at what point a fetus is a person. This is a question that cannot be .
answered logically or empirically. The concept of personhood is .
neither logical nor empirical: It is essentially a religious, or quasi-.
religious idea, based on one's fundamental (and therefore .
unverifiable) assumptions about the nature of the world." .
The after effects of abortion are serious also. Maybe not .
physically but emotionally. Some people seem to come through an .
abortion unchanged. Others struggle for years with feelings of grief, .
guilt, shame, anxiety, low self-esteem, anger, or depression. Still .
others have problems with nightmares, eating disorders, broken or .
abusive relationships, substance abuse, and even suicide. It is possible .
for any woman to unexpectedly have a bad emotional reaction to an .
abortion. Researchers have identified several factors that predict .
which women are most likely to suffer the most severe reactions. .
The best-established risk factors include: feeling pressured to have an .
abortion; strong maternal tendencies; a desired pregnancy; feelings .
of attachment to the unborn child; a history of prior psychological .
illness or emotional instability; lack of support from her parents or .
her male partner; adolescence; prior beliefs that abortion is immoral; .
a history of prior abortion(s); or abortion in the second or third .
trimester. .
About 43% of American women will have one (or occasionally .
more) abortions during their lifetime. Women's centers and .
hospitals perform more than a million abortions per year. Abortions .
are obviously in great demand.Women have many reasons for not .
wanting to be pregnant, and thus to seek an abortion. Many are .
related to their age (most are under 25), their marital status (most .
are unmarried; many are separated from their spouse) or their .
economic status (many are poor): The vast majority (probably in .
excess of 95%) of abortions are sought for personal, not medical .