(LifeSiteNews) — Contrary to abortion industry narratives, women are more likely to suffer mental problems after abortion than after choosing life, according to a new study.
The paper, published in the Journal of Psychiatric Research, studied “28,721 induced abortions and 1,228,807 births in hospitals of Quebec, Canada, between 2006 and 2022.” It found that abortions were associated with more than doubled rates of “mental health-related hospitalizations,” including psychiatric disorders, substance abuse, and attempted suicide.
“In our study, preexisting mental illness was the strongest risk factor for mental health hospitalization in the long-term period after an abortion,” the authors write. “Younger age at the time of abortion was an additional risk factor. Many mental health disorders appear during adolescence and early adulthood (Jalanko et al., 2020; National Collaborating Centre for Mental Health, 2011). Pregnancy at a young age is associated with socioeconomic disadvantage and adverse childhood experiences, further predictors of poor mental health (National Collaborating Centre for Mental Health, 2011).”
“Having a history of abortion was an additional risk factor for mental health hospitalization after a repeat abortion,” they add. “The literature is mixed on whether patients with a history of abortion have more mental health disorders after a second abortion […] Having a history of live birth was also a risk factor for mental health hospitalization, although it is not clear why patients who already have children would be at increased risk after an abortion.”
National Review’s Wesley Smith writes that the study is “notable because of its size and scope, its contradicting previous understandings, and its publication in a mainstream, peer-reviewed medical journal by authors not identified with the pro-life movement. At the very least, if informed consent and ‘choice’ are to mean anything, abortionists should be duty-bound to inform pregnant women about this particular risk.”
The findings contradict longstanding pro-abortion claims that most women feel relief after abortion and that restricting “access” to it endangers their mental and emotional welfare. Abortion, which despite persistent media narratives is almost never sought for “medical” reasons, has long been known to carry significant risks on top of its intended lethality to preborn babies.
Abortion, the destruction of an unborn baby in his mother’s womb, is never medically necessary or justifiable.
Abortion facilities across the country are regularly flagged for harming women through botched procedures, unsanitary tools and environments, and lack of regulatory protections such as requirements for staff to secure admitting privileges at nearby hospitals in the event of complications. With the rise of abortion pills dispensed by mail in violation of federal law, chemical abortions self-administered completely without medical oversight are certain to increase those harms further still.
Further, even when “properly” performed, abortion carries grave risks. According to the American Association of Pro-Life Obstetricians and Gynecologists (AAPLOG), which represents 7,000 medical professionals who reject the anti-life stance of the medical establishment, “[w]omen face a 35% increased risk of preterm birth in a future pregnancy after one surgical abortion and an almost 90% increase in preterm birth risk after two abortions. The increased risk of future preterm birth for women after they have an abortion represents a clear long-term health risk. Mothers who deliver preterm babies are at a higher risk of medical complications later in life, including cardiovascular disease and stroke.”
“From 1993 to 2018, there are at least 75 studies examining the link between abortion and mental health,” the group continues. “Two-thirds of those studies showed a correlation between abortion and adverse mental health outcomes. Studies show abortion significantly increases the risk of depression, anxiety, substance abuse, and suicidal behavior, when compared to women with unintended pregnancies who choose to carry the baby to birth. A study from Finland found a 7X higher suicide rate after abortion compared to when women gave birth.”
