Literature Review On Abortion

Literature review
Abortion is a general term used to define the removal of a foetus from the uterus. According to Guidelines on Termination of Pregnancy in Malaysia (2012), termination of pregnancy refers to therapeutic abortion performed usually to preserve the mother’s life. There is on-going debate over legal, moral, religious and ethical issues of abortion. In resolving such issue, psychologist must be aware of the heavy legal, ethical and religious obligations associated with termination of pregnancy beyond clinical judgement. The best practice in making decisions in this type of issues involves finding a balance between risks and benefits (Guidelines on Termination of Pregnancy, 2012). For example, finds out whether continuing or terminating a pregnancy cause greater physical or psychological harms and risks to the mother. On the other hand, Bonevski & Adams (2001) further added that abortion may expose the mother to grief and regret. As such, it is important to gain mother’s consent before making the decision.
Apart from that, in resolving slightly similar case study of 18 years old student was referred in view of her request for termination of pregnancy. She was gang-raped and found out she is pregnant. She was emotionally very disturbed and socially withdrawn following the incident. In addition, she was also depressed with insomnia, poor appetite and had significant weight loss. She felt hopeless and worthless but not having suicidal ideation. Her decision for