{"id":27026,"date":"2025-09-19T20:46:04","date_gmt":"2025-09-19T16:46:04","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/ampop.am\/?p=27026"},"modified":"2025-09-19T21:03:58","modified_gmt":"2025-09-19T17:03:58","slug":"should-i-get-an-abortion-or-not","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ampop.am\/en\/should-i-get-an-abortion-or-not\/","title":{"rendered":"Women\u2019s Silenced Pain: The Scars of Abortion and the Unheard Right to Motherhood"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Nina was just 19 when her husband\u2019s family forced her to terminate her first pregnancy at home. Decades later, she still carries the trauma: \u201cIt left a mark on my life that I will never forget.\u201d Her story is far from unique. Many Armenian women have faced pressure from partners or families to end pregnancies, often without a voice in the decision.<\/p>\n<h4>Unsafe and Hidden Abortions<\/h4>\n<p>Official statistics show over 9,000 abortions registered in Armenia in 2024, a slight rise from the previous year. But these figures reflect only legal, medical procedures. Countless abortions occur outside clinics\u2014at home, through unregulated pills or dangerous folk methods. Such cases often lead to hemorrhage, infertility, or even death.<\/p>\n<p><iframe class=\"flourish-embed-iframe\" style=\"width: 100%; height: 600px;\" title=\"Interactive or visual content\" src=\"https:\/\/flo.uri.sh\/visualisation\/25221092\/embed\" frameborder=\"0\" scrolling=\"no\" sandbox=\"allow-same-origin allow-forms allow-scripts allow-downloads allow-popups allow-popups-to-escape-sandbox allow-top-navigation-by-user-activation\"><\/iframe><br \/>\nDespite strict regulations requiring prescriptions, abortion pills are still obtained through informal networks or smuggled from abroad. Doctors warn that using them without medical supervision is highly dangerous.<\/p>\n<h4>Law and Practice<\/h4>\n<p>Armenia\u2019s law permits abortion on request up to 12 weeks, and in specific cases (medical or social grounds) up to 22 weeks. Since 2016, medication abortions have been allowed until the 8th week, but only in licensed facilities. A three-day \u201cwaiting period\u201d is required after counseling.<\/p>\n<p>Officials argue this prevents impulsive decisions, yet women\u2019s rights advocates stress that mandatory counseling is often biased and does not change women\u2019s choices. Instead, restrictions may drive them to unsafe alternatives.<\/p>\n<h4>Health and Psychological Impact<\/h4>\n<p>Abortions, particularly unsafe or repeated ones, can lead to infertility. A UN survey found that more than 10% of Armenian women who had abortions later failed to conceive. Doctors report steady numbers of patients with complications ranging from uterine scarring to the removal of reproductive organs.<\/p>\n<p>Psychologists emphasize the deep emotional burden: even when legal and medically safe, abortion is a stressful, painful experience that may leave lasting psychological scars.<\/p>\n<h4>Lack of Sexual Education<\/h4>\n<p>Experts agree that many abortions stem from poor sexual education and limited access to contraception. Half of Armenian women and over half of men surveyed have never used modern contraceptives. Financial barriers and men\u2019s refusal to use condoms worsen the problem.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cPeople often don\u2019t even understand how pregnancy happens,\u201d says blogger Tereza Panchoian, who has been raising awareness on sexual education for years.<\/p>\n<h4>Between Stigma and Rights<\/h4>\n<p>Abortion remains taboo in Armenia, with schools avoiding comprehensive sex education. Women\u2019s advocates stress that women should not only have the right to terminate a pregnancy, but also the right to motherhood\u2014free from coercion or stigma.<\/p>\n<p>Nina\u2019s story captures this struggle. After being forced into abortion as a teenager, she later fought to keep a pregnancy despite family opposition: \u201cMy husband didn\u2019t speak to me until the baby was born. But I resisted and had my child\u2014who gave me a second life.\u201d<\/p>\n<p data-start=\"340\" data-end=\"588\"><em><strong>This article and visuals were originally created in Armenian by Maria Khachatryan<br \/>\n<\/strong><\/em><em><strong>The English summary and the main image were both created using artificial intelligence tools, based on the original article written in Armenian.<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n<p data-start=\"590\" data-end=\"853\" data-is-last-node=\"\" data-is-only-node=\"\"><strong data-start=\"590\" data-end=\"599\">Note:<\/strong>\u00a0<em data-start=\"600\" data-end=\"853\" data-is-last-node=\"\">All materials published on Ampop.am and visuals carrying the \u201cAmpop Media\u201d branding may not be reproduced on other audiovisual platforms without prior agreement with Ampop Media and\/or the Journalists for the Future leadership.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Nina was just 19 when her husband\u2019s family forced her to terminate her first pregnancy at home. Decades later, she still carries the trauma: \u201cIt left a mark on my life that I will never forget.\u201d Her story is far from unique. Many Armenian women have faced pressure from partners or families to end pregnancies, [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":26991,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_uag_custom_page_level_css":"","_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"_uf_show_specific_survey":0,"_uf_disable_surveys":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[232,239],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-27026","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-health","category-rights"],"acf":[],"aioseo_notices":[],"uagb_featured_image_src":{"full":["https:\/\/ampop.am\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/Abortion-AI-byAmpopMedia.jpg",1350,964,false],"thumbnail":["https:\/\/ampop.am\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/Abortion-AI-byAmpopMedia-150x150.jpg",150,150,true],"medium":["https:\/\/ampop.am\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/Abortion-AI-byAmpopMedia-300x214.jpg",300,214,true],"medium_large":["https:\/\/ampop.am\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/Abortion-AI-byAmpopMedia-768x548.jpg",768,548,true],"large":["https:\/\/ampop.am\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/Abortion-AI-byAmpopMedia-1024x731.jpg",1024,731,true],"1536x1536":["https:\/\/ampop.am\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/Abortion-AI-byAmpopMedia.jpg",1350,964,false],"2048x2048":["https:\/\/ampop.am\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/Abortion-AI-byAmpopMedia.jpg",1350,964,false],"wp_review_large":["https:\/\/ampop.am\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/Abortion-AI-byAmpopMedia-320x200.jpg",320,200,true],"wp_review_small":["https:\/\/ampop.am\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/Abortion-AI-byAmpopMedia-65x65.jpg",65,65,true],"herald-lay-a":["https:\/\/ampop.am\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/Abortion-AI-byAmpopMedia-990x556.jpg",990,556,true],"herald-lay-a-full":["https:\/\/ampop.am\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/Abortion-AI-byAmpopMedia-1320x742.jpg",1320,742,true],"herald-lay-b":["https:\/\/ampop.am\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/Abortion-AI-byAmpopMedia-470x264.jpg",470,264,true],"herald-lay-b-full":["https:\/\/ampop.am\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/Abortion-AI-byAmpopMedia-640x360.jpg",640,360,true],"herald-lay-b1":["https:\/\/ampop.am\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/Abortion-AI-byAmpopMedia-300x200.jpg",300,200,true],"herald-lay-b1-full":["https:\/\/ampop.am\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/Abortion-AI-byAmpopMedia-414x276.jpg",414,276,true],"herald-lay-c1":["https:\/\/ampop.am\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/Abortion-AI-byAmpopMedia-470x313.jpg",470,313,true],"herald-lay-c1-full":["https:\/\/ampop.am\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/Abortion-AI-byAmpopMedia-640x426.jpg",640,426,true],"herald-lay-d":["https:\/\/ampop.am\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/Abortion-AI-byAmpopMedia-215x120.jpg",215,120,true],"herald-lay-d-full":["https:\/\/ampop.am\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/Abortion-AI-byAmpopMedia-300x168.jpg",300,168,true],"herald-lay-d1":["https:\/\/ampop.am\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/Abortion-AI-byAmpopMedia-130x86.jpg",130,86,true],"herald-lay-d1-full":["https:\/\/ampop.am\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/Abortion-AI-byAmpopMedia-187x124.jpg",187,124,true],"herald-lay-f":["https:\/\/ampop.am\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/Abortion-AI-byAmpopMedia-300x168.jpg",300,168,true],"herald-lay-f-full":["https:\/\/ampop.am\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/Abortion-AI-byAmpopMedia-414x232.jpg",414,232,true],"herald-lay-g1":["https:\/\/ampop.am\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/Abortion-AI-byAmpopMedia-74x55.jpg",74,55,true],"herald-lay-g1-full":["https:\/\/ampop.am\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/Abortion-AI-byAmpopMedia-111x83.jpg",111,83,true],"herald-lay-i-full":["https:\/\/ampop.am\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/Abortion-AI-byAmpopMedia-300x168.jpg",300,168,true],"herald-lay-i1":["https:\/\/ampop.am\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/Abortion-AI-byAmpopMedia-215x161.jpg",215,161,true],"herald-lay-i1-full":["https:\/\/ampop.am\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/Abortion-AI-byAmpopMedia-300x225.jpg",300,225,true]},"uagb_author_info":{"display_name":"Ampop Media","author_link":"https:\/\/ampop.am\/en\/author\/editor\/"},"uagb_comment_info":0,"uagb_excerpt":"Nina was just 19 when her husband\u2019s family forced her to terminate her first pregnancy at home. Decades later, she still carries the trauma: \u201cIt left a mark on my life that I will never forget.\u201d Her story is far from unique. Many Armenian women have faced pressure from partners or families to end pregnancies,&hellip;","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/ampop.am\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/27026","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/ampop.am\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/ampop.am\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ampop.am\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ampop.am\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=27026"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/ampop.am\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/27026\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":27032,"href":"https:\/\/ampop.am\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/27026\/revisions\/27032"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ampop.am\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/26991"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/ampop.am\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=27026"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ampop.am\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=27026"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ampop.am\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=27026"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}