University Study Ties Abortion With Mental Disorders – May 3, 2010

The University of Manitoba announced on Friday the results of a study regarding the relationship between abortion, mental illness and suicide.  Using data from the National Institute of Mental Health and the National Institute of Drug Abuse, researchers looked for correlations between a number of factors and then checked for evidence of mental disorders following abortion.

According to Dr. Jitender Sareen of the university’s Department of Psychiatry “This was the first study to examine associations between abortions and several mental disorders.”  Researchers in the departments of psychology and psychiatry as well as from the department of obstetrics, gynecology and reproductive sciences took part in the study.  Factors examined included abortion, anxiety, substance abuse, eating disorders, disruptive behaviour and suicide attempts.

The researchers reported that depression and drug dependence followed abortion in about half the women studied. As well, women with a household income of $75,000 were more likely to report an abortion than those with household incomes less than $25,000.

Dr. Sareen stated that “We found a higher likelihood of lifetime mood disorder in women who had experienced an abortion compared with those who had never had an abortion.”  While the researchers were able to identify a correlation between abortion and various mental disorders they were not able to determine causation.  In other words, according to Dr. Sareen, “A woman with a mood disorder might be more inclined to have an abortion, while conversely, an unplanned pregnancy and abortion could precipitate a mood disorder.”

Angelina Steenstra, national coordinator of Canada’s Silent No More Awareness Campaign is convinced, based on the number of personal stories she has heard, that the disorders identified by the researchers are the direct result of abortion.  That was certainly the case in her own life.  Following her abortion following a date rape when she was 15, she plummeted into a depression that lasted years.  Her healing only began when she lost a second child through an ectopic pregnancy that was connected to her abortion.  Steenstra was quoted in Life Site News as saying “I came out of the depression when I started grieving my last child.”

She went on to say “The claim that abortion is safe is not true.  Women are still dying from abortion, even though it is supposed to be legal and safe.  It's dangerous for women psychologically. … It's dangerous on the level of relationships.  It was dangerous for me physically.”

On a positive note, healing is available.  Steenstra says “Once people become aware of the negative effects of abortion, they can begin the journey towards healing through such after-care programs as Rachel's Vineyard or Entering Canaan, which is run by the Sisters of Life.  When people plug in to those after-care programs, they actually move on and can turn the other page, and integrate the experience into their life.”

The University of Manitoba study was published this month in the Canadian Journal of Psychiatry.  It is entitled “Associations Between Abortion, Mental Disorders, and Suicidal Behaviour in a Nationally Representative Sample.”'

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