Parents and Abortion
A frequent image in both clinical and popular literature is that of a young pregnant teenager being taken to an abortion clinic by her concerned but controlling parents. The focus of concern in research studies is usually the young woman and her reactions to the abortion situation. Seldom do researchers consider the impact that such a choice has on the fabric of family life. As Rue explains, “When an abortion decision is neither voluntary nor informed and when preabortion counseling does not address these issues as well as the relational context of the pregnancy, emotional traumatization is inevitable.”18 A subject from Ervin’s study speaks: