In December, the Journal of American Physicians and Surgeons published a study purporting to show a significant correlation between abortion and mental health problems. Anti-choice websites rejoiced, claiming the study showed “terrible suffering” linked to abortion. Like most anti-choice abortion coverage, the headlines grossly misrepresent the study. The study itself also turns out to be problematic. Authored by a vocal abortion foe and three former undergraduate students, the study can hardly be called “scientific.”
Here’s how to respond to anti-choice friends who insist that the study proves the harms of abortion.
The Study’s Author is Suspect
The study’s lead author is Priscilla K. Coleman, PhD. Atypical of most scientific studies, her co-authors are not other experts in the field, but instead people with bachelor’s degrees. Dr. Coleman has a long history of anti-abortion advocacy masquerading as science.
An American Psychological Association (APA) panel found that the methods Coleman used in previous studies were problematic. The panel also found that Coleman failed to properly consider women’s mental health prior to the abortion.
In one previous study, Coleman claimed to have found a significant link between abortion and poor mental health. The hallmark of reliable science is that it can be replicated by a different science. Yet a study that attempted to replicate Coleman’s results failed to repeat them. This suggests Coleman did not properly control for other factors linked to mental health, or that her statistical methods were flawed.
The Methodology is Flawed
As with previous studies, the methodology of Coleman’s study is flawed. Good research attempts to eliminate bias, but Coleman’s data attempts to exacerbate it in several ways:
- The women surveyed for the study were drawn from a pool of women seeking post-abortion services at a crisis pregnancy center. This biases the sample in favor of women who regret their abortions, and ensures that women who participated in the study have heard anti-choice rhetoric.
- The survey included information about “post-abortion support,” but included no information about other kinds of support—such as support for women denied abortions, help accessing birth control, or information about leaving an abusive relationship. This indicates that the authors were more interested in stigmatizing abortion than helping the women. Providing details about these services is a subtle way to suggest to participants that abortion is damaging.
The Results Are Not Compelling
Despite attempts to bias the results in favor of the anti-choice position, the study does not show the clear link between abortion and mental illness that headlines claim. Twenty percent of respondents said there were no negative results or feelings associated with their abortion. Others named unpleasant emotions like shame and regret. Most did not report mental health woes.
Seven percent said they experienced anxiety. Six percent experienced suicidal thoughts. Nine percent reported substance abuse, and 14% reported depression. This might seem to point to a link between abortion and mental illness. Yet these rates of mental illness are similar to—or even lower than--rates in the general population. The Anxiety and Depression Association of America reports that 18% of the population experiences an anxiety disorder each year, with 6% of the population experiencing depression each year.
This suggests that participants may falsely attribute their feelings to their abortion. This could be due to biased question phrasing, the manipulative influence of crisis pregnancy centers, and similar factors.
Credible Science Undermines the Study
Abortion opponents have long pretended to care about women’s mental health. If that were true, they would heed the research showing that safe, legal abortion is good for women. Consider the following:
- Women who are denied abortions suffer immensely, and often for the rest of their lives. Some decide they can’t go on. When El Salvador banned abortion, the leading cause of death among pregnant women became suicide.
- The Turnaway Study, an ongoing project chroncling the stories of women denied abortions has found a clear correlation between being denied an abortion and long-term mental, physical and financial health issues. The study also links inadequate abortion access to domestic violence. Published in JAMA Psychiatry, the latest review of the Turnaway Study data found no link between abortion and poor mental health.
- Banning abortion won’t lower the abortion rate. It does result in more unsafe abortions. In Latin America, it might even have increased the abortion rate.
- Research has consistently shown that crisis pregnancy centers lie to their “patients.” So too do anti-choice advocates. One recent study found that media coverage of abortion typically includes men lying about the procedure.
- The American Psychological Association says there is no evidence of post-abortion syndrome. While some women may be upset by their abortions, the Association says, there is no evidence that abortion is particularly troubling, or that it is linked to specific mental health conditions.
For more accurate details about abortion, and for unbiased support following an abortion, contact your local women’s health center or abortion clinic.