First of all, where is your reference? What site did you get this from? What scientific reference do you have to the study? next time, perhaps take a bit better care as to your referencing so we don't have to ask these questions and doubt your sincerity.
Stinger said:
" A study published in the Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry has found that women who have abortions are more likely to suffer psychological problems than those who don't."
And that sure sounds like correlation. Is it causation? Where is your evidence? What are the confounding variables and how did the study adjust for these?
"Those having an abortion had elevated rates of subsequent mental health problems including depression, anxiety, suicidal behaviors and substance use disorders," reports David Fergusson, a scientist at New Zealand's Christchurch School of Medicine & Health Science."
And is there evidence that this was because of the abortions, or were the abortions merely a result and part of a more stressful life in general?
The study tracked 1,265 girls. Of the 14 perecent who sought abortions 4 in 10 later suffered from major depression, 35 percent higher than those who continued their pregnancies.
And how about those who were not pregnant at all? Again, perhaps you could next time link to your unbiased and accurate source so we don't have to ask all these questions about the honesty of the claims made.
" The risk of anxiety disorders rose in a similar fashion, the study found. Women who had abortions, for instance, were twice as likely to drink alcohol at dangerous levels compared to those who did not."
Again, is this correlation, or do you have evidence for causation?
"The New Zealand study echoed a 2003 report by the Elliot Institute, a nonprofit, pro-life corporation focused on post-abortion research and education.
Yeah, a pro-life lie organization. Reardon's claims have been debunked many times.
That study found that women who have abortions are 65 percent more likely to experience clinical depression than those who carry their pregnancies to term."
And funny enough, many REAL and SCIENTIFICALLY UNBIASED studies of case-control and cohort studies disagrees with this.
Should doctors be required to inform women of this before they perform an abortion? Any other medical procedure would require such a warning. If not for abortion why not?
If there is actual evidence for this, yes they should. Again, generally, the SCIENTIFIC research has shown no causation. So please document how this study showed causation rather than correlation.
Now, fortunately for you, I DID decide to check it out myself.
Here is the journal abstract, which you really should have provided yourself:
http://www.blackwell-synergy.com/doi/abs/10.1111/j.1469-7610.2005.01538.x
Fergusson DM, Horwood LJ & Elizabeth M. Ridder EM (2006). Abortion in young women and subsequent mental health.
Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry (47), 16.
And yes, it does appear to be a cohort study with valid parameters and thus no recall bias. So this contrary finding does need a case-controlled double-blinded study to cement what the fact is. Now we have a bunch of studies showing no significant effect, a bunch of pro-life political studies saying there is a causation, and now this study of a 3rd type, a study showing a clear correlation, but with no sure delineation of confounding variables. I will take a look over the week and popst here what I find in the actual study about these variables (such as socioeconomic status, extenuating circumstances etc). If they have been accounted for, then the study certainly is valid. If they have been ignored, then the study is merely a hint that this noeds a second look.