News

Higher Rates of Depression Persist Over At Least Eight Years

SPRINGFIELD, Ill., April 25, 2001 (LSN.ca) – Agencies which assist post-abortive women have concurred with a recent study published in the January 22 edition of the British Medical Journal. The study examined a national sample of 1,086 American women who had a history of unintended first pregnancies. Depression scores revealed that women who had abortions experienced a significantly higher risk of clinical depression compared to women who delivered unintended pregnancies.

Psychotherapist Dr. Theresa Burke, founder of Rachel’s Vineyard post-abortion ministries, said she has seen many women haunted by depression after abortion. More than 6,000 women have participated in Rachel’s Vineyard retreats that are held throughout the country. “Most of the women I have counseled experienced moderate to severe depression at some point after their abortions,” said Burke, who co-authored the new book Forbidden Grief: The Unspoken Pain of Abortion with the lead author of the study. “Sadly, many found their experiences dismissed by their families, friends, and even their therapists. Their grief is often ignored.”

The study’s lead researcher Dr. David Reardon said, “These findings are consistent with other research linking abortion to higher subsequent rates of suicide, substance abuse, and other psychological reactions.” Reardon, who is also the director of the Elliot Institute noted, “What makes this study especially important, however, is that it looked at depression rates for a number of years after abortion and reveals that the link between abortion and higher depression rates persists over at least eight years.”

At the National Memorial for the Unborn in Chattanooga, Tenn., thousands have placed the names of their aborted children on a 50-foot granite “Wall of Names.” According to the memorial’s administrator, Rita Siegler, “When couples see that their child and their experience with abortion is validated and treated with dignity and respect, this can help them attain a greater level of healing.”

See the study in the British Medical Journal:  https://bmj.com/cgi/content/full/324/7330/151?lookupType=volpage&vol=324&fp=151&view=short