unwanted widespread coercion unsafe
teens & moms at risk unfair
injustice to all involved 
hope & healing you are not alone
Pregnancy help
Key fact sheets & flyers
portraits of coercion
forced abortion
physical risks
psychological risks
detrimental effects (book)
| Unsafe Daughters, sisters, friends and mothers are dying, too Physical risks / Psychological risks / death rates
Most abortions unwanted or coerced
Violence against pregnant women, forced abortions
Discrimination, abuse & homicide (#1 killer pregnant women) Deceptive counseling practices Teens at risk
Suicide
More on abortion risks “... get in touch with my dad, tell him ... I love him.” 
They gave Susanne a barbiturate that sent her into cardiac arrest.
Without oxygen, she lapsed into a coma. Four months later, she awoke at a nursing home, unable to talk and paralyzed from the neck down. Three years later, she died of pneumonia. She tapped out her last words on a plastic synthesizer:
“... get in touch with my dad, tell him ... I love him.” State law did not permit Maryland officials to prosecute the uncertified abortionist or the unregulated clinic, which grossed an estimated $10 million in 5 years. When asked what she would tell a girl about to have an abortion, Susanne shook her head, “no,” and tapped out:
“They would be taking a chance.” Over 100 physical & psychological complications; higher death rates |
Research indicates more than 100 physical and psychological complications, including risk of uncontrolled bleeding, infertility, permanent injury or death. "We were maiming at least one woman a month."
– Carol Everett, former clinic operator
Since 1973, there have been many studies into the aftereffects of abortion. Their combined results paint a haunting picture of physical and psychological damage among millions of women who have undergone abortions. Homicide is the leading killer of pregnant women10 Unwanted or coerced abortion is common9 Forced abortion in America and elsewhere11 Women 3.5 times more likely to die in the next year1 65% suffer symptoms of post-traumatic stress2 Suicide rates 6 times higher after abortion3
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Detrimental Effects of Abortion
1,200+ entries to studies on abortion,
summaries of key findings. (236 pages)
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 "This woman died." ...
Dr. Berning, M.D., discusses critical post-abortive medical mistakes
"A few years ago, a young woman about 20 years old came to the ER because she was feeling very sick. She'd become increasingly ill ever since the abortion she'd had about a week earlier. I had her admitted to the hospital from the ER with a severe pneumonia. The following days revealed that the pneumonia was just a part of the problem—she had overwhelming sepsis, which is infection throughout her entire body which had, at its source, the abortion.
"This woman died. The admitting physician never reported the incident as abortion-related, nor did she inform the abortion provider of the results of his 'care.' He was still practicing, without the slightest idea that his intervention had led to his patient's death..
"The medical diagnosis reads 'severe pain'—the real cause is abortion. The record reads 'vaginal bleeding”—the real cause is abortion. The operative note says 'ruptured ectopic pregnancy and internal hemorrhage'—the real cause is abortion. The autopsy states 'cause of death—overwhelming sepsis'—the real cause is abortion." - Dr. Lenora Berning, writing in "Abortionists Are Not Held Accountable for Mistakes" "After the inspectors left, it was business as usual. The very next abortion patient ended up in the emergency room ..." - Mark Crutcher in "Lime 5, "Exploited by Choice" Too many women and girls (or their loved ones) have found out the hard way that making abortion legal didn't make it safe for them. ... Many, many girls and women have wound up in the emergency room of hospitals bleeding uncontrollably or deathly sick from infection because the doctors botched their abortions. Many, many of these girls and women have had to undergo hysterectomies. Quite a number of women and girls have died from abortion on demand. - Kevin Sherlock in "The Scarlet Survey." top
Physical complications | Psychological complications |
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More on death rates:
Recent studies have also shown that compared to women who carry to term, women who abort have an elevated risk of death (from suicide, accidents, homicide and natural causes) over the next eight years.5 How safe is abortion? by Beverly McMillan, M.D.
More on abortion's harm and risk
On this page ... Personal quotes from women, men and families
Quotes from leaders and experts Published post-abortion research
Personal Quotes from Women, Men and Families |
 " ... She was crying as she entered the clinic, she cried throughout the procedure, and was sobbing as she left. No one at the clinic asked her any questions ... Had they inquired about her health history they may have seen her as the high-risk patient that she was ... Her three children are growing up without their mom because no one wanted to ask questions." – Julie
"Our mom made my sister have an abortion. At age 14 my sister became a completely different person. She got into very hard drugs and would use them every day. She had attempted suicide at least 3 times that I know of and has horrible huge scars on her arms from one of the attempts." – Anonymous  "The thought of abortion in our family is a terrible thing. Our granddaughter, age 21, had an abortion. Three months later her father found her hanging from the cross beams in the basement.
We did not know ... about the abortion until a week before her death when she tried suicide by cutting her wrist. ... she told her mother what she had done. They took her to the hospital ... kept her five days, released her ... three days later she killed herself. She said her boyfriend made her do it [the abortion] ... She dearly loved children ... She was always taking care of some friend's children. ... If someone could have talked with her, she might be alive today." – Anonymous grandmother "I was totally unprepared for the pain."
I had more "counseling" when I went to have breast implants than when I went to have an abortion. (At least the plastic surgeon had me fill out a personality and family history questionnaire to determine "suitability" for the procedure.) ...
... "Planned Parenthood also didn't prepare me for the procedure. ...There were no warnings of possible risks, i.e. perforated uterus, hemorrhaging, sterility, breast cancer, depression. I was told that an abortion was safer than carrying a child full term. I was totally unprepared for the pain, both physical and emotional, that I would endure." – Anonymous
Carol's story: gripping pain, 'shut up' ... death from cervical cancer
"...I felt this gripping pain -- it hurt so bad that I cried out. The doctor told me "shut up" because there were 'other girls' and the "walls were thin." –Carol St. Amour, in Aborted Women, Silent No More (Carol later died of cervical cancer) Janet’s Story: “I cannot think why the gun did not fire.”“With quiet deliberation, I took my handgun from under my pillow … I chambered a round, walked into my living room, sat in a chair, put the gun to my head and pulled the trigger. To this day, I cannot think why the gun did not fire … I find it amazing in retrospect, how we can function so well in front of others, while suffering like that.” –Janet, in Forbidden Grief link to other stories / link to radio ads about suicide top Quotes from leaders and experts |
 “ … legal abortion is the most destructive manifestation of discrimination against women today." – Nancyjo Mann, founder of Women Exploited by Abortion
“Teens are suffering adult-sized pain with a child's coping skills. The [abortion industry] tells them to ‘get over it’… My dream is to get this pain out in the open. I want to help give women the freedom to acknowledge that abortion hurts. –Terri, woman who had abortion as teenager A leading psychiatrist, obstetrician and former abortion provider has reported that every woman experiences psychological trauma at ending a pregnancy. "It is totally beside the point whether or not you think a life is there," he says. "You cannot deny that something is being created … a psychological price is paid. … Something happens on the deeper levels of a woman’s consciousness when she destroys a pregnancy. I know that as a psychiatrist."
–Dr. Julius Fogel, psychiatrist and obstetrician who has personally performed over 20,000 abortions There is no doubt in my mind that problems exist.”
“I know that there are short- and long-term adverse effects of abortion psychologically on women … there is no doubt in my mind that problems exist.” –former U.S. Surgeon General C. Everett Koop in an exclusive interview with The Rutherford Institute  As the host of eight documentaries on the subject of abortion, I have met many other women who carry these deep psychological scars. In fact, I have met so many that I now believe that there are only two kinds of women who have had abortions: those who have hit the emotional wall and those who will. –Jane Chastain, columnist and radio host “I wish someone had said ‘There will be losses having a baby, but don’t underestimate the loss of having an abortion. –Lee, in Giving Sorrow Words top Published post-abortion research |
Risk of DeathCompared to women who give birth, women who abort have an elevated risk of death from all causes, which persists for at least eight years. Higher risk of death from suicide and accidents were most prominent.5Southern Medical Journal, 2002 Substance Abuse
Women who abort are five times more likely to subsequently abuse drugs or alcohol than women who deliver.6American Journal of Drug and Alcohol Abuse, 2000 Clinical Depression
Compared to women who carry their first unintended pregnancies to term, women who abort their first pregnancies are at significantly higher risk of clinical depression as measured an average of eight years after their first pregnancies.7 British Medical Journal, 2002 Symptoms of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder65 percent of American women studied experienced multiple symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), which they attributed to their abortions.2
Medical Science Monitor, 2004
A study by Finnish researchers found that 94 percent of women's deaths from abortion are not verifiable by looking at death certificates alone. This means that many maternal deaths from abortion go unnoticed and uncounted in statistics reports, and allow abortion advocates to continue claiming that abortion is safer for women than childbirth -- one of the key arguments for abortion that was laid out in Roe v. Wade. For more information on death rates after abortion and the scope of this problem, readers can link to the following articles posted on the Elliot Institute's web site: The Cover Up: Why U.S. Abortion Mortality Statistics Are Meaningless: www.afterabortion.info/PAR/V8/n2/abortiondeaths.html Abortion Four Times Deadlier Than Childbirth: New Studies Unmask High Maternal Death Rates from Abortion: www.afterabortion.info/PAR/V8/n2/finland.html Abortion May Increase Women's Mortality Rate: New Study Shows Women's Death Rate from Abortion Much Higher Than Previously Known: www.afterabortion.info/news/deathssmj.html more research top 1. Gissler M., et. al., “Pregnancy Associated Deaths in Finland 1987-1994 -- definition problems and benefits of record linkage,” Acta Obsetricia et Gynecologica Scandinavica 76:651-657, 1997 2. VM Rue et. al., “Induced abortion and traumatic stress: A preliminary comparison of American and Russian women,” Medical Science Monitor 10(10): SR5-16, 2004. 3. Gissler, Hemminki & Lonnqvist, "Suicides after pregnancy in Finland, 1987-94: register linkage study," British Journal of Medicine 313:1431-4, 1996, and M. Gissler, “Injury deaths, suicides and homicides associated with pregnancy, Finland 1987-2000,” European J. Public Health 15(5):459-63, 2005. See also DC Reardon et. al., “Deaths Associated With Pregnancy Outcome: A Record Linkage Study of Low Income Women,” Southern Medical Journal 95(8):834-41, Aug. 2002. 4. See the article, “The Aftereffects of Abortion” at www.afterabortion.org/complic.html. 5. DC Reardon et. al., “Deaths Associated With Pregnancy Outcome: A Record Linkage Study of Low Income Women,” Southern Medical Journal 95(8):834-41, Aug. 2002. 6. DC Reardon, PG Ney, “Abortion and Subsequent Substance Abuse,” American Journal of Drug and Alcohol Abuse 26(1):61-75, 2000. 7. DC Reardon, JR Cougle, “Depression and Unintended Pregnancy in the National Longitudinal Study of Youth: A Cohort Study,” British Medical Journal 324:151-2, 2002. 8. For citations for this list, see the Research Booklet. 9. Source: Rue et. al., "Induced abortion and traumatic stress: A preliminary comparison of American and Russian women," Medical Science Monitor 10(10): SR5-16, 2004. 10. I.L. Horton and D. Cheng, "Enhanced Surveillance for Pregnancy-Associated Mortality-Maryland, 1993-1998" JAMA 285(11): 1455:1459 (2001); J. Mcfarlane et. al., "Abuse During Pregnancy and Femicide: Urgent Implications for Women's Health." Obstetrics & Gynecology 100: 27-36 (2002). 11. For citations, see Forced Abortion in America. 12. See www.theunchoice.com/safe.htm
13. Source: JR Cougle et. al., "Depression Associated with Abortion and Childbirth:
A Long-Term Analysis of the NLSY Cohort," Medical Science Monitor 9(4):CR105-112, 2003.
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