Abortion Does Not Cause Depression or Low Self-Esteem in Adolescents, National U.S. Study Finds

[HuckleB]

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/09/100924122537.htm

"A new study has determined that teenagers who have abortions are no more likely to become depressed or have low self-esteem than their peers whose pregnancies do not end in abortion.

The study conducted by researchers from Oregon State University and University of California, San Francisco, is the first to use both depression and low self-esteem as outcomes with a nationally representative sample of adolescents.

The researchers found that young women in the study who had an abortion were no more likely to become depressed or have low self-esteem within the first year of pregnancy -- or five years later -- than their peers who were pregnant, but did not have an abortion.

The researchers used data from 289 respondents to the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health (Add Health). Data were taken from three survey waves, starting in 1994-1995, surveyed again one year later, and then five years after that. The study is available online and will appear in the December issue of Perspectives on Sexual and Reproductive Health.

..."


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I can't think of anything worthy of adding.

:)

[Viking12]

1. So much for the imaginary "post-abortion syndrome"

Although evidence doesn't matter to a bunch of fundie, creationists....

[HuckleB]

3. Exactly, and exactly.

[ensho]

2. they feel relieved and look forward to resuming their lives

nt

[left coaster]

5. Exactly!

Becoming a mother at fifteen would have really depressed me..

[hlthe2b]

6. Exactly.. Why would being given a second chance depress them?

I'm personally very happy to have never faced that decision. I'm sure many may second guess the decision to some extent later in life. But the bottom line is that they did not produce a child of poverty or which might potentially have faced the abuse that can come from being unwanted and they were able to pursue a productive life. Choice is just that.

[Commie Pinko Dirtbag]

4. Another scientific nail in the coffin of superstition.

^{Cue anti-choicers questioning validity of study in 5... 4... 3...}

[laconicsax]

17. That coffin's been nailed shut for ages.

The problem is that three days later, superstition comes back.

[Warpy]

7. All my friends who had abortions felt only one thing

Relief.

Only a man would think anything else.

While I'm sure there are some women out there who were pressured into getting abortions they didn't want by partners and families and experience varying degrees of resentment and regret, the vast majority make the decision for themselves and their lives and there is no post abortion syndrome for them.

[BlancheSplanchnik]

15. only a man, or ideologically blind women.

sadly, there are too many of them....

that reminds me of this; Our local Alternative Newspaper occasionally runs an ad from "Rachel's House", some group that "offers counseling for women suffering after an abortion". I tried calling them once to see what their deal was, because I was pissed that our newspaper runs that crap.

I asked what help they offer for rape and incest survivors who become pregnant, and sure enough, her answer was against abortion. As support for her/their position, she informed me of the breast cancer risks and the depression and mental illness risks that abortion poses.

Although we all knew already that abortion does not threaten mental health and in fact is less of a threat to mental and physical health than pregnancy, childbirth and childrearing is, it's good to see the research in black and white.

I'm saving this---I'd like to use it in a letter to the newspaper.

[Edweird]

8. .

[blogslut]

9. 3 abortions

...with you?

[Edweird]

10. Is that a problem?

[blogslut]

11. Yes

[Edweird]

13. Stay classy.

No birth control method is %100. Things don't always go as planned. That's life.

[SoCalDem]

12. The personality of the girl/woman before the abortion/pregnancy

is likely to determine the reaction afterward.

With all the easy tests these days, it should be a relatively simple procedure.

Back in my day, you had to go to a doctor for a test and if you were a teen, it was a difficult thing to do, so by the time the word abortion even popped up, a girl was probably 3 months pregnant, and many people probably "knew". The more people meddling in the decision, the more angst for the girl/woman.

For a girl who loved the guy and thought that a baby would cement their relationship, I can see how she might be depressed to find out that he just wanted it "gone". After the abortion she could easily become depressed because she gave up the pregnancy AND the boyfriend.

If a girl knew the guy was not "the one", and the pregnancy was an accident, ending it would probably not be all that depressing.

These days, there should be no "late abortions" unless a wanted pregnancy goes horribly awry and the baby is not viable or the Mom's health is in danger. Tests can determine pregnancy practically before the bedsheets are changed, so a quick, inexpensive & easy procedure should be the norm, if the girl.woman wants it. The sooner the better.

[Radical Activist]

14. Article does not support the headline.

The article doesn't say that abortion doesn't cause depression or low self-esteem. It only says it doesn't cause those things to a greater degree than having an unwanted pregnancy does. And as the article states,

"We know most teen pregnancies are not wanted pregnancies and an unwanted pregnancy can be very stressful," Warren said.

So all the study proves, based on the article, is that BOTH abortion and an unwanted pregnancy can be stressful experiences for teens that may lead to depression and low self-esteem at similar levels. Unless there was a control group of teens who didn't have any unwanted pregnancy at all then that's the only conclusion which can be drawn.

[Luminous Animal]

19. It is an unwanted pregnancy whether it results in an abortion or not...

A girl has to be pregnant 1st. The abortion comes afterward.

[Radical Activist]

21. Ok...

that doesn't appear to contradict anything I wrote.

[Luminous Animal]

24. Actually it does. The study concluded that the rate of depression is stastically

no different in cases of wanted pregnancies in young women whether that unwanted pregnancy results in an abortion or a birth. Thus, the study indicates that abortion does not cause depression.

[Radical Activist]

25. Not really.

Unless there's much more to the study that isn't mentioned in the article. Having a child, even when it's planned, is a very stressful experience and then there's postpartum depression. I would think having a child is much more likely to cause depression for many teens than an abortion would. Either way, all the study proves is that having an abortion is not much more or less likely to cause depression among teens than having a child. That doesn't mean either experience isn't likely to contribute to depression. Your conclusion cannot be made from the facts we have in the article.

Let's put it this way. A study shows that people who eat unhealthy foods are just as likely to be obese as people who don't exercise. Does that mean that unhealthy foods don't cause people to be obese? Or does it mean that we've found two different causes of obesity? According to what's in the article, the study has merely found two different factors that can lead to depression among teens.

I'm pro-choice but I'm not going to spin something to make it fit what I wish it was. The best we can say is that depression isn't a reason to avoid having an abortion because being a teen mother is just as likely to cause depression anyway, according to the study.

[Commie Pinko Dirtbag]

20. ...liftoff! We have a liftoff!

My white text is seldom wrong.

[Radical Activist]

22. ?

White text? Liftoff? Do you have something to add to the conversation?

[HockeyMom]

16. My Aunt was in her 40s

back in the 1940s when she had a so called change of life pregnancy. She was not only the mother of grown children, but a grandmother as well. My Uncle had also just been diagnosed with cancer. They certainly did want any more children at their ages and life circumstances. Even though abortion was still illegal then, she paid her OB/GYN money under the table to say she had a medical condition which could threaten her life if she continued the pregnancy.

Did she, and her husband, regret this? Well, we talked about it with me when she was in her 80s and she told me flat out NO. It was just one of those difficult decisions that life sometimes hands you, and you move on.

[BrklynLiberal]

18. Not going to see that headline in many of the MSM broadcasts.

[HuckleB]

23. You're right about that. -eom-

[cleanhippie]

26. Good, another RW talking point debunked.

Don't ya just love science and the scientific method? I know I do!