Who are vulnerable? Federal Government
inaction. Lack of comprehensive research.
Who are most susceptible to Post Abortion Syndrome (PAS)?
The authors of the Planned Parenthood information sheet on PAS
examined 50 studies from around the world that measured negative emotional reactions to abortion. 1 They found that the women most at risk are those who:
||Are emotionally unstable, with unstable living conditions.
||Felt pressure to have an abortion from their partners or parents.
||Chose an abortion because of a genetic problem with the fetus.
||Had an abortion after the first trimester. In the U.S. and Canada this
occurs in about 10% of the abortions.
||Had strong religious beliefs against abortion.
Ohio Right to Life describes a survey taken among women who have had
abortions, and later were sufficiently distressed by the experience to join a support
group: "Women Exploited by Abortion" (WEBA). 2 The survey was conducted by David Reardon. 3 It involved 252
women contacted via WEBA chapters throughout the United States. The survey organizers made no attempt obtain a
random sampling of women. Rather, they collected data from women who felt "exploited
by abortion." Thus, the results are probably not representative of all women
who have had an abortion.
Some of the factors reported by the women in the survey were:
||90% were not given information on the biological nature of the fetus.
||84% felt that the clinic/doctor/counselor very unhelpful in exploring options.
||74% felt that her personal decision to have an abortion was not well thought out.
||73% felt strongly that information was lacking or misinformation given.
||69% felt very rushed.
||65% felt that she was very much out of control of her life at the time.
||58% had an annual income less than $10,000.
||54% felt "very much" forced by outside circumstances to have the abortion.
||51% took 4 or fewer days to decide whether to have an abortion.
||47% reported physical complications (vs. 0.06% reported for all abortions in Michigan during 1995).
||26% felt at the time of the abortion that the fetus was not a person.
||97% currently feel that the fetus was human when the abortion was performed.
||19% were 13 or more weeks into their pregnancy (twice today's average).
||18% reported permanent physical damage.
These indicators may point to the need for a woman to:
||Confirm pregnancy as early as possible,
||Carefully consider her beliefs about the personhood of the embryo or fetus.
||Study of all of her options, and
||Arrive at a careful decision, based on full and accurate information.
However, of these precautions may be inadequate to prevent guilt and depression if the
woman changes her beliefs after the abortion, and concludes that the life that was terminated was
that of a human person rather than a potential human person.
Actions by the Federal Government:
- In 1887, President Ronald Reagan asked the Surgeon General C. Everett Koop to investigate the health dimension of abortion. Dr. Koop responded in 1988 that the evidence for risk of significant emotional problems after abortion was "minuscule."
- During 2001-NOV, the U.S. Senate passed amendment 2085 which
was sponsored by Senator Bob Smith (R-NH). It was attached to the Departments of Labor and
Health and Human Services' funding bill. If the bill had become law, it would
have called upon the National Institutes of Health to "expand and intensify
research and related activities... with respect to post-abortion depression and
post-abortion psychosis." Representative Joe Pitts, (R-PA) introduced a bill in the House that
would fund such a study. 4 They did
- Senator Smith also introduced S. 2271 on
2002-APR-25. It is called the Post Abortion Support and Services Act of 2002.
If passed, it would have funded a study of the physical and emotional repercussions of
abortion. It did not proceed. 5
- During 2004-JUN, Representative Joseph
Pitts (R-PA) introduced H.R. 4543, a bill to provide for research on and
services for individuals with post-abortion depression and psychosis. Its
short title was: "Post-Abortion Depression Research and Care Act." It
called for the National Institute of Mental Health to "...expand
and intensify research and related activities....with respect to
post-abortion depression and post-abortion psychosis .... referred to as
'post-abortion conditions'." The bill had a total of 32 sponsors, all
Republicans. A hearing in the House was conducted on 2004-SEP-29. 6,7 No action was taken; the bill died.
Lack of comprehensive research on "PAS" / "PASS":
PAS/PASS has become a political hot potato. The PASS Awareness web site
concludes that PAS is not accepted as an actual disorder by the medical
community because of lack of information. Information comes from research. Money for research
mainly comes from pharmaceutical companies. However, these companies are
very reluctant to become involved because they may be the victims of:
"... protests and boycotts from both sides of the abortion war,
regardless of how their research turns out...The prochoice majority says
PASS 'does not exist', and that anti-abortionists are using it to try and
scare women away from abortion, and to try to influence lawmakers that
abortion is dangerous. The prolifers agree that PASS exists, but they use it
(as the prochoicers fear) as a way to discourage abortion, and as a way to
help revoke abortion rights. The woman who is suffering is left alone, as
the two sides argue, and the medical community stays out of it." 8
There may be some truth in the PASS Awareness statement. Both the
pro-choice and pro-life movements probably have sufficient political power to
urge federal government funding for a comprehensive study of PAS. However,
neither group seems to be doing this. They might both consider the current lack
of knowledge to be in their group's best interests.
The following information sources were used to prepare and update the above
essay. The hyperlinks are not necessarily still active today.
- Planned Parenthood has an information sheet on "Post-traumatic
Abortion Syndrome." See: http://www.igc.apc.org/
- Ohio Right to Life, "A Survey of Aborted Women" at: http://www.pregnantpause.org/
- David Reardon, "Aborted Women: Silent No More," Crossway
Books, Westchester IL, (1987)
- Charles R. MiVille, "Senate Recognizes Post-Abortion Syndrome," Focus
on the Family at: http://www.family.org/
- "Post-abortion support and services act," at: http://thomas.loc.gov/
- "PMDD 'real,' and PASS not? 'It's the politics and money'...",
Pass Awareness, at: http://www.afterabortion.com/
- "Post-Abortion Depression Research and Care Act," Office of Legislative
Policy and Analysis, 108th Congress, at: http://olpa.od.nih.gov/
- "Legislation to Provide for Research On, and Services for Individuals With, Post-Abortion Depression and
Psychosis," Family Research Council, at: http://www.frc.org/
- Kathryn Jean Lopez, "Looking beyond choice," National Review, 2001-NOV-07, at: http://old.nationalreview.com/
Copyright © 1998 to 2010 by Ontario Consultants on
Latest update: 2010-OCT-10
Author: B.A. Robinson