Monday March 20, 2000

STUDY: SUBSTANCE ABUSE 5X HIGHER AFTER ABORTION

SPRINGFIELD, IL - Mar 20 (LSN.ca) - Women who have an abortion are five times more likely to report subsequent substance abuse compared to women who carry their babies to term, according to a study published in the latest issue of the prestigious American Journal of Drug and Alcohol Abuse. The study was authored by Elliot Institute director Dr. David Reardon and Dr. Philip Ney, a British Columbia psychiatrist who specializes in post-abortion counseling. According to the authors, while the connection between abortion and substance abuse has never been widely publicized, this is at least the 16th published study connecting a history of abortion to subsequent drug or alcohol abuse.

This latest study was drawn from a national reproductive history survey of a random sample of 700 women, from 24 to 44 years of age. "Even if we assume the lowest statistical range for the relative risk, our results would indicate that each year, in the United States alone, there are at least 150,000 new cases of abortion-related substance abuse," Reardon said. "Given the range of relative risks identified, the actual number could be as high as 500,000 cases per year."

On-Line link to Am J Drug Alcohol Abuse article by Reardon and Ney:
http://www.dekker.com/e/p.pl/0095-2990/026/001/006/abs

For more information on this study and a list of citations and links to other studies mentioned in this news release, go to http://www.afterabortion.org/News/subabuse.htm

URL: http://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2000/mar/00032002.html

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