Women Who Have Repeat Abortions More Likely to Have Abusive Relationships
by Steven Ertelt
LifeNews.com Editor
July 17, 2009
London, England (LifeNews.com) — A new study from England finds that women who have repeat abortions are more likely to be involved in abusive relationships with their partner. The findings should prompt abortion centers to do a better job of assisting women who may be pressured or coerced by a violent partner into having an abortion.
The new report, published in the The Obstetrician and Gynaecologist (TOG) medical journal, found 30 percent of women who get a second abortion say they were involved in an abusive relationship at the time.
Women who were getting their third or more abortion were at a much higher percentage chance of involvement in a problematic relationship at the time of the abortion.
“These findings highlight the need for health professionals to be aware of, and sensitive to, the possibility of violence in the lives of women seeking abortion," Jason Waugh, editor of the medical journal, told the UK-based Christian Institute in response. "Our society should have zero tolerance for domestic violence.”
“Given the high prevalence of violence in pregnancy, it is important to ask women seeking both maternity and abortion services about domestic violence," he said. "Knowing about domestic violence can help to ensure that women are provided with the support and information that they need.”
The study follows one in March conducted by Dr. Priscilla Coleman, a professor of Human Development and Family Studies at Bowling Green State University.
It showed some women decide to have abortions because they think having a baby will contribute to problems in their relationship with their husband or boyfriend.
Coleman, who worked with Dr. Vincent Rue of the Florida-based Institute for Pregnancy Loss and post-abortion researcher Catherine Coyle, published her results in the peer-reviewed medical journal Public Health.
That study found an abortion within a current relationship causes more arguing when discussing future children and more domestic violence — respective increased risks of 116% and 196%.
After an abortion, partners are 75% more likely to argue about money than when having the baby, argue about the man’s relatives 80% more, and there is a 99% increased risk of arguing about the woman’s relatives compared to couples who give birth.
"For both men and women the experience of an abortion in a previous relationship was related to negative outcomes in the current relationship: perceptions of improved quality of life if this relationship also ended and intimate partner violence," they wrote.
"Men whose current partners had an abortion were more likely to report jealousy (96% greater risk) and conflict about drugs (385% greater risk). These results suggest that abortion may play a vital role in understanding the etiology of some relationship problems," the authors explain.
The study also found an increased level of domestic violence following an abortion compared with giving birth.
"Male and female respondents who experienced an abortion within the current partnership reported engaging in significantly higher rates of intimate partner violence compared with those who had never experienced an abortion," the study found.
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