(Nov 19, 2019) — Abortion significantly contributes to suicidal thoughts, mood disorders and substance abuse, according to a new study published this week. The negative effects are especially prevalent among the one in five women who reported wanting a child shortly before their abortions.

In 2008, the American Psychological Association’s Task Force on Abortion and Mental Health found that women women who aborted a wanted pregnancy were at greater risk of subsequent mental health problems. But prior studies have failed to examine how often unwanted abortions take place.

This new analysis of the federally funded National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent to Adult Health (NLSAAH) reveals that about one in five women having abortion previously wanted their pregnancies.

Unwanted Abortions Carry Extra Risks

“Many people assume that abortion only occurs when a pregnancy is unwanted,” commented David Reardon, an expert in the field who was not part of the study. “In fact, feelings about the pregnancy may vary back and forth over time.”

Some women who were initially excited to be pregnant, may end up choosing abortion because of some change in circumstance. For example, one leading cause for abortion is lack of social support to keep the baby. Up to 64% of women report feeling pressured to choose an abortion by other people, typically the male partner, parents, employers, or even health care workers.

The NLSAAH study did not identify why those who initially wanted their the pregnancies ended up having an abortion. But the fact that twenty percent of aborting women in a nationally representative sample reported aborting a wanted pregnancy is an important new data point.

“First, this data gives us a starting point for identifying the frequency of unwanted abortions,” said Reardon, director of the Elliot Institute. “Too often people assume that all abortions are wanted.  It is just a solution to unwanted pregnancies. In fact, women being pressured into unwanted abortions is a common problem.”

“Second, this data confirms that unwanted abortions contribute to higher complication rates for at least some mental health problems. And since these cases represent one-fifth of all abortions, previous studies that deliberately excluded women who aborted wanted pregnancies have underestimated the mental health effects of abortion on all women.”

Even Wanted Abortions Are Still Risky

While there are extra risks to aborting a wanted pregnancy, the NLSAAH data also confirms that abortion of unwanted pregnancies are also linked to higher rates of mental illness.

For example, women who aborted an unwanted pregnancy had a 94% higher risk of subsequent suicidal thoughts than women without a history of abortion. They were also 270% more likely to report subsequent alcohol abuse or dependence.

“There is no such thing as a safe abortion,” said Reardon. Previous literature reviews have reported that there are no statistically significant studies showing any mental health or physical benefits from abortion.

“This study underscores the need for laws which will finally set standard for pre-abortion screening,” said Reardon. 

Better screening, he believes, will reduce abortion rates particularly among women who are at greatest risk of impacted grief and other mental health problems that inevitably follow unwanted and unnecessary abortions.