Study confirms long-term mental trauma of abortion
Posted on December 26, 2005

Pro-Life groups are calling for a change to Government guidelines on abortion, after a new study into the mental effects of abortion has revealed that women who terminate pregnancies can still suffer from distress up to five years after the event. Research published by the University of Oslo indicates that women who have abortions suffer more long-term mental distress than those who have miscarriages during pregnancy. According to the study, after five years just 2.6 per cent of women in the miscarriage group were still suffering distress compared with 20 per cent in the abortion group. “This provides further evidence of the reality of post-abortion trauma, which is distinct in nature from trauma following a miscarriage,” Anthony Ozimic, SPUC political secretary, commented. “The Government has for decades made post-abortion trauma worse for women by denying them the ‘permission’ to grieve,” Mr Ozimic, added. “We will be challenging the Government to withdraw its pro-abortion propaganda that ‘only a small minority of women experience any long-term, psychological effects after abortion.’ “If the law was changed to create in effect a right to abortion on demand in early pregnancy, it would actually place women under psychological pressure to have abortions.” The Norwegian report confirms what many who work day in day out with women who have had abortions already knew – that abortions are seriously damaging to mental health. Laura Middleton, National Director of Caring at LIFE, a pro-life group that offers confidential pre and post abortion counselling hotlines, said: “Forty-five percent of calls to our help line are from women seeking support several years after having an abortion.” the rest