Psychological effects of abortion
Fact
sheets, resources, articles and more
physical risks page 
fact sheets articles
& resources
news
& academic research
help for those being coerced
post-abortion
help page how
to help others (pdf)
books page
Aftereffects,
including clinical depression, trauma and suicide
 In addition to traumatic
pre-abortion injustices, such as exploitation;
coercion; negligent, rushed, conflicted or non-existent
counseling; or even violence,
the psychological aftereffects of abortion are also significant
and in some cases life-threatening.
One study found that 65% of American
women who had abortions experienced symptoms of
Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD).1 Another
study found high rates of PTSD11 after abortion
-- rates which were lower than rates of PTSD in male Vietnam
veterans.12
Unresolved post-abortion issues can lead to self-destructive behaviors,
such as substance abuse; eating, sleep or anxiety disorders;10
or even suicide. Women who
had abortions were 6 times more likely to commit suicide in
the following year than were delivering women.3 A
study of women for up to eight years after the pregnancy
ended found a 2.5 times higher suicide rate after abortion
than after giving birth.4
Studies
find that post-abortion issues are not attributable to pre-existing
conditions
Researchers have controlled for
pre-existing conditions and found that the aftereffects of
abortion were not attributable to pre-existing issues.
One study found that women who abort experience a 65% higher
risk of clinical depression after controlling for age, race, education,
marital status, income and prior psychiatric problems.2
A New Zealand study found that women had
higher rates of suicidal behavior, depression, anxiety, substance abuse,
and other disorders after abortion. The study found that these were not
pre-existing problems.5
Coerced
abortions are a human rights abuse, yet common
Most
abortions in America involve coercion, which may be direct or indirect.
In some cases, personal coercion can escalate to
violence.7, 8 One study
found that most women felt pressured by others and most felt rushed or
uncertain, yet most received no counseling or information about
alternatives.1 Over 80 percent said they did not receive
enough information to make an informed choice.1 Many abortion
businesses don't screen for coercion and may even "sell" abortion for
profit-driven or other reasons.9 Coercion is also a known
risk factor for post-abortion problems.
(See also Forced Abortion in America.)
Help for
those at risk or hurt:
Teens or women of any age being coerced into an unwanted abortion can
find help at the
Center
Against Forced Abortions.) Those experiencing post-abortion issues
or those seeking to help others can find links and tips on the
Help & Healing page.
Fact
Sheets & Special Reports:
Psychological Risks of Abortion –
single-page fact sheet (pdf)
Psychological Risks of Abortion –
multi-page fact sheet (pdf)
(See also: Physical Effects of
Abortion page)
Most Abortions
Involve Coercion
Other fact sheets:
Research Booklet, Summary of
Studies on Physical and
Psychological Effects (pdf)
Teens at Risk
(pdf of fact sheet) Teens at Risk page
Portraits of Coercion
(pdf)
Forced Abortion in America fact sheet,
flyer or
26-page report
(pdfs)
Articles and resources:
More than 30 Studies in Recent Years Show Abortion's
Negative Impact on Women
Women at Risk: Abortion and the High-Risk Patient
Q & A: Finding Real Answers about Abortion
Survey of Reactions to Abortion
Detrimental Effects of Abortion (medical reference book)
Risk Factors - Warning Signs Predicting Post-Abortion Trauma
and Other Issues
AbortionResearch.us
AbortionRisks.org
AfterAbortion.org (Elliot Institute)
News regarding psychological effects of abortion
Wantedness and Coercion: Key Factors in Understanding Women's Mental Health
After Abortion 1/4/12
Most
Studies Show Abortion Linked to Increased Mental Health Problems 9/1/11
Study Links
Abortion to Increased Mental Health Problems 2/2/11
More Than 30 Studies In Last Five Years Show Negative Impact of Abortion
on Women's Mental Health 11/16/10
Researchers Say Study Claiming Abortion Not Linked to Teen
Depression is Flawed 10/11/10
Study: Women Who Use Abortion Drug Experience More Pain,
Emotional Distress 10/11/10
A Breech of Public Responsibility: Researcher Responds to
Claims That Studies Show No Mental Health Problems After Abortion
10/11/10
New Study Shows Later Abortions More Likely to Be Unwanted,
Are Linked to Psychological Problems 8/27/10
New Study Affirms Link Between Abortion and Subsequent
Mental Health Problems 5/13/10
Study Linking Poor Pre-Abortion Counseling and PTSD Points
to Need for New Legislation 1/22/10
Psychiatric Disorders Linked to Abortion for Fetal Anomalies
11/10/09
Distress After Abortion Linked to Increased Mental Health
Disorders, Study Finds 11/5/09
Abortion Has Greater Impact on Parenting Than Other Forms of
Pregnancy Loss, New Literature Review Finds
7/1/09
New Study Shows Negative Impact of Abortion on Relationships
for Women, Men 4/16/09
New Study Links Abortion to Wide Range of Mental Health
Disorders 12/11/08
Study Finds Abortion Provides No Mental Health Benefits to
Women, Even When Pregnancy is Unwanted
12/11/08
UK Health Columnist Acknowledges Long-Term Effects of
Abortion on Relationships 5/16/08
Sleep Disorders After Abortion May Be a Symptom of Trauma
3/19/08
British College of Psychiatrists Admits Abortion Can Cause
Mental Health Problems 3/19/08
British Woman's Death Part of Dangerous Trend of Unwanted
Abortions and Post-Abortion Trauma
3/3/08
New Study Finds Higher Substance Use Rates Among Pregnant
Women After Abortion
Trauma Symptoms After Abortion Are Common: New Study Shows
Women Attribute Symptoms to Abortion
New Study Links Abortion to Increased Risk of Child Abuse
Substance Abuse, Sexual Disorders, and Suicidal Thoughts
Linked to Abortion
Abortion Linked to Later Anxiety Problems, New Study Shows
Death Rate of Abortion Three Times Higher than Childbirth:
13-year Population Study
Published in Top OB/Gyn Journal
Women Who've Been Pregnant Through Sexual Assault Plead For
Public Hearings
Abortion or Birth of Unintended Pregnancy Affects Subsequent
Substance Abuse: New Study
Psychiatric Hospitalization Rises After Abortion, New Study
in CMAJ
Abortion Linked to Long-Term Clinical Depression in
Nationally Representative Study
Substance Abuse Among Pregnant Women Linked to Prior
Abortion, Puts Later Children At Risk, New Study
Abortion May Affect Mothering And Development Of Later
Children, New Study
Abortion Linked to Elevated Mortality Rate Among Women, New
Study
Women Need More Mental Health Treatment After Abortion, New
Study Finds
Most Compelling, Up-to-date Information on the Forbidden Grief of Abortion
Published in New Book
Clinical Depression / Abortion Link Reported in Top Journal
Pro-choice Researchers Acknowledge Existence of "Postabortion
Syndrome" — Half a Million Affected
Abortion Nearly Four Times Deadlier Than Childbirth: New
Government Study In Finland Ignored by Abortion Providers
Women's Mental Health Declines After Abortion While
Childbirth Helps: Two New Studies
Rape and Incest Victims Reject and Regret Abortions. New
Book Surveys 192 Victims
New Study Links Abortion to Subsequent Substance Abuse
Links to selected full text articles of medical research on
abortion:
Suicides after pregnancy in Finland: 1987-94: register
linkage study. British Medical Journal 313:1431-4, 1996.
Gissler M. Hemminki E, Lonnqvist J.
Induced abortion and traumatic stress: A preliminary
comparison of American and Russian women. Med Sci Monit, 2004
10(10): SR5-16. Rue VM, Coleman PK, Rue JJ, Reardon DC.
Psychiatric admissions of low income women following
abortion and childbirth. Can Med Assoc J. 2003;
168(10):1253-7. Reardon DC, Cougle JR, Rue VM, Shuping MW, Coleman PK,
Ney PG.
Depression associated with abortion and childbirth: A
long-term analysis of the NLSY cohort. Medical Science Monitor,
1003; 9 (4), CR105-112. Cougle J, Reardon DC, Coleman PK.
Deaths associated with abortion compared to childbirth: a
review of new and old data and the medical and legal implications.
The Journal of Contemporary Health Law & Policy 2004; 20(2):279-327.
Reardon DC, Strahan TW, Thorp JM, Shuping MW.
PK Coleman, CT Coyle & VM Rue, "Late-Term Elective Abortion
and Susceptibility to Post-Traumatic Stress Symptoms,"
Journal of Pregnancy, Aug. 2010.
The academic debate
For discussions of the "abortion distortion" effect in
research on abortion, see:
Limitations on Post-Abortion Research: Why We Know So Little
More information
P hysical
Effects of Abortion
latest news
resources
S ummary of
Recent Research
Center Against Forced Abortions
AbortionRisks.org
AbortionResearch.us
AfterAbortion.org
Books
1. VM Rue et. al.,
“Induced abortion and traumatic stress: A preliminary
comparison of American and Russian women,”
Medical Science Monitor
10(10):
SR5-16, 2004.
2. JR Cougle, DC
Reardon & PK Coleman, “Depression Associated With Abortion
and Childbirth: A Long-Term Analysis of the NLSY Cohort,”
Medical Science Monitor
9(4):CR105-112, 2003.
3. Gissler,
Hemminki & Lonnqvist, "Suicides after pregnancy in Finland,
1987-94: register linkage study,"
British Journal of Medicine
313:1431-4, 1996; and M. Gissler, “Injury deaths, suicides
and homicides associated with pregnancy, Finland 1987-2000,”
European J. Public Health
15(5):459-63,2005.
4. DC Reardon et.
al., “Deaths Associated With Pregnancy Outcome: A Record
Linkage Study of Low Income Women,”
Southern Medical Journal
95(8):834-41, Aug. 2002.
5. DM Fergusson et. al.,
“Abortion in young women and subsequent mental health,”
Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry
47(1): 16-24, 2006.
6.
IL Horton and D Cheng, "Enchanced Surveillance for
Pregnancy-Associated Mortality -- Maryland, 1993-1998," Journal of the
American Medical Association (JAMA) 285(11):1455-1459 (2001); see also
J. McFarlane et. al., "Abuse During Pregnancy and Femicide: Urgent
Implications for Women's Health," Obstetrics & Gynecology 100:27-36
(2002).
7. IL Horton and D Cheng, "Enchanced Surveillance for
Pregnancy-Associated Mortality -- Maryland, 1993-1998," Journal of the
American Medical Association (JAMA) 285(11):1455-1459 (2001); see also
J. McFarlane et. al., "Abuse During Pregnancy and Femicide: Urgent
Implications for Women's Health," Obstetrics & Gynecology 100:27-36
(2002).
8. See the special report
Forced Abortion in America.
9. Special report:
Coercion in
the Abortion Industry.
10. Psychological
Effects fact sheet with citations.
11. Barnard C.,
"The Long-Term Psychological Effects of Abortion." Portsmouth, N.H.:
Institute for Pregnancy Loss; 1990.
12. Gradus J.
Epidemiology of PTSD. National Center for PTSD, United States Department
of Veterans Affairs Web site.
http://www.ptds.va.gov/professional/pages/epidemiological-facts-ptsd.asp
Accessed Dec. 3, 2011 See section on National Vietnam Veterans
Readjustment Study.
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