Monday April 20, 2009
Abortion Linked to Higher Rates of Domestic Violence: New Research
By Hilary White
April 20, 2009 (LifeSiteNews.com) - When a woman gets an abortion, the couple is more than twice as likely to argue when discussing future children, and nearly three times as likely to experience domestic violence, compared with women who carry the pregnancy to term and raise the child, according to a study published in the peer-reviewed journal Public Health on Mar. 24.
"Abortion may play a vital role in understanding the aetiology [cause] of relationship problems," the authors stated. The study said that abortion within a current relationship causes 116% more arguing when discussing future children, and 196% more domestic violence.
The researchers found that abortion affected future relationships as well.
"For both men and women the experience of an abortion in a previous relationship was related to negative outcomes in the current relationship," they wrote.
"Men whose current partners had an abortion were more likely to report jealousy (96% greater risk) and conflict about drugs (385% greater risk).
"These results suggest that abortion may play a vital role in understanding the aetiology of some relationship problems," the study's authors wrote.
Dr. Priscilla Coleman, a professor of Human Development and Family Studies at Bowling Green State University headed up the study with Vincent Rue of the Florida-based Institute for Pregnancy Loss and post-abortion researcher Catherine Coyle.
The study's findings support previous research that has found higher rates of substance abuse, serious depression and suicide after abortion. In March 2008, Britain's Royal College of Psychiatrists issued a statement calling for better screening and informed consent before women undergo an abortion. The statement said that the College had undertaken a review of existing research and found that a "full systematic review around abortion and mental health is required."
In 2005, research conducted in Finland found that aborting women were 3.5 times more likely to die within the next year compared to women who gave birth.
Read related LifeSiteNews.com coverage:
Abortion Kills Your Sex Life Says UK Doctor in Times Column
http://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2008/may/08050506.html
Copyright © LifeSiteNews.com. This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-No Derivatives License. You may republish this article or portions of it without request provided the content is not altered and it is clearly attributed to "LifeSiteNews.com". Any website publishing of complete or large portions of original LifeSiteNews articles MUST additionally include a live link to www.LifeSiteNews.com. The link is not required for excerpts. Republishing of articles on LifeSiteNews.com from other sources as noted is subject to the conditions of those sources.