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DonViejo

(60,536 posts) Fri Jul 17, 2015, 08:12 AM Jul 2015

99 Percent of Women Don’t Regret Their Abortions

Charlotte Lytton

A recent study says 99 percent of women feel having an abortion was the right choice. Four women tell their stories here.

Pro-life activists have long touted “post-abortion syndrome”—the notion that women experience major emotional trauma after terminating a pregnancy—as a reason for regulating the procedure. But a new study has found that 99 percent of those who had been through the process believed they had made the right decision, casting significant doubt on a medical theory that has enabled the passing of a ban on late abortions, mandatory ultrasound viewing, and waiting period legislation.

Researchers from Advancing Standards in Reproductive Health (ANSIRH), a think tank at the University of California, studied a cohort of more than 650 women who had opted for an abortion between 2008-2010. Participants were divided into two groups; one of which consisted of women who had ended their pregnancy within the first trimester, and another analyzing those who did so during the final two weeks before the allowed cut-off point.

Abortion is currently at a rate of around one million per year in the United States, which equates to 21 percent of pregnancies overall. Prior studies on the subject have had somewhat different outcomes, which ANSIRH believes is due to factors including the time frame after which subjects were monitored, the year they were carried out and, worryingly, attrition.

The team tested for negative emotions such as anger and regret alongside positive ones including happiness and relief. They found that while women’s short-term emotions varied substantially in the week following an abortion and were largely negative, 95 per cent still felt that they had made the right decision at that stage. There were no differences between those who had gone through the process earlier on in the pregnancy and those who had done so later when it came to ‘decision rightness’ and their emotional trajectories.

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http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2015/07/17/99-percent-of-women-don-t-regret-their-abortions.html

11 replies

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99 Percent of Women Don’t Regret Their Abortions (Original Post) DonViejo Jul 2015 OP

I wonder how many regret NOT having an abortion? marshall Jul 2015 #1

That just proves that Satan has taken control sufrommich Jul 2015 #2

So that's over 10,000 women a year who do regret having an abortion oberliner Jul 2015 #3

I imagine that comes from two places gollygee Jul 2015 #4

Reasonable points oberliner Jul 2015 #5

I agree n/t gollygee Jul 2015 #7

I want any woman who chooses to continue a pregnancy to have what she needs to do that. hamsterjill Jul 2015 #11

Thank you for posting this !! Alexa100 Jul 2015 #6

I'n not offering criticism, here JayhawkSD Jul 2015 #8

That's fairly encouraging. AtheistCrusader Jul 2015 #9

As compared to how many women regret having children. SheilaT Jul 2015 #10

marshall

(6,665 posts)

1. I wonder how many regret NOT having an abortion?

Reply to DonViejo (Original post)

Fri Jul 17, 2015, 08:27 AM

Jul 2015

That would be as interesting, especially if some of those mothers who wish they had taken a different path were talked out of it by fundie gobbledygook.

sufrommich

(22,871 posts)

2. That just proves that Satan has taken control

Reply to DonViejo (Original post)

Fri Jul 17, 2015, 08:31 AM

Jul 2015

of their sinful bodies.

oberliner

(58,724 posts)

3. So that's over 10,000 women a year who do regret having an abortion

Reply to DonViejo (Original post)

Fri Jul 17, 2015, 09:05 AM

Jul 2015

Hopefully those women are able to get counseling to help them.

gollygee

(22,336 posts)

4. I imagine that comes from two places

Reply to oberliner (Reply #3)

Fri Jul 17, 2015, 09:13 AM

Jul 2015

1. Some women are coerced into having abortions, often by a parent or a partner.

2. Anti-abortionist women do have abortions.

oberliner

(58,724 posts)

5. Reasonable points

Reply to gollygee (Reply #4)

Fri Jul 17, 2015, 09:15 AM

Jul 2015

Personally, as someone who is 100 percent pro-choice, I can understand why having an abortion could be a traumatic experience for some women, with a small percentage regretting having done so. I just wonder how many of them get the emotional support that they need, especially considering how many of them are not in the best of financial straights.

gollygee

(22,336 posts)

7. I agree n/t

Reply to oberliner (Reply #5)

Fri Jul 17, 2015, 09:53 AM

Jul 2015

hamsterjill

(15,223 posts)

11. I want any woman who chooses to continue a pregnancy to have what she needs to do that.

Reply to oberliner (Reply #5)

Fri Jul 17, 2015, 11:13 AM

Jul 2015

But I'm wondering of the 10% that regret their abortion, how much of that regret might be caused by the pro-life activists and their propaganda!

I would hope that there would be enough emotional support to any woman that once the decision was made, she was comfortable with her decision.

I'm certainly not arguing with you here. In fact, I am agreeing. I just think that the pro-lifers cross the line many times in their intimidation tactics, and I'm wondering if that intimidation might have an impact on some women.

Alexa100

(8 posts)

6. Thank you for posting this !!

Reply to DonViejo (Original post)

Fri Jul 17, 2015, 09:22 AM

Jul 2015

JayhawkSD

(3,163 posts)

8. I'n not offering criticism, here

Reply to DonViejo (Original post)

Fri Jul 17, 2015, 10:29 AM

Jul 2015

No judgement, just observation, as I enjoy the imprecision of the English language. Everyone who read it understood perfectly what the writer meant by the statement, "99 Percent of Women Don’t Regret Their Abortions."

And yet the statement is objectively gibberish. We can be pretty certain that the percentage of women have had abortions is vastly smaller than 99 percent, so how can 99 percent of women have made the right choice by having abortions?

Something like, "99 percent of women who have chosen abortion don't regret doing so," would be technically clearer, but would actually not be semantically any clearer, because the statement as written conveyed the writer's meaning quite adequately.

English is a difficult language, but in large part that is due to it's flexibility and richness, in which context allows meaning to carry a lot of the weight.

AtheistCrusader

(33,982 posts)

9. That's fairly encouraging.

Reply to DonViejo (Original post)

Fri Jul 17, 2015, 10:34 AM

Jul 2015

This country is steeped in guilt-trip-inducing peer pressure and even laws, forcing in some cases, waiting periods, negative literature, forced sonograms, etc.

99% holding firm that they did the right thing is impressive against that wall of pro-life guilt and shame.

SheilaT

(23,156 posts)

10. As compared to how many women regret having children.

Reply to DonViejo (Original post)

Fri Jul 17, 2015, 10:40 AM

Jul 2015

That's the dirty secret out there almost no one ever talks about. Women don't often express it openly, but I've heard it. And while most women don't talk as openly about their abortions, I've yet to hear one express regret about it. And yes, I know that my experience, even my conversations with other women are simply anecdotes.

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