND CAPITAL PUNISHMENT ARE CRITICIZED. REFERENCES ARE PROVIDED. (DAS)