The point at which the pregnancy was terminated appeared to have little effect on emotional responses, as there were “no differences between women having procedures near gestational age limits versus first-trimester abortions”.
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The authors of the study concluded that the “overwhelming majority” of the women participating in the study felt that abortion had been the right decision “both in the short-term and over three years”. Twenty-six percent of the women found the decision easy, while 53 percent found it to be a hard decision.
ATLANTA, July 14, 2015 /Christian Newswire/ – In a recent report, Advancing New Standards in Reproductive Health just disrespected hundreds of thousands of women, including Black women like me by saying that our testimonies of our regret over our abortions are likely unfounded. In this time frame, 1000 women visited 30 abortion clinics across the U.S. “Higher perceived community abortion stigma and lower social support were associated with more negative emotions”, the researchers wrote. In seven of those states, counselors are required to inform women of the correlation between mental health problems and abortion, despite the absence of scientific evidence establishing such a link.
After a three-year research period, in which about 670 women were regularly surveyed on the subject of their abortions, the results came showing that no less than 95 percent of women who have had abortions do not regret their decisions.
Out of 667 American women carefully questioned by researchers over several years, only five per cent felt negative emotions of regret, anger, guilt and sadness.
The researchers believe their results are strengthened by the relatively large sample size of the study, which drew participants from diverse geographical regions and across gestational ages.
The fact that women don’t regret their abortions doesn’t mean they don’t need emotional support at the time of the procedure, and even after the fact. Though not all participants continued to diligently respond to every interview session, 93 percent went through with at least one follow-up. Women who were working or in school were likely to be more secure with their decision, as well as those who hadn’t included the potential father in the decision-making process.
Hmm… However, the study, shared through the National Center for Biotechnology Information, finds “both negative and positive emotions declined over time”.
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They also suggest steps we can take to ensure the mental well-being of women who decide to undergo an abortion, should those who so valiantly pontificate about the risks of harm due to abortion actually care about such a thing.
