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Summary:
Researchers Defend Link Between Abortion and Subsequent
Substance Abuse
In
response to criticism of a study linking abortion to subsequent
substance abuse during pregnancy, researchers noted that 64% of
women dated the onset of substance abuse to within three years of
their abortion.
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Several
researchers from the Alan Guttmacher Institute criticized a study by
David Reardon et al that establishes a link between abortion
and subsequent substance abuse. The critics claim the study is
flawed due to women's under-reporting of abortion and that it may be
other factors altogether that lead to both substance abuse and
abortion. Reardon et al defend their research by noting
studies controlling for prior substance abuse have shown abortion to
be associated with subsequent substance abuse. Citing an artible in
their original study, the researchers reminded the critics from the
Alan Guttmacher Institute that 64% of women dated the onset of their
substance abuse to within three years of their abortion.1
1A
History of Induced Abortion in Relation to Substance Abuse During
Subsequent Pregnancies Carried to Term. American Journal of
Obstetrics and Gynecology, 2003, 189(2) 617-618.
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