|
The Elliot Institute
News
From
the Leader in Post-Abortion Research
Vol. 9, No. 6 — May 13,
2010
Visit Us Online:
www.AfterAbortion.org
The UnChoice Campaign:
TheUnChoice.com
Read Back Issues of This
E-Newsletter
New Study Affirms Link Between
Abortion and Mental Health
Problems
Increase in Suicidal Thoughts, Substance Use
and
Other Problems After Abortion
A new study
has found that women are more likely to experience substance abuse, suicidal
thoughts and other problems after abortion, affirming the results of previous
studies finding a link between abortion and mental health problems.
The study,
published in the Canadian Journal of Psychiatry, examined a nationally
representative sample of more than 3,000 women in the United States.
The
researchers found that, after controlling for age, marital status, race,
education, household income and any violence, women in the study who underwent
an abortion had a 98 percent increased risk for any mental health disorders
compared to women who did not have an abortion.
Women who had
abortions also had:
-
59 percent
increased risk for suicidal thoughts
-
61 percent
increased risk for mood disorders
-
61 percent
increased risk for social anxiety disorders
- 261 percent
increased risk for alcohol abuse
- 313 percent
increased risk for drug abuse
-
280 percent
increased risk for any substance use disorder
Approximately
6 percent of suicidal ideation cases among women nationwide and 25 percent of
cases of drug use could be related to abortion, the researchers
found.1
The study
affirms findings from earlier studies showing that women are more likely to
suffer emotional injury after undergoing abortion. For example, a 2005 New Zealand study found that, even after
controlling for existing mental health problems, women who aborted were more
likely to later experience depression, anxiety disorders, substance abuse and
suicidal thoughts.2
And a study
published in the Journal of Psychiatric Research in 2008 found that
mental disorders among women who had abortions were 17 percent higher than among
women who did not have abortions. When researchers looked at specific disorders,
the increased rate among women who had abortions ranged from 44 percent higher
for panic attacks to 167 percent higher for bipolar disorder.3
Abortion and
Violence
The new study affirms that
mental health problems associated with abortion cannot be solely explained by an
exposure to other forms of violence. The earlier 2008
study also found that abortion
was more likely to cause mental health problems among women than was a history
of other traumas such as childhood sexual abuse, rape, physical violence or
neglect.
Elliot Institute director Dr. David Reardon, who has
worked on more than a dozen studies on mental health issues after abortion, said
that further research is also needed to look at the other side of the equation:
whether having an abortion is likely to increase a women's risk of
suffering violence or abuse.
He expressed concern that the study published in the
Canadian Journal of Psychiatry made no distinction between
exposure to violence that occurred before the abortion and exposure which
occurred after the abortion, noting that violence may actually be an aftereffect
of abortion.
"I believe
this is a very important distinction which should be investigated, as we have
evidence from surveys and interviews with women which indicate that abortion may
increase a woman's risk of experiencing violence in numerous ways," Reardon
said. "In short, controlling for exposure to violence which occurs after an
abortion may be taking out one of the effects of abortion rather than an
independent factor."
Other
studies have found an increase in suicide, depression, substance abuse,
anxiety, sleep disorders, symptoms of post-traumatic stress and other problems.
This latest study adds more evidence to the need for meaningful help and
alternatives to abortion, as well as measures, such as that recently passed in
Nebraska, that would hold abortion businesses liable for failing to screen
for coercion and other known factors that put women and teens at risk for mental
health disorders after abortion.
~~~
Educate others:
Download and share our Recent
Research Fact Sheet highlighting studies on abortion's impact on
women.
Citations
1. Mota, NP
et. al., "Associations Between Abortion, Mental Disorders and Suicidal Behavior
in a Nationally Representative Sample," The Canadian Journal of
Psychiatry 55(4): 239-246 (April 2010).
2. Fergusson, DM et. al., "Abortion in young women
and subsequent mental health," Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry
(2006) 47(1): 16-24.
3. Coleman, PK et.
al., "Induced abortion and anxiety, mood, and substance abuse disorders:
Isolating the effects of abortion in the national comorbidity survey,"
Journal of Psychiatric Research (2008),
doi:10.1016/j.jpsychires.2008.10.009.
See article
on web site
top
Half of Aborting
Women Are
Having Repeat Abortions, Study
Finds
Experts
Say Repeat Abortions Are Often
Result of Trauma,
Coercion
New statistics
published by the pro-abortion Alan Guttmacher Institute indicate that half of
women undergoing abortions have had a previous abortion.
The high rate
of repeat abortions poses a risk to women since having a repeat abortion
increases the likelihood that a woman will have physical or mental health
problems afterward, including a higher risk of
substance abuse and subsequent preterm birth.
Women who have repeat abortions are also more likely
to be living in unstable situations, be divorced or be dependent on social
services.
Experts say that there are a number of reasons why
women might have multiple abortions. One reason is traumatic reenactment, a
symptom related to post-traumatic stress disorder, in which a person continually
repeats the trauma in an attempt to resolve it.
The problem may also be compounded by the desire of
many women to have a "replacement pregnancy" after an abortion, only to find
that the problems and pressures that led to abortion in the first place still
exist and they once again see no other alternative. If abuse, pressure or force
from others is involved it may be very difficult for her to break away from the
abusive cycle.
Repeat
Abortions As a Result of Coercion
Repeat abortions are also often facilitated by the fact
that abortions are frequently performed without any effort to determine why a
woman or girl is aborting, even when there is coercion or abuse involved. A study of U.S. women who had
abortions found that even though 64 percent are pressured to abort and more
than half felt rushed or uncertain about about abortion, 67 percent said they
didn't receive any counseling before abortion and 84 percent said they didn't
receive enough counseling to make an informed decision.
Further, abortions are usually performed without any
attempt to screen women or girls for coercion or for factors, including repeat
abortions, that put them at risk for psychological problems
afterward.
~~~
Learn more: Read an excerpt about
repeat abortions from Forbidden Grief: The
Unspoken Pain of Abortion.
See article on web
site
top
So Much of Me Died
One Woman's Story of Repeat
Abortions
I remember the events surrounding my abortions clearly.
There are some things that are so utterly terrible, so devastating, they never
fade from the mind or heart.
I
idolized my boyfriend, whom I met when I was 17. We had been together on and off
for several years. Despite his treatment of me, which at times could be very
cruel, and his vicious temper, I truly loved him. I just had to try harder, or
be better, or take more care to avoid upsetting him. I dreaded his temper and
would put up with just about anything to avoid a scene.
I
think that he became aware of this gradually, because over the years his
dominion over me increased to a point where he became a tyrant. I had to wear
what he said, do my hair the way he wanted, never have friends of my own over
unless he was out of town. I really never stopped to analyze any of this. I
guess I was too young and besotted with him to realize that ours was not a
normal relationship. I believed that if only I could please him more, everything
would be all right.
When I found out I was pregnant, I was thrilled. It had
not been planned, but I was truly happy. I spent most of the day working out the
baby’s due date, who it would look like, and thoughts of that nature, but when
my boyfriend arrived home and I broke the news, he flew into a terrifying rage.
I wept, begged and cajoled, but to no avail. He was adamant that I have an
abortion.
Continue
reading …
~~~
Learn more: Read other stories from
women who've been there in Giving Sorrow Words:
Women's Stories of Grief After Abortion. Order this book in May
and get 30% off.
See article
on web site
top
Announcements
Respect
Life Ministry in Miami to Hold Life Issues Workshop
The Respect
Life Ministry of the Archdiocese of Miami in Florida is holding a Life Issues
Workshop on Sat. June 12 at St. Michael the Archangel Catholic Church. The
workshop will emphasize the consistent efforts of the Church to witness on
behalf of all human life and focus on issues such as abortion, stem cell
research and human cloning. For more information, contact the Respect Life
office at 954-981-2922 or go
here.
Entering
Caanan Healing Retreats Offered in New York
Lumina
Post-Abortion Healing Ministry and the Sisters of Life are offering "Entering
Caanan" healing events for women who have experienced abortion in the New York
area. These events are Sacramental journeys led by women who have experienced
abortion and guided by a priest. The next retreat will be held on June 19. For
more information, visit here. You
can also find out about other healing events to be held in the Tri-State area here.
~~~
If you have an announcement for a resource or upcoming
event that you would like us to include in this e-newsletter, please send it elliotinstitute@gmail.com with
"Announcement" in the subject line. We reserve the right to reject announcements
that are unsuitable or that don't fit with our mission, and to edit
announcements for length.
top
Resources on Abortion's Impact
on
Women
Free
Resources
AbortionRisks.org: Visit the world's
most comprehensive online bibliography of abortion
studies
Recent
Research Fact Sheet to download, copy and share
Books
Sale!
Giving Sorrow Words:
Women's Stories of Grief After Abortion
Order by May 31 and get 30% off (not including
shipping)
Forbidden Grief: The
Unspoken Pain of Abortion
Aborted Women,
Silent No More
~~~
Support Our Work
The Elliot Institute provides many free educational
resources to individuals and groups. However, we need your help for this service
to continue. Please consider supporting our work with a tax-deductible donation.
top
Support
our work
Contact us
Please Forward this
email to Your Friends and Associates.
But if you do
forward it, you should remove the unsubscribe link at the bottom or they may
unsubscribe YOU by mistake
|
Reclaiming Our Children: A Blog About Healing After Abortion 
Leave a comment