The Elliot Institute News
From the Leader in Post-Abortion Research
Vol. 7, No. 6 -- May 16, 2008
 

UnChoice Campaign: TheUnChoice.com

IN THIS ISSUE:

• Pregnant College Students Aren't Made Aware of Available Resources, Survey Finds

• UK Health Columnist Acknowledges Long-Term Effects of Abortion on Relationships

Pregnant College Students Aren't Made Aware of
Available Resources, Survey Finds

Student: "It Sure Doesn't Feel Like I Have Much of A Choice"
 

A survey released by Feminists for Life of America has found that many college students who become pregnant are unaware of resources available to them or don't have access to good resources.

FFL president Serrin Foster noted in a news release that when pregnant students look for resources, "either they can't find them or the resources are inadequate or expensive." One pregnant student noted that without resources, "it sure doesn't feel like I have much of a choice."

The survey, Perception is Reality, is part of an ongoing effort by FFL to monitor and establish resources for pregnant students on college campuses. Stories from students have shown that students who become pregnant are often immediately referred for an abortion by campus health center officials and are not given any information about other options or resources.

As FFL has noted, lack of resources or support and pressure from others are leading factors for abortion. A survey of women in post-abortion support groups found that more than 80 percent said they would have continued the pregnancy under better circumstances or with support from others and 64 percent felt forced into abortion due to their circumstances.

UK Health Columnist Acknowledges
Long-Term Effects of Abortion on Relationships
 

A doctor writing in the London Times says that abortion can change how a couple feels about each each other and that this can "irretrievably undermine" a relationship, stating that a "lack of interest in sex after abortion is so common that it can almost be said to be expected."

Dr. Thomas Stuttaford, a health advice columnist for the Times, was responding to a woman who said she had avoided sex after having an abortion and asked if her negative feelings about the abortion would pass. He wrote that "years of experience with patients" had shown him that even "the most ardent" relationships might not survive an abortion, stating that "frequently, there has been too much emotion around, even if there have been no spoken recriminations."

Stuttaford went on to refer to a U.S. study that found that "nearly all" women who had abortions had negative feelings following an abortion and said that the researchers were "unduly sanguine" in expecting those negative emotions to go away within a month. Studies published by the Elliot Institute found that women who aborted were more likely than women who carried to term to suffer from clinical depression an average of eight years later, had a higher suicide rate up to eight years later and were more likely to engage in substance abuse an average of four years later.

top