[BartSimpson]

From http://www.nzherald.co.nz/section/story ... D=10362363

$1:

04.01.06
By Greg Tourelle


Young women who have had an abortion may be at increased risk of developing mental health problems, a Christchurch study suggests.

The study, the largest of its type internationally, poses challenges to the grounds on which abortions are granted in New Zealand and some other countries.

The leader of the Canterbury Health and Development study, David Fergusson, said his researchers had followed the progress of 1265 children born in Christchurch in mid-1977 from infancy to adulthood.

Its latest research found 41 per cent of the women studied had become pregnant by age 25, and 14.6 per cent of the women studied had had an abortion.

By the age of 25, the study found, 42 per cent of those who had had an abortion had also experienced major depression during the previous four years.

This was nearly double the rate of those who had never been pregnant and 35 per cent higher than those who had chosen to continue a pregnancy.

"Those having an abortion had elevated rates of subsequent mental health problems including depression, anxiety, suicidal behaviours and substance use disorders," said the researchers, whose study has been published in the Journal of Child Psychiatry and Psychology.

Under the 1977 Contraception, Sterilisation and Abortion Act, abortion is an offence under the Crimes Act unless two "certifying consultants" approve it on certain grounds, usually that a woman's mental health would be endangered by continuing the pregnancy.

The Abortion Supervisory Committee last year repeated its call for a tightening of the law governing abortion saying that the wording of the law had come to have a "de facto liberal interpretation."

In 2004, 18,211 abortions were performed in New Zealand.

Professor Fergusson said there was little evidence to suggest abortion improved mental health.

"This study suggests possibly the opposite," he said yesterday.

"Certainly I think the pro-life groups will be beginning to argue that the evidence is against the basis of the legislation. That would be one possible implication."

"I appreciate there are people with strong ethical viewpoints about abortion and they have every entitlement to them but the extent to which they have a right to impose those views on others is where I depart and that is the foundation of my pro-choice position."

While the results of the study were only suggestive, it should lead to larger studies on such an important issue, he said.

"Abortion is by far the most common medical surgical procedure that young women receive.

"In our cohort one out of seven had had an abortion by the age of 25.

"If we were talking about an antibiotic or an asthma risk, and someone reported adverse reactions, people would be advocating further research to evaluate risk," Professor Fergusson said.

"I can see no good reason why the same rules don't apply to abortion."

- NZPA

[Zoraja]

Really, you think you might be a little depressed if you had to have an abortion for any reason. NO SHIT!!

[Blue_Nose]

What? You thought people enjoyed killing babies?

[BartSimpson]

Zoraja Zoraja:

Really, you think you might be a little depressed if you had to have an abortion for any reason. NO SHIT!!

Read deeper - the justification for abortion in NZ has commonly been for the mental health of the woman but this study shows that abortion negatively affects mental health in significant numbers of cases.

Some women are being harmed by having abortions.

This should cause a re-evaluation of the practice.

[Blue_Nose]

I always thought it was for the sake of the child... I can't really feel sorry for the women who screw and get pregnant, depressed or not.

[BartSimpson]

Blue_Nose Blue_Nose:

I always thought it was for the sake of the child... I can't really feel sorry for the women who screw and get pregnant, depressed or not.

Forgive me, how does a child benefit from not being born and in some cases being brutally "terminated"?

[Blue_Nose]

BartSimpson BartSimpson:

Blue_Nose Blue_Nose:

I always thought it was for the sake of the child... I can't really feel sorry for the women who screw and get pregnant, depressed or not.

Forgive me, how does a child benefit from not being born and in some cases being brutally "terminated"?

It doesn't benefit... it just doesn't suffer.

Our impressions of life are pretty much opposite, Bart... we might as well not bother going down this road again....

[IcedCap]

a ridiculous study, the only way to truly measure whether women are better off having abortions or not is to take 100 women who want abortions let half have them and half not then compare. Obviously a mother who's happy having the kid isn't the same as a woman who doesn't.

[Numure]

BartSimpson BartSimpson:

Zoraja Zoraja:

Really, you think you might be a little depressed if you had to have an abortion for any reason. NO SHIT!!

Read deeper - the justification for abortion in NZ has commonly been for the mental health of the woman but this study shows that abortion negatively affects mental health in significant numbers of cases.

Some women are being harmed by having abortions.

This should cause a re-evaluation of the practice.

I think all women that have had abortions know it isnt easy. And they have to live with it their hole lives. Have an abortion isnt easy. The case for keeping it legal, in my eyes, is choice.

Something I don't understand why most conservatives don't support. Its an individual choice.

[BigChuck]

Ridiculous.....

1. Of course, women who get aborted have more chances of having a depression...What the hell you were expecting?

2. I got class soon so I don`t feel like finding a source but it`s also a proven fact that women who give birth often experience depression periods after and this has even a name, it's called post-natality-depression or something like that. Google it if you don`t believe me Bart.

BTW those depressions are caused in a majority of cases by hormones and chemical changes in the brain that occurs because of the pregnancy processus and regardless od the result of it.

I guess we can conclude that whether they get aborted or not, women have more chances of depression after an abortion or a birth no?

3. I understand that NZ legislation is like you say and I think abortion rights should be based on concepts of ''freedom to decide for women'' instead of medical conditions justifying it and I think that`s the main argument in this question ; Who should decide? I say women.... That`s my opinion...

4. Nevertheless, I believe that nowadays many women are just acting dumb and don`t realize that it`s not a contraception method but a LAST RESORT action they can use. I don`t find it normal that some brainless b**c**s are getting aborted 3,4,5 times and +.

But that`s my opinion and I can`t impose it... Who am I to impose it??

[Numure]

BartSimpson BartSimpson:

Blue_Nose Blue_Nose:

I always thought it was for the sake of the child... I can't really feel sorry for the women who screw and get pregnant, depressed or not.

Forgive me, how does a child benefit from not being born and in some cases being brutally "terminated"?

Then why the hell do you wash your hands? Your killing millions and millions of bacteria that could evolve into life forms!

A featus isnt a human being. It never will be, not matter how much you think it might be.

[Tman1]

Numure Numure:

Something I don't understand why most conservatives don't support. Its an individual choice.

Probably because they feel that life deserves a chance which is why humans like all mammals were built to procreate not abort.

[CamCKA]

$1:

By the age of 25, the study found, 42 per cent of those who had had an abortion had also experienced major depression during the previous four years.

This was nearly double the rate of those who had never been pregnant and 35 per cent higher than those who had chosen to continue a pregnancy.

"Those having an abortion had elevated rates of subsequent mental health problems including depression, anxiety, suicidal behaviours and substance use disorders," said the researchers, whose study has been published in the Journal of Child Psychiatry and Psychology.

Ok let me see if I understand this logic correctly.

A higher percentage of the women who had abortions had also experienced a major depression during the PREVIOUS 4 years.

And that is supposed to indicate that abortion can lead to a higher risk of depression????

Am I missing something here? Since the depression is happening PRIOR to the abortion, all that data indicates is that women who have experienced depression over the past 4 years are then more likely to have an abortion. Not the other way around.

- CamCKA

[Blue_Nose]

CamCKA CamCKA:

$1:

By the age of 25, the study found, 42 per cent of those who had had an abortion had also experienced major depression during the previous four years.

This was nearly double the rate of those who had never been pregnant and 35 per cent higher than those who had chosen to continue a pregnancy.

"Those having an abortion had elevated rates of subsequent mental health problems including depression, anxiety, suicidal behaviours and substance use disorders," said the researchers, whose study has been published in the Journal of Child Psychiatry and Psychology.

Ok let me see if I understand this logic correctly.

A higher percentage of the women who had abortions had also experienced a major depression during the PREVIOUS 4 years.

And that is supposed to indicate that abortion can lead to a higher risk of depression????

Am I missing something here? Since the depression is happening PRIOR to the abortion, all that data indicates is that women who have experienced depression over the past 4 years are then more likely to have an abortion. Not the other way around.

- CamCKA

I think they're hinging the argument on the fact that the depression rates are higher for those who had abortions... but as you said, their cause/effect conclusions might be backwards.

It makes sense that someone with an unhealthy lifestyle themselves (depression, substance abuse, suicidal tendencies) are more likely to not want a child to be raised under their care.

[BigChuck]

lol Cam.... I didn`t even realize cuz I couldn`t wait to spit my venom on this thread