Induced abortion and adverse mental health effects
THE AMERICAN ASSOCIATION OF PRO-LIFE OBSTETRICIANS AND GYNECOLOGISTS
www.aaplog.org
Induced Abortion and Adverse Mental Health Effects,
(includes the most recent articles)
Sept 2010
“There is consensus among most social and medical science scholars that a minimum of 10 to 30% of women who abort suffer from serious, prolonged negative psychological consequences (Adler et al., 1992; Bradshaw & Slade, 2003; Major & Cozzarelli, 1992; Zolese & Blacker, 1992).”
Many assume that women with unplanned, unwanted pregnancies will suffer significant emotional distress if they carry to term. While the experience of continuing a pregnancy and parenting when a child was not expected can be quite stressful, the available literature indicates that women who abort are at an even hgher risk for pronounced emotional, psychological, and behavioral difficulties. Several of these studies since 2002 are briefly summarized below, followed by AAPLOG comments on the APA’s task force report of 2008.
New Zeeland Study, 2008
Fergusson DM, Horwood JL, & Boden JM (2008). Abortion and mental health disorders: evidence from a 30-year longitudinal study, The British Journal of Psychiatry (2008) 193: 444-451. This study revealed the following increased risks associated with abortion: suicide ideation: 61%; alcohol dependence: 188%; illicit drug dependence: 185%; Major Depression: 31%; Anxiety Disorder: 113%
Norwegian Study, 2008
Willy Pedersen; Abortion and depression: A population-based longitudinal study of young women; Scandinavian Journal of Public Health, volume 36, 2008 pages 424–428.
Results in the Pedersen study. This study involved 768 women aged 15 to 27. After controlling for variables, women who had undergone an abortion were:
2.9 times more likely to have significant depression 2.8 times more likely to have alcohol problems 4.6 times more likely to use marijuana 5.0 times more likely to have nicotine dependence 7.7 times more likely to use other illegal drugs
Australian Study, 2008
Dingle, K., Alati, R., Clavarino, A. et al. (2008) Pregnancy loss and psychiatric disorders in young women: an Australian birth cohort study. The British Journal of Psychiatry 193: 455-460.
These authors reported that women with an abortion history had almost twice the risk for 12 month depression compared to women who did not report an abortion.
Abortion history was also associated with an almost 3 times greater risk of experiencing a lifetime illicit drug use disorder (not including marijuana) and twice the risk for an alcohol use disorder.
These results were computed after controls were instituted for maternal and familial factors, pre-existing behavior problems, substance misuse and demographic characteristic
U.S. Study, 2007
Rees, D. I. & Sabia, J. J. (2007). The relationship between abortion and depression: New Evidence from the Fragile Families and Child Wellbeing Study. Medical Science Monitor 13(10): 430-436.
These authors employed a large representative sample of U.S. women who had recently given birth, the Fragile Families and Child Wellbeing Study, to examine the extent to which abortion increases risk for Major Depression.
Women who had an abortion were at a higher risk for major depression compared to women who had not become pregnant. Specifically, after adjusting for race, ethnicity, age, education, household income, number of children, and prior depression, abortion was associated with more than a two-fold increase in the likelihood of having depressive symptoms at second follow-up.
U.S. Study, 2006
Coleman, P. K. (2006). Resolution of Unwanted Pregnancy During Adolescence Through Abortion versus Childbirth: Individual and Family Predictors and Consequences. Journal of Youth and Adolescence. After
implementing controls, adolescents with an abortion history, when compared to adolescents who continued an unplanned pregnancy to delivery, were 5 times more likely to seek counseling for psychological or emotional problems, 4 times more likely to report frequent sleep problems, and they were 6 times more likely to use marijuana.
New Zeeland Study, 2006
J. of Child Psychology and Psychiatry, Vol 47:1 2006 Abortion In Young Women And Subsequent Mental Health David M. Fergusson1, L. John Horwood1, and Elizabeth M. Ridder1
Applauded by many as one of the best studies available. A longitudinal study of a birth cohort in New Zeeland. Examined over 500 women for the linkages between having an abortion and mental health outcomes over an interval from age 15 to 25 years. Results in the Ferguson study: After adjustment for co-variables, when compared to women who delivered, women who aborted had:
•Over 2 times the rate of severe anxiety disorders •Nearly 3 times the rate of major depression •4 times the rate of suicidal ideation •Over 6 times the rate of illicit drug dependence
U.S. Study, 2005
Cougle, J., Reardon, D. C., Coleman, P. K., & Rue, V. M. (2005).Generalized anxiety associated with unintended pregnancy: A cohort study of the 1995 National Survey of Family Growth. Journal of Anxiety Disorders, 19, 137-142. The odds of experiencing subsequent Generalized Anxiety was 34% higher among women who aborted compared to women who delivered an unplanned pregnancy. Differences between the abortion and birth groups were greatest among the following demographic groups: Hispanic 86% higher risk; unmarried at time of pregnancy: 42% higher risk; under age 20: 46% higher risk.
Coleman Review of Abortion and Substance Abuse, 2005
Coleman, P, Induced Abortion and Increased Risk of Substance Abuse: a Review of the Evidence. Current Women’s Health Reviews,2005, Vol 1,21-34
Coleman states, “Accumulating research evidence indicates that a history of induced abortion is associated with enhanced risk for substance abuse post-dating the procedure. In a study of over 700 women in New York State, Yamaguchi and Kandel [18] found that the use of illicit drugs other than marijuana was 6.1 times higher among women with a history of induced abortion when compared to women without a history. Similarly, research by Reardon and Ney [17] revealed that among women with no prior history of substance abuse, those who aborted when compared to those who continued their pregnancies to term were 4.5 times more likely to report subsequent substance abuse. Eighty-nine percent of the women reported the onset of substance use to be within three years of the induced abortion …… Additional studies have identified significant associations between induced abortion and substance use/abuse [14,15, 48, 49].”
This article is a detailed, thoughtful, extensive review of the literature, with 168 references. We commend it to your study.
Coleman Study on Abortion and Substance Abuse, 2005
Coleman, et.al., Substance use among pregnant women in the context of previous reproductive loss (abortion, miscarriage, stillbirth) and desire for current pregnancy; Brit J of Health Psychology, 2005, 10, 255-268. A prior history of abortion was associated with a significantly higher risk of using marijuana (3X), cocaine-crack (3X), cocaine-other than crack (5X), any illicit drugs (1.8X), and cigarettes (2X). it made no difference whether the pregnancy was wanted or not wanted.
U.S. Study on Abortion and Substance Abuse 2004
Reardon, D. C., Coleman, P. K., & Cougle, J. (2004) Substance use associated with prior history of abortion and unintended birth: A national cross sectional cohort study. Am. Journal of Drug and Alcohol Abuse, 26, 369-383. Compared to women who carried an unintended first pregnancy to term, those who aborted were 100% more likely to report use of marijuana in the past 30 days and 149% more likely to use cocaine in the past 30 days (only approached significance). Women with a history of abortion also engaged in more frequent drinking than those who carried an unintended pregnancy to term. Except for less frequent drinking, the unintended delivery group was not significantly different from the no pregnancy group
California Data, 2003
•From Medical records of 173,000 California women (Medi-Cal data base) was used to compare those who delivered against those who aborted, using ICD diagnosis codes to get “hard data.”
Research published since l989 has consistently shown that women who abort are at a higher risk of subsequent substance abuse and emotional illness.
Reardon, et.al., Psychiatric admissions of low-income women following abortion and childbirth, Canadian Med Assn J., May 13, 2003 168 (10), 1253-1256. Across the 4-yrs, the abortion group had 110% more claims (more than DOUBLE) for adjustment reactions than the birth group, (for depressive psychosis, single and recurrent episode, and bipolar disorder).
Coleman Study on Substance Abuse, 2002
Coleman et.al. History of induced abortion in relation to substance use during subsequent pregnancies carried to term, AJOG, 2002, 187, 1673-1678. Compared with women who had previously given birth, women who aborted were significantly more likely to use marijuana (10X), various illicit drugs (5X), and alcohol (2X) during their next pregnancy.
Current actions by professional associations:
In March of 2008, he Royal College of Psychiatrists recommended updating abortion information leaflets to include details of the risks of depression, stating: “Consent cannot be informed without the provision of adequate and appropriate information.”
This overturns their previously declared consensus that has stood since 1994 that “the risks to psychological health from termination of pregnancy…is much less than the risks of proceeding with a pregnancy that is clearly harming the mother’s mental health.”
However, the APA disagrees
The American Psychological Assn, in August of 2008, after a year’s study of the literature, issued the following conclusion: for women with an unplanned pregnancy, the “risk of mental health problems is no greater if they have a single elective first trimester abortion than if they deliver that pregnancy.”
The bias and academic gymnastics involved in producing this convoluted report was of epic proportions. AAPLOG finds this report unsupportable from a scientific standpoint.
APA Report Fallout
•AAPLOG believes that this report will mislead physicians and the lay public. It will mislead depressed post-abortive women seeking healing. It will mislead therapists seeking to understand reasons for the depression. It will mislead pregnant women considering abortion as an answer to their dilemma.
This “official” statement will also likely be used to discredit physicians and counselors who advise pregnant patients of the mental health dangers of abortion.
“There is consensus among most social and medical science scholars that a minimum of 10 to 30% of women who abort suffer from serious, prolonged negative psychological consequences.” (Adler et al., 1992; Bradshaw & Slade, 2003; Major & Cozzarelli, 1992; Zolese & Blacker, 1992).”
•The therapist’s awareness of the association of the abortion to the patient’s mental illness will be diminished by the APA statement, with consequent treatment failures.
•These women deserve better than this from the APA.
AAPLOG’S CONCLUSION
AAPLOG finds it deeply regrettable that the APA, a professional organization dedicated to the healing of mental health difficulties, would produce a report so lacking in academic balance, and so counter-productive to its basic mission of helping the patient to resolve the underlying causes on their search to find healing.