Reclaiming Our Children: A Blog About Healing After Abortion

For Immediate Release..from the Elliot Institute

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Distress After Abortion Linked to Increased Mental Health
Problems, Study Finds

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— New Findings Indicate 85 Percent of Women Have Negative
Reactions After Abortion  

Springfield, IL (Nov. 8, 2009) — A new study on mental health
problems after abortion has found that 85 percent of women
reported negative reactions to abortion, putting them at higher
risk for mental health problems. [1]

The paper, published in the British Journal of Psychiatry, found
that more than 85 percent of women who aborted reported at least
one negative reaction to abortion, such as such as sorrow, grief,
regret, or disappointment; and approximately 35 percent reported
five or more negative reactions.

The high numbers are of concern because the paper also found
that the risk of mental disorders among women who had negative
reactions to abortion was 40 to 80 percent higher than among
women who didn't abort. 

The results came from an ongoing survey that tracked women in
the Christchurch area of New Zealand from birth to age 30. A
subsample of about 530 women were given questions about their
pregnancy history and mental health outcomes, including being
asked whether the pregnancy was unwanted or unplanned, and their
initial reaction to the pregnancy at the time.

Overall, more than 86 percent of women who had abortions also
reported at least one positive reaction, such as feelings or
relief, happiness or satisfaction. When the responses are broken
down into categories, however, more women were likely to respond
"not at all" when asked if they felt happiness (58 percent "not at
all" vs. 23 percent "very much") or satisfaction (60 percent vs.
20 percent) about the abortion.

The research team concluded that "many women experience a mixture
of both positive and negative emotions about having an abortion,"
but said that the results don't support the belief that abortion
is better for women than unwanted or unplanned pregnancy. 

"There is no evidence in this research that would suggest that
unwanted pregnancies that come to term were associated with
increased risks of mental health problems or that abortion
mitigated the risks of mental health problems in women having
unwanted pregnancy," the authors noted.

Supports Previous Findings on Mental Health and Abortion

The latest findings follow two other studies led by the same
researcher that also linked abortion to higher rates of mental
health problems.

In 2005, they published findings showing that young women who had
abortions subsequently experienced higher rates of suicidal
behaviors, depression, substance abuse, anxiety and other mental
health problems. [2]

A second study in 2008 found that women were 30 percent more
likely to experience mental health disorders after abortion than
they were for other pregnancy outcomes. As with the current paper,
this study found that women who continued an unwanted or mistimed
pregnancy did not experience a significant increase in mental
health problems–challenging arguments from abortion advocates
that abortion is better for women than carrying an "unwanted"
pregnancy to term. [3]

Abortion Not As Safe as Presented, Authors Say

In the 2005 paper, the authors were critical of the American
Psychological Association's claim that abortion does not pose
mental health risks for women. The study's lead author, Prof.
David Fergusson, who has described himself as pro-choice, has been
an outspoken critic of the APA and has called for more research
into the safety of abortion.

Last year, Fergusson published an editorial supporting the position
of the Royal College of Psychiatrists in the U.K., which said that
the evidence suggests that abortion can increase mental health
problems for some women. [4] He also criticized a report by an APA
Task Force that dismissed reasearch linking abortion and mental
health problems and which claimed that abortion is generally safe
for most women. [5]

The Legal Implications

The findings of these studies could have an impact on the the
legal status of abortion in some countries, the researchers
noted.

For example, British law only allows abortion when the risks of
physical and psychological injury from continuing a pregnancy are
greater than if the pregnancy is aborted. And in New Zealand,
more than 90 percent of abortions are done under a provision in
the law that only allows abortion when "the continuance of the
pregnancy would result in serious danger (not being danger
normally attendant upon childbirth) to the life, or to the
physical or mental health, of the woman or girl."

In the current paper, the authors noted that "this evidence
raises important questions" about the practice of performing
abortions "on the grounds that this procedure will reduce risks
of mental health problems in women having an unwanted
pregnancy."

"Currently there is no evidence to support the assumptions
underlying this practice, and the findings of the present study
suggest that abortion may, in fact, increase mental health risks
among those women who find seeking and obtaining an abortion a
distressing experience," they stated.

Besides the 85 percent of women reporting negative reactions in
this study, other evidence suggests that many women do, in fact,
find this experience distressing.

A survey of American women who had abortions found that more than
half said they felt rushed or uncertain about abortion and 64
percent reported feeling pressured by others to abort. Sixty-five
percent of the survey respondents reported symptoms of
post-traumatic stress disorder that they attributed to their
abortions, with slightly over 14 percent reporting all the symptoms
for a diagnosis of PTSD. [6]

Providing Real Help for Women in Need

Frequently, when a woman or girl is pregnant in a crisis
situation, those around her–including medical personnel, mental
health professionals, her family or partner, and others who are
in positions of authority–believe that abortion is the best, or
only, solution to protect her mental health and well-being. Some
may even pressure, coerce or push her to have an abortion because
they believe it will be best for her.

These findings suggest that abortion is likely to be far more
damaging to the woman or girl than continuing the pregnancy would
be, even when the pregnancy is unplanned or unwanted.

Further, the evidence points to the need for health care
providers and abortionists to screen women and girls for coercion
and other known, statistically-validated factors that put them at
risk for mental health problems after abortion. Such screening
would help put an end to abortions that are unwanted, unsafe and
unnecessary and would help protect the rights of both women and
their unborn children.

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To view the Elliot Institute's model bill holding abortionists
liable for failing to screen for coercion and psychological risk
factors before abortion, visit http://www.stopforcedabortions.com.

Citations

1. David M. Ferugsson, L. John Horwood and Joseph M. Boden,
"Reactions to abortion and subsequent mental health," The British
Journal of Psychiatry 195: 420-426 (2009).