One abortion myth debunked

In today's Guardian, a study from the British Medical Journal that found that women who've had an abortion during a first pregnancy are less likely to be depressed than those who had a child.

The authors studied the history of more than 1,000 women, aged between 14 and 24 in 1979, who either aborted the foetus during their first pregnancy or chose to have the baby between 1970 and 1992.

The women were interviewed over several years to establish whether their decision was linked to later depression. The abortion group had a significantly higher education and income and lower total family size. The group with the highest risk of depression was that among women who went on to have their baby before 1980.

"Some women who undergo abortion will also experience clinical levels of depression. However, other research has found pre-existing mental health is the more important predictor of mental health after pregnancy, regardless of how the pregnancy is resolved."

This reminds me to highlight the excellent blog Abortion Clinic Days - which speaks of the difficult realities of women trying to get an abortion in America today.