Abortion Linked to Drinking, Drugging During Subsequent Pregnancies
By BuddyT
Women who have had abortions are more likely to drink and use illicit drugs during subsequence pregnancies carried to term than women delivering their first pregnancies, according to a new study.
Several previous studies have linked abortions to later substance misuse in women, but this is the first study that demonstrates that drug and alcohol abuse remains higher during subsequent pregnancies.
According to the research published in the American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology, compared to women who deliver their first pregnancies, women who have previously had abortions during subsequent pregnancies:
- Are twice as likely to drink alcohol during the pregnancy.
- Are 5 times more likely to use illicit drugs.
- Are 10 times more likely to smoke marijuana
According to David Reardon, Ph.D., one of the study's authors, this is the 17th study linking abortion to elevated rates of substance abuse. However, it is the first study to specifically show that drug and alcohol abuse remain higher during subsequent pregnancies.
Forbidden Grief
According to Reardon, who directs the Elliot Institute and is co-author of the new book, Forbidden Grief: The Unspoken Pain of Abortion, "Many women use drugs and alcohol to cope with unresolved emotional issues related to past abortions. Since unaddressed issues of loss, grief, and guilt may become more intense during a subsequent wanted pregnancy, women may have more difficulty abstaining from drugs and alcohol even though they know it puts their wanted pregnancies at risk," he said. "Fetal alcohol syndrome is a major public health concern."The research is based on the National Pregnancy and Health Survey, using a nationally representative sample of 2,613 women who had recently given birth.
Previous studies have linked abortion to higher rates of long term depression, increased need for mental health treatments, higher death rates (including death from suicide), and poor bonding with and parenting of later children.
"These are not the 'choices' discussed with women by most pro-abortion counselors," said James L. Rudd, of the Washington D.C. based Christian Street Preachers Alliance. "For women to be able to make an informed decision about getting an abortion, they need to have all the facts. They rarely get them."
