(LifeSiteNews) — Research has revealed that women who have had abortions are twice as likely to have attempted suicide compared with other women.
According to a study published January 21 by the Journal of Psychosomatic Obstetrics & Gynecology, post-abortive women are twice as likely to attempt suicide compared with women who have not undergone an abortion.
“Aborting women, especially those who underwent coerced or unwanted abortions, were significantly more likely to say their pregnancy outcomes directly contributed to suicidal thoughts and behaviors compared to women in all other groups,” the study results stated.
The study explained that many claim the increased suicide risk in post-abortive women is a result of already existing mental health factors. However, it pointed out that this hypothesis is “inconsistent with women’s own self-assessments of the degree their abortions directly contributed to suicidal and self-destructive behaviors.”
The survey relied on findings from 1,925 women from ages 41 to 45. Women were asked to provide both psychiatric and pregnancy histories. Then they were asked to rank how their pregnancy outcome contributed to suicidal thoughts, self-destructive behaviors, and any attempted suicides.
Of the 1,925 women, 486 (25 percent) reported having attempted suicide some time in their life. The rate of suicide was highest among post-abortive women at 34%.
“Abortion was significantly more likely to be associated with self-destructive thoughts and suicidal thoughts or behaviors compared to all three other pregnancy outcomes (delivery, miscarriage, and problematic pregnancy) on all three scales,” the survey found.
Comparatively, women who delivered their babies and had no history of abortion, pregnancy loss, or problematic pregnancies reported the lowest rate of attempted suicide of 17.1 percent. Additionally, women who were never pregnant were significantly less likely to attempt suicide.
“Patients and their loved ones should be advised of their elevated risk of suicidal and self-destructive behaviors in the aftermath of an abortion and encouraged to seek support if their mental health does deteriorate,” the study advised.
Campaign Life Coalition’s Jack Fonseca told LifeSiteNews that “the results of this study are not surprising because they align with the result of many similar studies over the past several decades, showing a dramatic correlation between having an abortion and experiencing a higher rate of attempted suicide.”
“It also aligns with the direct testimonies of scores of post-abortive women who’ve told us that the decision to abort made them suicidal and caused them to engage in self-destructive behaviors from drugs and alcohol to promiscuity to dating abusive men as a form of self-punishment,” he continued.
“Legislation is absolutely required to force abortion mills to inform women that increased suicidality and self-destructive behaviors are a significant risk with every elective abortion,” Fonseca declared. “Criminal punishments should be included for abortionists who fail to give women that information clearly and up front.”