Abortion as a Catalyst

Abstract

In both what has and has not been published in the psychoanalytic literature about abortion, those who elect abortion have been devalued. The omission of abortion perpetuates its sense of unimportance in our field. Where it features, it is relegated to a category of conflict colored by pathology and trauma. To the contrary, abortion can be experienced as a generative event. Interviews with ten women who underwent abortion reveal important themes that are underrepresented in existing theory. These women offered windows into their lives both before and after their abortions in a way that framed their abortions as pivotal turning points. I propose the possibility of viewing abortion as a catalyst for psychological growth, and discuss related clinical considerations.

Keywords:

• abortion
• pregnancy
• motherhood
• infertility
• termination
• creativity

This article is part of a series including:

Preamble

Notes

1 Participants were recruited through referrals generated by posts on professional listservs. I had no prior relationships with any of the participants. The salient inclusionary criteria consisted of experiences with both abortion and motherhood. While most participants reported trauma histories, these were not part of the selection criteria. It is worth considering whether certain psychological experiences, such as unresolved trauma, may have motivated self-selection into the study.

2 See Castro (2022). https://www.livescience.com/18629-pregnant-monkeys-miscarry-avoid-infanticide.html.

3 See https://www.northgeorgiazoo.com/zoo-am-i-blog/ask-a-zookeeper-sacrificing-babies).

4 See Burgess (2020). https://www.abc.net.au/news/2020-04-03/why-tasmanian-devils-born-in-april/12114878).

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Isheh Beck

Isheh Beck, Psy.D., is a psychologist in Philadelphia and a psychoanalytic candidate at New York University’s Postdoctoral Program in Psychotherapy and Psychoanalysis. She serves as Director of the Philadelphia Society for Psychoanalytic Psychology. Her clinical work centers on issues involving female embodiment, mother-daughter relationships, and biculturalism—particularly with those of Iranian descent.