The study, which was performed by Ethiopian medical researchers, concluded there is strong evidence women who experience abortions suffer psychological impact. The researchers, eight in all, pored over 15 papers and more than 650 articles to examine depression rates in Asia, the Mediterranean region, and Africa.
The report was published in the journal BMC Psychiatry.
It may seem like common sense for a post-abortion woman to grieve but Randall O'Bannon of the National Right to Life Committee says abortion supporters insist those women are happy and pleased.
“Well, this shows us that there's evidence that when women participate in those abortions, it actually leads more of them to have depression,” he points out.
Using statistics from the WHO and the World Bank, the researchers concluded the rates of depression varied by region, such as 37.5% in Asia and 43.1% in the Eastern Mediterranean. The highest rate, 85%, came from Turkey.
On average, one-third of women everywhere admitted they were struggling.
“Healthcare providers should prioritize the provision of post-abortion counseling, care, and emotional support to women,” the researchers concluded.
After reading over the research paper, O'Bannon concluded the researchers failed in one area. They frequently mixed miscarriages with abortions in their statistics. The study shows the rate of depression after a miscarriage averaged 15.6%.
The website for Planned Parenthood, the world’s biggest abortion provider, acknowledges that women can experience depression after an abortion, along with feelings of relief or sadness, but it attributes that to “hormonal changes” after the abortion.
According to O’Bannon, the best choice women can make is to seek help and guidance before going through with the abortion.
“And to help preserve the life of both her and her unborn child,” he says, “and that way the world would be better off with both of them there.”
