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Abortions Cause Women Mental Illness

British Psychologists: Abortions Cause Women Mental Health Problems

by Steven Ertelt, posted by permission
LifeNews.com Editor
October 27, 2006

London, England (LifeNews.com) -- A leading group of psychologists and mental health professionals in England say that abortion causes women tremendous psychological and mental health problems. They are calling on the nation's doctor's group to revise its guidelines about what women considering an abortion are told.

They say that women need to be told of potential mental health risks like depression, suicide, and addictions to drugs or alcohol.

Their call came in a group letter to the editor published today in the London Times.

"Research published in The Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry in January has shown that even women without past mental health problems are at risk of psychological ill-effects after abortion," they say.

"Women who had had abortions had twice the level of mental health problems and three times the risk of major depressive illness as those who had given birth or never been pregnant," they say.

"This research has prompted the American Psychological Association to withdraw an official statement denying a link between abortion and psychological harm," the mental health leaders add.

The leading psychologists say that the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists and the Royal College of Psychiatrists should tell women of the mental health risks an abortion poses.

"Since women having abortions can no longer be said to have a low risk of suffering from psychiatric conditions such as depression, doctors have a duty to advise about long-term adverse psychological consequences of abortion," they write.

The group of mental health specialists includes some of the top people in the field in Britain.

Andrew Sims, past president of the Royal College of Psychiatrists, Patricia Casey, a professor of Psychiatry at University College in Dublin, signed the letter. Psychologists in London, Surrey, West Midlands, Hexham, and Hampshire added their names as well.

Other health professionals who signed the letter include OBGYNs Robert Balfour, Tony Lewis, and Gordon Stirratt and two general practitioner doctors.

Their call backs up other research showing abortion causing women mental health problems.

A January study by Dr. David Fergusson, a New Zealand researcher who backs abortion, found 42 percent of women who had abortions had experienced major depression within the last four years. That's almost double the rate of women who never became pregnant.

According to the study, women who have abortions were twice as likely to drink alcohol at dangerous levels and three times as likely to be addicted to illegal drugs. The risk of anxiety disorders also doubled.

His research follows a survey by professors at Bowling Green State University in 2004 who examined data on nearly 11,000 women between the ages of 15 and 34 who had experienced an unintended pregnancy.

Their survey found that women who have abortions of unexpected pregnancies were 30 percent more likely to experience subsequent problems with anxiety than those who don't have one.

Women in the study who had abortions and suffered from general anxiety disorder experienced irritability, fatigue, difficulty sleeping, a pounding or racing heart, or feelings of unreality.

Illness Mental Women Abortions

I want to tread a thin line with this and not discuss whether abortion should be legal or not in this thread. But rather, if its legal, shouldn't they HAVE to be told ALL the possible problems and complications of the abortion before they have it? In every other possible surgical procedure, the law requires full disclosure or lawsuits can result. Why is this different and why don't they have to tell them about possible side effects? If it really is painless and has no bad side effects, then why not tell them the possibilities? Women have a right to know what is being done to their bodies before its done.

Abortions Cause Women Mental Illness Health & Special Psychology

New Study Shows Direct Link Between Abortion and Mental Health Problems

Washington, DC (LifeNews.com) -- A new research study featuring numerous controls and a national data set finds a link between abortion and psychiatric disorders. The study refutes the report the American Psychiatric Association released in August claiming abortion causes no mental health issues for women. The research team found induced abortions result in increased risks for a myriad of mental health problems ranging from anxiety to depression to substance abuse disorders. The number of cases of mental health issues rose by as much as 17 percent in women having abortions compared to those who didn't have one and the risks of each particular mental health problem rose as much as 145% for post-abortive women. For 12 out of 15 of the mental health outcomes examined, a decision to have an abortion resulted in an elevated risk for women. "Abortion was found to be related to an increased risk for a variety of mental health problems (panic attacks, panic disorder, agoraphobia, PTSD, bipolar disorder, major depression with and without hierarchy), and substance abuse disorders after statistical controls were instituted for a wide range of personal, situational, and demographic variables," they wrote. "Calculation of population attributable risks indicated that abortion was implicated in between 4.3% and 16.6% of the incidence of these disorders," they concluded.
Ref. Source 3

Illness Mental Women Abortions

Abortion Increases Risk of Women's Mental Health Problems 81%

A new study published in the British Journal of Psychiatry by leading American researcher Dr. Priscilla Coleman of Bowling Green State University finds women who have an abortion face almost double the risk of mental health problems as women who have their baby.

Coleman's study is based on an analysis of 22 separate studies which, in total, examine the pregnancy experiences of 877,000 women, with 163,831 women having an abortion. The study also indicated abortion accounts for one in ten of every adverse mental health issue women face as a whole.

"Results indicate quite consistently that abortion is associated with moderate to highly increased risks of psychological problems subsequent to the procedure," the study says. "Overall, the results revealed that women who had undergone an abortion experienced an 81 percent increased risk of mental health problems, and nearly 10 percent of the incidence of mental health problems were shown to be directly attributable to abortion."

The peer-reviewed study indicated abortion was linked with a 34 percent chance of anxiety disorders, and 37 percent higher possibility of depression, a more than double risk of alcohol abuse (110 percent), a three times greater risk of marijuana use (220 percent), and 155 percent greater risk of trying to commit suicide.

When compared to unintended pregnancy delivered women had a 55% increased risk of experiencing any mental health problem.

Dr. Coleman said she conducted the study 'to produce an unbiased analysis of the best available evidence addressing abortion as one risk factor among many others that may increase the likelihood of mental health problems. There are in fact some real risks associated with abortion that should be shared with women as they are counseled prior to an abortion." Ref. Source 8

Illness Mental Women Abortions

Another Study Shows Abortion-Mental Health Issues Link

I"m grateful to AAPLOG [the American Association of Pro Life Obstetricians and Gynecologists ] for drawing my attention to yet another study showing a strong link between abortion and mental illness.

The paper, titled "Associations Between Abortion, Mental Disorders, and Suicidal Behaviour in a Nationally Representative Sample" was published in theCanadian Journal of Psychiatry in April 2010 and confirmed "a strong association between abortion and mental disorders".

As such it adds further support to the landmark meta-analysis by Priscilla Coleman which I highlighted on this blog in August which showed that abortion raises the risk of mental health problems by an average of 81%.

The Canadian researchers used the National Co-morbidity Survey (NCS) replication data collected between 2001 and 2003. Key points (courtesy of AAPLOG) are: Source 2

Abortions Cause Women Mental Illness

Ireland Experts: Abortion Doesn't Help Women Contemplating Suicide

As the people of Ireland continue to stand strong against legalized abortion, Irish politicians seem desperate to find any way possible to force abortion through the legislature. Ref. Source 9