So what
exactly do we know about abortion? Not much. No really, it is understudied.
Many studies have questionable validity connecting abortion to mental illness
and drug use. Politicians often use these studies to limit women’s reproductive
rights. And I was worried about what I’d do without the election.
There is
obviously no interest in the effects of turning women away who come for
abortions because of restrictive rules. Because you know they live happily ever
after with their spawn. Oh wait, they probably end up on welfare.
Well,
now there is. The women have been dubbed “turnaways,” and a new longitudinal
study shows what happens to these women in terms of their economic position,
health, and relationship status after seeking an abortion and being denied.
The
study, put together by public health researchers with the UC San Francisco
group, Advancing New
Standards in Public Health (ANSIRH), used data from 956 women who sought
abortions at 30 different abortion clinics around the US. 182 of the women were
turned away. Diana Foster Greene, lead researcher followed and interviewed the
women, and their variety of abortion experiences. For some the abortion was
obtained easily, for some it was a struggle, and some were denied. Two weeks
ago, the research group presented their findings from the five-year study to
the Public Health Association Conference in San Francisco.
So what
did they find?
“We have found that there are no mental health consequences of abortion compared to carrying an unwanted pregnancy to term. There are other interesting findings: even later abortion is safer than childbirth and women who carried an unwanted pregnancy to term are three times more likely than women who receive an abortion to be below the poverty level two years later.”
IO9
called Diane Foster Greene for more details, which are broken down below:
·
Poverty
o
Women
the Turnaway Study were in comparable economic positions at the time they
sought abortions.
o
In
the Turnaway group, 45% were on public assistance and 2/3 had household incomes
below the federal poverty line. Finances were one of the many reasons an abortion
was sought.
o
86%
of the women denied were living with their babies within a year.
o
11%
had given them up for adoption.
o
At
one year later, 76% of turnaways were on public assistance compared to 44% of
those who had abortions.
o
At
one year, 67% of the turnaways were below the poverty level (vs. 56% of the women
who received abortions).
o
If a woman is denied an abortion
she is more likely to be unemployed, on public assistance, and live below the
poverty line.
·
Violence
and Drug Use
o
There
was no significant differences in drug use between women who have abortions and
those who don’t.
o
There
is appears to be no correlation between drug abuse and abortion.
o
Drug
users who couldn’t get abortions were more likely to give their child up for
adoption.
o
Turnaways
were more likely to stay in a violent relationship with an abuse partner. One year
after being turned away 7% reported incidents of domestic violence in the
previous six months. 3% of women who had abortions reported domestic violence
during the same time.
o
Abortions
allowed women to get out of these relationships with greater ease. So women who
get abortions have a dropoff in domestic violence.
o
So having an abortion facilitates
women getting out of violent relationship. There is no connection between
abortion and drug use.
·
Emotions
o
97%
of women who had an abortion felt they made the right decision after one week.
o
65%
of turnaways wished they had an abortion one week after they had been turned
away.
o
After
one week, turnaways said they had more feelings of anxiety than women who had
abortions.
o
90%
of the women who had abortions felt relieved though many felt guilty as well.
o
Later
there were no differences in anxiety or depression between the two groups.
o
There
were no indication that there were lasting harmful negative emotions associated
with getting abortions.
o
Turnaways
were more stressed.
o
Nothing translated into clinical
depression. Abortion and depression are not linked in the five year study; they
will be following up for longer effects.
·
Physical
and Mental Health
o
Turnaways
faced greater health risks from giving birth. Even late stage abortions are
safer than giving birth. Researchers said, “We find physical health
complications are more common and severe following birth (38% experience limited
activity, average 10 days) compared to abortion (24% limited activity, average
2.7 days). There were no severe complications after abortion; after birth complications
included seizures, fractured pelvis, infection and hemorrhage. We fine no
differences in chronic health conditions at 1 week or one year after seeking abortion.”
o
One
option when looking at the data includes the idea of making abortions more accessible
to lower long-term costs. Abortion access can lead to women being healthier
with better economic outlooks.
o
Restricting
access leads to women and their children living in poverty and potentially at
risk for harm from domestic violence.
The
Turnaway Study was funded entirely through donations. So you get all that?
Abortions can lead to healthy productive lives without relying on public
assistance or being forced to stay with violent partners. Of course, if we’re
thinking women are human incubators who’s offspring are entitled to a life of
poverty then I guess the anti-choice people are right.
