News – Abortion and health

ET staff writer
ET staff writer
01 July, 2010 1 min read

Abortion and health

Canadian research has found an association between undergoing an abortion and the tendency to drug or alcohol abuse.

A study at the University of Manitoba revealed that there is a link between abortions and substance abuse disorders. The research does not claim causality but said that women who have had an abortion are nearly four times more likely to have problems with drugs and alcohol. There were also associations between mental health issues and abortions.

A spokesperson from the LifeLeague said, ‘We welcome this latest piece of evidence showing the horror of post-abortion trauma. Hopefully it will cause many to think again about abortion’.

The study came as UK figures showed that many women have had up to seven abortions. While the overall number of abortions was falling, there was an increase in multiple abortions of three, four and five times, with several hundred women having up to seven.

Further research carried out by the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority revealed that 80 of the recorded abortions last year in England and Scotland were from healthy 18-34 year old mothers who had undergone IVF treatment. These IVF pregnancies were terminated for ‘social’ reasons, mostly because the mothers had split from their partners, said a spokesperson from the authority, who added, ‘This is a tragedy’.

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