Abortion's Impact on the Women Who Had Them

The abortion choice can also carry a host of sad health consequences for both the women and men involved. Recent research confirms that the best choice physically, emotionally, and psychologically to an unplanned pregnancy is childbirth and the worst is abortion.

1. Abortion Leads to Various Mental Health Problems in Women.
   Abortion has been attributed to anxiety, depression, alcohol abuse, drug abuse, suicidal behavior, and other mental health problems. (2011)

2. Past Abortion May be a Factor in Autoimmune Diseases, More Studies Needed
   Larger than normal fetomaternal transfer of cells occurs after an abortion. This has been determined to be a factor in autoimmune diseases.

3. Abortions May Lead to Low Birthweight and Preterm Birth in Subsequent Pregnancies.
   Women with a history of induced abortions had an increased risk of experiencing preterm births and giving birth to low birthweight infants.  This risk also increased if the number of abortions increased2009)

4. Negative reactions to abortion can lead to an increase in mental health disorders.
   An unwanted pregnancy terminated by an abortion is an event that can cause measurable distress in women, and these feelings of distress have been associated with increased mental health problems. (2009).

5. Breast Cancer Risk Factors in Turkish women – a University Hospital Based Nested Case Control Study
   Turkish Study: Induced Abortion Significantly Associated with Increased Breast Cancer Risk.(2009)

6. Abortion Increases Risk For Psychiatric Disorders
   Women who have had an abortion have an increased risk of suffering from anxiety disorders, substance abuse, and mood disorders.(2008)

7. Women Who Bear Children Have a Reduced Risk of Developing Breast Cancer
   The ability of cells from a developing fetus to cross the placenta and take up long-term residence within its mother is called fetal microchimerism. While fetal microchimerism has been shown to be a mechanism to explain autoimmune disease, it may also benefit mothers by putting her immune system on alert to destroy malignant cells.(2007)

8. Iranian women who have had an induced abortion have a 62% increased risk for breast cancer.
   Women with a history of induced abortions have a higher risk of developing breast cancer.(2007)

9. Induced Abortion a Factor in Preterm Birth
   A prior first trimester induced abortion has been found to be an irreversible risk factor associated with preterm birth.(2007)

10. In Europe, Breast Cancer Incidence Forecasted by Increase in Abortion Rates
    In a study of eight European countries, researchers concluded that the increase in breast cancer incidence appears to be best explained by an increase in abortion rates and lower fertility. (Fall 2007)

11. Flawed Study Stating No Link Between Abortion and Breast Cancer
    Harvard Nurses Study II's conclusion that abortion is not associated with increased incidence of breast cancer is flawed on several counts.(2007)

12. Legalization of Abortion Correlates to Significant Increase in Murder Rates
    Previous research claimed that legalized abortion accounted for a large part of the drop in murder rates between 1991 and 1997. Subsequent research demonstrates that, to the contrary, legalizing abortion was associated with a statistically significant increase in murder rates. (2007)

13. Abortions Associated With an Increased Risk of Mental Health Problems
    A number of studies have proposed that abortion may have long-term adverse mental health effects, leading to feelings of guilt, unresolved loss and lowered self-esteem.(2006)

14. Sleep Disorders More Common After Induced Abortion
    Study shows that sleep disorders are more common in women following an induced abortion compared with women who carry their pregnancy to term.(2006)

15. Increased Risk of Future Miscarriages Due to Abortion
    Previous abortion is a factor that contributes to increasing a woman’s risk in having a first-trimester miscarriage. (2006)

16. Abortion Increases Likelihood of Maternal Substance Abuse
    A history of induced abortion is associated with elevated maternal substance use during pregnancy. Unwanted pregnancies are not associated with substance use during pregnancy, except for cigarette smoking. (2005)

17. Abortion Does Not Save a Relationship
    Most relationships between unmarried couples come apart after an abortion. Some women may also become involved in a violent relationship after an abortion because of feelings of self-hatred and low self-esteem.(October 25, 2005)

18. Abortion and Higher Anxiety Disorder Rates
    Among women with unintended pregnancies, those who have aborted tend to have higher rates of subsequent generalized anxiety than those who carried to term.(2005)

19. Abortion Causes Breast Cancer in 5% of Women
    According to Dr. Angela Lanfranchi, abortion causes breast cancer in about 5% of women who have an abortion. This results in approximately 10,000 cases a year of breast cancer that can be attributed to abortion. After an induced abortion, the female is exposed to very high levels of estrogen, which can act as a mitogen and a carcinogen on breast tissue. This would leave her with more places for cancers to start.(2005)

20. Women Who Abort More Prone to Abuse Future Children
    Compared to women with no history of any induced abortion, those with one prior abortion have a 144% higher risk for child abuse. Abortion has also been linked with pronounced psychological problems in at least 10-25% of women (2005)

21. Higher Exposure to Estrogen, Higher Risk of Breast Cancer
    The Breast Cancer Prevention Institute claims that the more estrogen a women is exposed to in her lifetime, the higher her risk for breast cancer. Abortion in women under 18 and over 30 years old carries the greatest risk of getting breast cancer. (May 2004)

22. American Women Experience More Negative Effects of Abortion
    A recent study that was conducted on American and Russian women found that American women were more negatively influenced by their abortion experiences than Russian women. (2004)

23. Abortion and Increased Risk of Substance Abuse
    According to the American Journal of Drug and Alcohol Abuse there is a significant connection between women who have had an abortion and subsequent substance abuse (2000)

24. Risk of Premature Birth
    Studies report doubling risk of premature birth following two induced abortions, nine times risk if four or more abortions (Summer 2003)

25. Increased Risk of Breast Cancer and Informed Consent
    Despite the fact that numerous studies have shown a link between abortion and breast cancer, various pro-choice and medical agencies continue to ignore the evidence. For women considering an abortion, evidence of an increased breast cancer risk should be disclosed as part of obtaining informed consent. (Summer 2003)

26. Increased Psychiatric Admissions of Women Following Abortion
    Psychiatric admissions are more common among low-income women who have an induced abortion than among those who carry a pregnancy to term, both in the short and longer term. (May 2003)

27. Early Reproductive Events and Breast Cancer
    Minority report written to refute claims made during an NCI workshop that induced abortion is not associated with an increase in breast cancer risk. Among studies on U.S. women, 13 of 15 women have reported an overall association between the two. (March 10, 2003)

28. Post-Abortion Women Have Higher Outpatient Psychiatric Treatment Rates
    An analysis of women who received funding under California's medical assistance program shows that rates of women seeking outpatient psychiatric treatment were 17% higher for women who aborted than those who carried their pregnancies to term.(2002)

29. Married Women Who Abort First Pregnancy More Likely to Become Depressed than Those who Deliver
    Among married women experiencing unintended pregnancies, those who abort are more likely to be at high risk of clinical depression than those who delivered their babies.(2002)

30. Abortion Increases Out-of-Wedlock Births and Murder Rates.
    Researchers have found that an increase of abortion has led to an increase in out-of-wedlock births and an increase in the murder rate. (2001)

31. Abortion Connected to Subsequent Substance Abuse
    Women who go through an abortion are more likely to surrender to substance abuse than women who carry their pregnancies to term. (2000)

32. 20 Week Old Fetuses Feel Pain
    Fetuses as young as 20 weeks gestational age (and possibly even earlier) have all the necessary central nervous equipment to experience pain. Studies have shown that fetuses have a hormonal response to invasive procedures and pain; in fact, their hormone levels rise more dramatically than in newborn infants at term. This finding should have implications for the development of sedatives to be given to the fetus before any invasive procedures in utero as well as before abortion, whatever their gestational age.(November 1999)

33. Breast Cancer 2nd Leading Cause of Death in African-American Women
    Breast cancer is the second leading cause of cancer death among African-American women due to the fact that they generally begin using oral contraceptives earlier and abortions are performed earlier in the woman’s reproductive life. (May/June 1998)

34. Greater Risk of Depression
    Those who abort a first pregnancy are at a greater risk of subsequent long term clinical depression. (1992)