Is Abortion Good for Women’s Health? The Answer is Clearly No

Opinion   |   Jeanne Monahan   |   Sep 10, 2012   |   3:21PM   |   Washington, DC

With all of the talk this week at the DNC about abortion and women’s health, it might be worth asking the basic question: Is abortion good for women’s health? What does the research show? What can science tell us?

Two studies published this week actually show a connection between abortion and higher mortality rates for women.

Similarly, according to the CDC, since the Roe v. Wade decision in 1973, at least 450 women have died in the United States as a result of abortion complications. Keep in mind that this number is definitely a low estimate because many states do not report abortion data to the CDC, including California whose abortion rate is so high as to account for approximately one fifth of all abortions in the country. The CDC data also only uses information from 1973-2007 — later reports are not yet available.

What data do we have on the safety of chemical abortion? According to the Food and Drug Administration as of April, 2011 (10 and a half years after RU-486 was approved in the U.S.), there were a whopping 2207 adverse event reports on file with the government. Of these, there have been 612 hospitalizations, 339 blood transfusions and most sadly, 11 deaths directly related to the use of chemical abortion. See for yourself.

There is so much more to be written on this topic. There is much research on abortion and psychological problems. There is also a wealth of information on abortion and non-death physiological consequences. The science and research tell the facts. I just wish we could move away from the dangerous and false rhetoric that abortion is good for women’s health. Nothing could be further from the truth.

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LifeNews.com Note: Jeanne Monahan is the Director of the Center for Human Dignity at the Family Research Council.