An unwanted child may be resented

The argument

In a study carried out in Sweden, researchers found that children born to mothers who had been denied an abortion were twice as likely to be hospitalized in their lives for psychiatric issues, twice as likely to suffer from learning difficulties, and six times as likely to require public assistance before they turned 21. The detrimental effects also spread beyond the unwanted child and onto their brothers and sisters. A study published in the Journal of Pediatrics found that the siblings of children born after a mother’s request for abortion was denied were also impacted. They were more likely to grow up in poverty and require social assistance. Presumably, this was due to the additional financial strain of raising another child.

Context

Children thrive in a loving environment. Children growing up in an unwanted, unloving environment are more likely to commit crimes, suffer from underachievement, and fall victim to social problems like drug abuse.

Premises

Counter-arguments

A mother's options are never limited to aborting a child or raising it to adulthood. Adoption is always on the table. They are able to surrender their child to a loving family that will provide a nurturing and caring environment. That way the mother is not burdened with an unwanted child, the child does not grow up in an unloving and un-nurturing home, and a happy couple gets to have a child.

Rejecting the premises

[Rejecting P3] A woman's options are not limited to abortion and raising the child. She can put it up for adoption.