Wednesday, September 1, 2010

'Late-Term Elective Abortion and Susceptibility to Post-Traumatic Stress Symptoms,'

A study of women who had abortions has found that women undergoing later abortions face increased psychological risks, are more likely to be ambivalent about having an abortion and are more likely to need counseling and support. The study, 'Late-Term Elective Abortion and Susceptibility to Post-Traumatic Stress Symptoms,' was published in the August issue of the Journal of Pregnancy." Late-Term Elective Abortion and Susceptibility to Post-Traumatic Stress Symptoms Priscilla K. Coleman, Catherine T. Coyle, and Vincent M. Rue according to a LifeSiteNews.com report
The results came from an online survey of 374 women who answered a detailed questionnaire about the circumstances leading to their abortions, their previous mental health history, or physical or sexual abuse and emotional state following abortion. The small study is the first to compare the experiences of women having early abortions compared to women having later abortions (in the second or third trimester).

The study, lead by Prof. Priscilla Coleman of Bowling Green State University, found that women having abortions after 13 weeks were more likely to report that:
- their partner desired the pregnancy (22.4 percent of women who had later abortions vs. 10.3 percent of women who had early abortions);
- that they were pressured by someone other than their partner to abort (47.8 percent vs. 30.5 percent);
- their partner didn't know about the abortion (23.9 percent vs. 12.5 percent);
- they had left their partner before the abortion (28.3 percent vs. 15.6 percent);
- physical health concerns were a factor in having the abortion (29.8 percent vs. 14.7 percent).