A new Finnish study, published in the journal Human
Reproduction, has confirmed that abortion causes prematurity in subsequent
births. Pro-abortion organizations
have consistently denied this despite the overwhelming evidence to the contrary
because they know that it weakens their position. This study found that the more
abortions a woman has before her first child, the more likely she is to give
birth prematurely. See BBC News report
Data from all 300,858 first-time mothers in Finland between
1996 and 2008 was analysed for the purpose of the study, which shows that women
were three times more likely to have a very premature baby, born before 28
weeks, if they had had three or more abortions.
Being born too soon is linked to higher risks of infection,
hypothermia and death.
Repeat abortions
The study showed there would be three babies born before 28
weeks for every 1,000 women who had never had an abortion, four per 1,000 who
had had one abortion, six in those who had had two abortions and 11 if the
woman had had three or more abortions.
There were similar figures for babies born before 37 weeks
and for low birth weight. However, only 0.3% of women in the study had had
three or more abortions before their first child.
Statistics for England and Wales show the number of women
having multiple abortions is rising.
Andrew Whitelaw, a professor of neo-natal medicine at the
University of Bristol, said: "While pre-term birth before 37 weeks'
gestation exposes an infant to a modest but definite increased risk of a range
of serious problems including brain injury and death, birth before 28 weeks
exposes the infant to a hugely increased risk of death, brain injury and
permanent disability.
"Thus an increase, after three or more abortions, of
nearly threefold in the odds of having an infant born before 28 weeks is
worrying.
"The steadily increasing survival of very pre-term
infants should not be interpreted as a solution to the problem of pre-term
birth. Increased survival of infants under 28 weeks is at the cost of increased
survival of infants with disability."
Comment:
There are now over 50 studies that have found that previous induced
abortions increase preterm birth risk e.g an Australian study (Lumley, J. The association between prior spontaneous abortion, prior induced abortion and preterm birth in first singleton births. Prenat Neonat Med 1998 3: 21-24) which had a data base of 250,000 births showed a 60% increase in extreme premature birth after one abortion, a 150% increase after two abortions, a 460% increase after three abortions and a staggering 800% increase after 4 or more abortions.
