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Many pro-lifers claim that abortion has a powerful negative effect on women, including increased risk of suicide. Many pro-choicers mock such suggestions as lies and women-shaming. Today, we offer a scientific answer to the question:
Is there a link between abortion and suicide?
Yes, the evidence does demonstrate that there is a link between abortion and suicide.
Studies have pretty conclusively shown that suicides are much more frequent among women who have had an abortion than among those who have given birth, or even among those who have had a miscarriage.
The Science
The magnitude of this increased risk is significant. In some countries, research has shown that the suicide rate among women who receive abortions can be nearly six times higher than among women who give birth. Studies in the United States have produced similar results, showing massively increased risks of suicide among those who obtain abortions. The fact that the two are linked is unquestionable.[1][2]
To some extent, this relationship may be the result of common risk factors, not abortion itself. It is reasonable to assume women who get abortions may already be at a higher risk of suicide than women who don’t, and that probably is part of the reason why we see such elevated rates of suicide among those who get abortions.[3]
Despite this, however, higher rates of suicide and death associated with abortion persist across all boundaries and observable characteristics, and the evidence indicates that at least significant portion of increased suicide rates are a consequence of abortion itself, not other related factors.[4][5]
Indeed, record-based measurements of suicide attempts before and after abortion would seem to the increase in suicide rates among aborting women has little relation to underlying psychological issues or previous incidents of suicidal behavior. Instead, such increased suicidal tendency is most likely a result of adverse reactions to the procedure and consequential side effects of induced abortion.[6]
Other research has posited, though, that much of these increased suicide rates are not necessarily a direct consequence of abortion but hastily made decisions to obtain it. When women give more thought and consideration to abortion, they are less likely to commit suicide, as evidenced by significant observed drops in the suicide rate seen in the United States when states adopt policies like waiting periods before abortion.[7]
In Conclusion
So yes, there is unquestionably a link between abortion and suicide. It is less clear to what extent abortion itself is responsible for increased suicides, but most research would seem to demonstrate that, to at least some degree, higher rates of suicide are consequence of the procedure rather than the result of other factors.
Still, this is one of those areas related to abortion where there really doesn’t seem to have been as much research as there should be, so further investigation is certainly warranted.
This article was shared in collaboration with our friends at The Lifeguard Initiative.
If you have had an abortion, we assure you there is hope and healing available. If you are considering an abortion, we hope to provide you with the knowledge and tools to make a decision you can both live with. No matter your circumstances, please check out the free resources we have for you:
Sources:
[1] Suicides after pregnancy in Finland, 1987–94: register linkage study
[2] Injury deaths, suicides and homicides associated with pregnancy, Finland 1987–2000
[3] Decreased suicide rate after induced abortion, after the Current Care Guidelines in Finland 1987 – 2012 - Mika Gissler, Elina Karalis, Veli-Matti Ulander, 2015
[4] https://www.researchgate.net/publication/11197911_Deaths_associated_with_pregnancy_outcome_A_record_linkage_study_of_low_income_women
[5] Suicides after pregnancy. Mental health may deteriorate as a direct effect of induced abortion.
[7] https://scholarlycommons.law.case.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1368&context=healthmatrix