I can see you've had this debate with
@Augustus before and
@Vouthon has already engaged with you so I'm not going to belabour this here.
I just want to say that, to most women including myself, abortion does intuitively feel wrong. I know I couldn't do it. Most women who go for abortions wrangle over it for weeks. This is not in any sense a typical thing (I'm not sure what you mean by 'typical abortion?) Most women don't go into this lightly and often take it up with her spouse/boyfriend (understandably), family, and friends beforehand.
For your perusal, here are some quotes and stats from the
British Journal of Psychiatry,
The first random effects meta-analysis, which included 36 adjusted odds ratios from the 22 studies identified, resulted in a pooled odds ratio of 1.81 (95% CI 1.57–2.09,
P<0.0001).
The results of this analysis indicated that women who have had an abortion experienced an 81% higher risk of mental health problems of various forms when compared with women who had not had an abortion (Fig. 1). Results of a second random effects meta-analysis, wherein separate effects were produced based on the type of outcome measure, are provided in Fig. 2. All effects were statistically significant, with the largest pooled odds ratio derived for marijuana use (OR = 3.30, 95% CI 1.64–7.44, P = 0.001), followed by suicide behaviours (OR = 2.55, 95% CI 1.31–4.96, P = 0.006), alcohol use/misuse (OR = 2.10, 95% CI 1.77–2.49, P<0.0001), depression (OR = 1.37, 95% CI 1.22–1.53, P<0.0001) and anxiety (OR = 1.34, 95% CI 1.12–1.59, P<0.0001).
These results indicate that the level of increased risk associated with abortion varies from 34% to 230% depending on the nature of the outcome.
In the third random effects meta-analysis (
Fig. 3) three separate pooled odds ratios were produced based on the type of comparison group employed in the respective studies.
When women who had terminated a pregnancy were compared with women who had not done so relative to all mental health problems, the result was statistically significant (OR = 1.59, 95% CI 1.36–1.85, P<0.0001). When women who terminated a pregnancy were compared with women who carried to term, using the full set of mental health variables, the result was considerably stronger (OR = 2.38, 95% CI 1.62–3.50,
P<0.0001). Finally, when ‘unintended pregnancy carried to term’ operated as the comparison group, the result was likewise statistically significant and closer to the result relative to the ‘no abortion’ comparison group (OR = 1.55, 95% CI 1.30–1.83,
P<0.0001).
These data indicate that regardless of the type of comparison group used, abortion is associated with an enhanced risk of experiencing mental health problems, with the magnitude of this risk ranging from 55% to 138%.
[...]
Based on data extracted from 22 studies, the results of this meta-analytic review of the abortion and mental health literature indicate quite consistently that abortion is associated with moderate to highly increased risks of psychological problems subsequent to the procedure. The magnitude of effects derived varied based on the comparison group (no abortion, pregnancy delivered, unintended pregnancy delivered) and the type of problem examined (alcohol use/misuse, marijuana use, anxiety, depression, suicidal behaviours).
Overall, the results revealed that women who had undergone an abortion experienced an 81% increased risk of mental health problems, and nearly 10% of the incidence of mental health problems was shown to be directly attributable to abortion. The strongest effects were observed when women who had had an abortion were compared with women who had carried to term and when the outcomes measured related to substance use and suicidal behaviour. Great care was taken to assess accurately the risks from the most methodologically sophisticated studies, and the quantitatively based conclusions reflect data gathered on over three-quarters of a million women. Of particular significance is the fact that all effects entered into the analyses were adjusted odds ratios with controls for numerous third variables.
Abortion and mental health: quantitative synthesis and analysis of research published 1995–2009 | The British Journal of Psychiatry | Cambridge Core