AfterAbortion

AbortionIncreasesWomensMortalityRate

NewStudyShowsWomensDeathRateFollowingAbortionMuch
HigherthanPreviouslyKnown
Springfield,IL(August2,2002)AstudypublishedintheAugusteditionoftheSouthernMedicalJournal
revealsthatwomenwhohaveabortionsareatsignificantlyhigherriskofnearandlongtermdeaththan
womenwhogivebirth.Thiscontradictsthewidelyacceptedopinionthatabortionissaferthanchildbirth.
ResearchersexamineddeathrecordslinkedtoMediCalpaymentsforbirthsandabortionsforapproximately
173,000lowincomeCalifornianwomen.Theydiscoveredthatwomenwhohadabortionswerealmosttwice
aslikelytodieinthefollowingtwoyears.Theyalsodiscoveredthattheelevatedmortalityrateofaborting
womenpersistedoveratleasteightyears.Overtheeightyearperiodstudied,womenwhoabortedhada154
percenthigherriskofdeathfromsuicide,an82percenthigherriskofdeathfromaccidents,anda44percent
higherriskofdeathfromnaturalcauses.
Thisisthesecondlargerecordbasedstudytofindelevatedmortalityratesamongwomenfollowingan
abortion.In1997,agovernmentfundedstudyofmaternaldeathsinFinlandsentatremorofworrythrough
familyplanningagencieswhenitrevealedthatinthefirstyearfollowinganabortion,abortingwomenwere
252percentmorelikelytodiecomparedtowomenwhodeliveredand76percentmorelikelytodiecompared
towomenwhohadnotbeenpregnant.Manyoftheextradeathswereduetosuicide.
ThenewstudyconfirmsthetrendfoundinFinlandusingalargesampleofAmericanwomen.Inaddition,
wheretheFinlandstudywaslimitedtoaoneyearfollowup,thenewstudyrevealshighermortalityrates
persistoveratleasteightyears.
Accordingtothestudysleadauthor,DavidReardon,Ph.D.,directoroftheElliotInstitutebasedin
Springfield,IL,thecausesofdeathshiftedduringtheperiodstudied.
Duringthefirstfouryears,higherratesofdeathfromsuicideandheightenedrisktakingbehaviorwerethe
mostpronouncedareaofdifference,Reardonsaid.Inlateryears,deathsduetonaturalcausesrose.This

mayreflectlongertermdamagethatincreasedratesofdepression,anxiety,andselfneglectcaninflicton
womenscardiovascularandimmunesystems.
NewApproachEliminatesUncertainties
Criticsofabortionhavelongcomplainedaboutthewidelyacknowledgedinaccuraciesofabortionmortality
figures.Therearenofederalorstateregulationsrequiringabortioncomplications.Indeed,theinternational
classificationcodesforidentifyingcauseofdeathdonotevenprovideameansforidentifyingsurgical
abortionasacauseofdeath.
Eveniftherewasamethodforreportingabortionrelateddeaths,theaccuracyofsuchreportswouldstill
limitedbythejudgmentofcoronersregardingtheunderlyingcauseofdeath.Deathsfromsuicideor
protractedinfections,forexample,maybedifficulttoattributetoaspecificunderlyingcause.
GovernmentresearchersinFinlandpavedthewayoutofthisquagmireofuncertainty,Reardonsaid.By
linkingdeathcertificatesdirectlytopaymentrecordsforbirthsandabortions,wecanfinallygetanaccurate
pictureofwhatisreallygoingon.ThisisthefirstAmericanstudytouseauniformandobjectivestandardfor
comparingdeathsassociatedwithabortionandbirth.
Askedifthesefindingswillleadtogeneralrecognitionthatmortalityratesassociatedwithabortionarehigher
thanthoseforchildbirth,Reardonexpressedafearthatthenewfindingswillbeignoredbyabortion
advocates.
Fiveyearsago,whenFinlandpublishedtheoneimpeccablerecordbasedstudyofdeathrates,theresults
werecompletelyignoredbyabortionadvocates,hesaid.Iftheresultshadbeentheopposite,theywould
havebeenshoutedfromtherooftops.Butsincethepopulationcontrollobbyisanxioustoseeabortion
legalizedindevelopingcountries,theyhaveavestedinterestinpromotingthemyththatabortionissafer
thanchildbirth,sotheresultswereignored.
Reardonsaidthatthevariousclaimsthatabortionissix,twelve,oreventwentytimessaferthanchildbirth
wereallconstructedbycombiningahodgepodgeofstudiesthatrelyonincompletedata.Henotedthat
thesepriorestimatesareatbest,educatedguesses.Atworst,theyareexamplesofpropagandadressedup
asscience.Ineithercase,thesefavoriteestimatesaredeeplyentrenchedinfamilyplanningliteratureand
havenotbeencorrectedinlightoftheFinlandresearch.Itislikelymanyabortionadvocateswillcontinueto
holdtothemdespiteourfindingsaswell.
DepressionOverAbortionMayExplainIncreasedSuicideRates
Reardonisespeciallyconcernedaboutthehigherriskofdeathsfromsuicides.TheFinlandstudyrevealeda
sevenfoldincreasedrateofdeathsfromsuicideamongabortingwomen.Suicideisaleadingcauseofdeath
amongyoungwomen.InanElliotInstitutesurveyofwomencomplainingofpostabortiondistress,56
percentreportedsuicidalfeelingsand28percentactuallyattemptedsuicide,withoverhalfofthese
attemptingsuicidemorethanonce.
Theexplanationforhighersuiciderates,Reardonbelieves,canbefoundinanotherElliotInstitutestudyof
1,076womenfacedwithunplannedpregnanciesthatwaspublishedearlierthisyearinthe
BritishMedicalJournal.Itrevealedthatsubsequentlongtermclinicaldepressionwasmorecommonamong

thosewhohadabortions.
YetanotherElliotInstitutestudypublishedintheAmericanJournalofOrthopsychiatrythisyearrevealedthat
abortingwomenaresignificantlymorelikelytorequiresubsequentpsychiatrictreatmentscomparedto
deliveringwomen.ThisstudyexaminedMediCalpaymentsforoutpatientpsychiatriccareoverafouryear
period.Abortionwasmoststronglyassociatedwithsubsequenttreatmentsforneuroticdepression,bipolar
disorder,adjustmentreactions,andschizophrenicdisorders.
SinceallthreeoftherecentlypublishedElliotInstitutestudiescontrolforpriorpsychiatricstate,Reardon
saysthedifferencesbetweenabortinganddeliveringwomencannotbeexplainedsimplyondifferencesin
priorpsychologicalhealth.
Wehavebeenlookingatlargesamplesofwomenwhoarehavesimilarinsocioeconomicandpsychological
profiles,hesaid.Abortionisclearlyassociatedwithaworseningofmentalhealthandhighermortalityrates.
Bycontrast,givingbirthappearstoprotectmentalhealthandlowermortalityrates.Thelatterisespecially
evidentintheFinlandstudies.
MoreOutreach,Counseling,andResearchRecommended
Reardonbelievestheresultstheserecentstudiesunderscoreakeymessageofanewbook,
ForbiddenGrief:TheUnspokenPainofAbortion,whichhecoauthoredwithDr.TheresaBurke,anexpertin
postabortioncounseling.
Weneedtoexpandoutreachandreferralsintopostabortioncounselingprograms,hesaid.Therearemany
womenwhohavegreatdifficultycopingwiththeemotionalstressfollowinganabortion.Withouthelp,and
especiallytheunderstandingoflovedones,theywillbemorevulnerabletoselfdestructivebehaviorand
otherpsychologicaldisorders.
Publicinterestinthehealtheffectsofabortionwaslastraisedin1989whenSurgeonGeneralC.Everett
KoopreviewedtheresearchonabortionattherequestofPresidentRonaldReagan.Koopconcludedthatall
thestudiesdoneuptothatpointwassomethodologicallyflawedthatnofirmconclusionscouldbedrawn
aboutabortionsrisksorbenefits.
Inalettertotheoutgoingpresident,Kooprecommendedthatamajorfederallyfundedlongitudinalstudyof
abortionshealthriskswastheonlywaytosecuredefinitiveanswers.Hisproposalforamajorstudydiedin
theDemocraticallycontrolledcongress,however,whenabortionadvocatesarguedthattheappealforsuch
researchwaspoliticallymotivatedandawasteoftaxpayerdollars.
Reardonhopestheresultsofrecentstudieswillrekindletheefforttomaketheinvestigationofabortions
healtheffectsapriorityofthegovernmentsNationalInstitutesofHealth.
Thegovernmenthasignoredthisproblemfordecades,largelyatthebehestofpopulationcontrolgroups
whicharemoreconcernedaboutprotectingabortionthanprotectingwomen,Reardonsaid.Ibelievewomen
deservebetter.Theydeservetoknowthetruerelativeriskassociatedwithabortion.Ifthegovernmenthad
actedonKoopsrecommendation,wewouldhavehaddefinitiveanswersbynow.

Citing:
ReardonDC,NeyPG,ScheurenFJ,CougleJR,Coleman,PK,StrahanT.Deathsassociatedwith
pregnancyoutcome:arecordlinkagestudyoflowincomewomen.SouthernMedicalJournal,August2002,
95(8):834841.
PostedonlinewithpermissionfrompublisherinAdobeAcrobatformat(pdf).Copyright2002Southern
MedicalJournal.
Note:ForadditionalinformationandcommentaryontheFinlandmortalitystudiesincontextwithother
studiesrelatedtoabortionmortality,seethepreviouslypublishedreviewarticlesinThePostAbortion
Review,Volume8Number2.

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PostedinMortality,News,Research

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