A new study raises concerns about the abortion industry’s enabling of those who threaten or coerce women into having abortions and the long-term side effects they face afterward. 

Over 60 percent of women who had abortions report high levels of pressure to abort from one or more sources, and those same women report higher levels of subsequent mental health and quality of life issues, according to a recent Charlotte Lozier Institute study published in the Cureus medical journal.

“Abortion clinics cannot claim to be pro-woman while at the same time allowing the majority of their clients to be pressured into unwanted abortions,” said David Reardon, Ph.D., a Lozier Institute Associate Scholar and the lead author of the study.

“Our national study finds that women who feel pressured to have abortions are significantly more likely to blame their abortions for contributing to a decline in mental health, increased disruptions in their daily lives, and more frequent episodes of grief and loss.”

“In a country torn by political debate over abortion, surely these findings underscore one point on which we should all be able to agree,” Reardon continued. 

“No woman should ever feel pressured into accepting an unwanted abortion.  Clearly, abortion clinics need to provide better pre-abortion screening and counseling in order to prevent unsafe and unwanted abortions.”

According to the study, women who reported being pressured into an abortion by either their male partner or a family member also reported statistically significant levels of:

      –    Negative emotions due to their abortion

  • Interference with daily life, work, or relationships
  • Intrusive thoughts, including flashbacks to the abortion
  • Frequent feelings of loss, grief, or sadness about the abortion
  • Increased levels of stress answering questions about the abortion

Researchers asked the women participating in the study whether the pressure they felt to abort came from a partner, family members, other people, financial concerns, and other circumstantial pressures.

The data was collected using the online survey tools of a national marketing firm, and 1,000 women, ages 41 to 45, were asked to participate. Respondents were not informed of the topic of the survey before completing at least one page of background information. The survey’s completion rate was 96%, with 22.6% reporting a history of abortion, which aligns with national estimates of the percentage of women who will have abortions in their lifetime.

Women who reported an abortion were four times more likely to drop out when they faced additional questions about their abortion experience compared to women who did not report an abortion and faced additional questions about their other pregnancy experiences.

The abortion industry allows ill-intentioned people to manipulate vulnerable pregnant women, who are then left with feelings of grief and other crippling emotions. Reprotection is working on behalf of women by exposing abortion facilities’ deceitful practices, ensuring women are protected from threats and coercion.