The Catastrophic Effects of Being Denied an Abortion: The Turnaway Study Book

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Thursday June 25, 2020 · 11:21 AM PDT

2020/06/25 · 11:21

TOPSHOT - Abortion rights activists rally in front of the US Supreme Court in Washington, DC, on May 21, 2019. - Demonstrations were planned across the US on Tuesday in defense of abortion rights, which activists see as increasingly under attack. The "Day of Action" rallies come after the state of Alabama passed the country's most restrictive abortion ban, prohibiting the procedure in all cases, even rape and incest, unless the mother's life is at risk. Alabama is among about 14 states which have adopted laws banning or drastically restricting access to abortion, according to activists. (Photo by Andrew CABALLERO-REYNOLDS / AFP) (Photo by ANDREW CABALLERO-REYNOLDS/AFP via Getty Images)

In 2008, researchers began recruiting and following women who sought abortions throughout the country. Some women had first or second trimester abortions. Others were denied abortions because of state abortion restrictions on local abortion clinics. Researchers have followed participants ever since, producing dozens of studies comparing the effects of receiving and being denied an abortion. The so-called Turnaway Study is a sobering reminder of what happens to women when they can’t control their own bodies. Diana Greene Foster has transformed the research findings into a new book that lays out the case for legalized abortion in painstaking, and sometimes heartbreaking, detail.

What Are the Findings of the Turnaway Study?

One of the most compelling findings of the study is that, even 5 years following an abortion, women still don’t regret their choice. Ninety-nine percent continue to report relief.

Other highlights include:

Women’s mental health is worse after being denied an abortion, including at least 5 years following the denial.
Women denied an abortion are more likely to experience depression and thoughts of suicide.
Being denied an abortion increases stress and lowers self-esteem.
Women denied abortions are more likely to be in abusive relationships.
Even among women who had later abortions or who struggled with their decision, more than 95 percent said their decision was the right one 5 years later.
Being denied an abortion correlates with an increased risk of substance abuse.
Women denied an abortion have worse socioeconomic outcomes, are more likely to live in poverty, and are more likely to need government assistance.

Dispensing With Right Wing Abortion Lies

For decades, anti-choice activists have argued that they care about women, that their opposition to abortion is rooted in concern for women’s health, emotional well-being, and safety. They have asserted that women can’t be trusted to make abortion decisions, because they’ll inevitably look back with regret. The Turnaway Study debunks anti-choice lies, but that hasn’t slowed the avalanche of abortion myths. One recent analysis even found that lies about abortion dominate media coverage, with 89 percent of coverage of late-term abortion containing inaccuracies.

Anti-choicers are not interested in truth, nor in helping women. Otherwise they’d be speaking out about the fact that the United States has the worst maternal mortality rate in the wealthy world. Instead, they’re fine with driving that rate even higher if doing so means they get to punish women for having sex, for being raped, for existing.

Learn more about the Turnaway Study here, or buy the book here.

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The Catastrophic Effects of Being Denied an Abortion: The Turnaway Study Book

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