An overture coming from Donegal Presbytery (02-52) asks our Office of Theology and Worship to prepare pastoral resources for our congregations to equip us to minister to women suffering from 'adverse spiritual, emotional and psychological effects of abortion...."

Abortion not a solution
There is an assumption by some of our denominational agencies that abortion is the best solution in a troubled pregnancy, even in a late term pregnancy. There is little acknowledgment that abortion itself is a problem of significant consequence, that it is an action that cannot be undone and for which spiritual restoration is possible only through the grace of the Christian Gospel.

Detrimental Effects of Abortion: An Annotated Bibliography With Commentary, by attorney Thomas Strahan (Acorn Books, Springfield, IL, 2001), is a collection of hundreds of studies of the effects of abortion on women and men. Strahan has compiled the research over the years since the Roe v. Wade Supreme Court decision in 1972.

Abortion's bad effects
Strahan summarizes the research findings in an introduction that covers the major effects of abortion decisions on

The studies indicate that boyfriends or husbands frequently instigate the decision for abortion by encouraging or urging abortion or by acting with indifference toward the pregnancy.

According to reports of women, abortions correlate with an increase in break ups in relationships, sexual dysfunction, communication problems and increased isolation.

Records show that once a woman has her first abortion, she is approximately four times more likely to have another abortion in the future compared with women who have never had an abortion. Nearly 50% of U.S. abortions are repeat abortions.

Men and siblings suffer too
There is little literature on the effect of abortion on men. However, several recent studies show prevalent men's reactions of guilt, sense of loss, regret, sadness, coldness or real or apparent indifference.

Reactions of siblings to abortion may be severe. Case studies show a range of reactions in children whose mothers have had an abortion, from fear of the mother, fear of the world, and self-blame, to violent acting-out, despair, and self-destructive behavior.

There is growing evidence that women who have had induced abortions will frequently exhibit a high level of anxiety, may fear they will be punished or that they deserve punishment, show paranoid behavior or fear of death. They may fear a dead or deformed child in a subsequent pregnancy and may initiate self-destructive behavior such as drug or alcohol abuse or suicide attempts.

Several recent studies have added to existing research which concludes that an induced abortion increases the likelihood of breast cancer.

Alcohol, drugs, and suicide
Women who have had abortions frequently report their first heavy use of alcohol or drugs was linked to attempts to alleviate the stress related to abortion.

Adolescents in some circumstances and women who repeat abortion have a higher rate of suicide attempts than women with one abortion, according to a survey of women in a patient-led, post-abortion support group. A Finnish study found the incidence of suicide in women following induced abortion is six times higher than suicide following childbirth.

Subsequent pregnancies
Research implicates induced abortion as substantially contributing to reproductive complications in subsequent pregnancies that come to birth: low birth weight, risk of retardation or other serious illnesses in newborns, and increased maternal death.

The book gets its findings from standard research journals such as American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology, The Lancet, Military Medicine, Journal of Pediatrics, and the American Journal of Psychiatry. The fact that these findings rarely make the popular press makes the book all the more valuable to the church as it considers whether abortion is of any real benefit to women.

The book does not address a major concern of the church and of the overture from Donegal Presbytery. It lists no studies of the spiritual effects of abortion on women.

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