The Consequences of Being Denied an Abortion

How do people’s lives change as a result of having an abortion? How do they change if they can't get a wanted abortion? NPR spoke with the researcher behind The Turnaway Study, a ten-year study that tracked the mental, physical, and economic health of about 1,000 women who had or were denied abortions.

So we did find ... an association between abortion and mental health. But it was exactly opposite to what has been said in the popular media. It's not that receiving an abortion was associated with worse mental health, but in the short run, being denied the abortion was - so higher anxiety, lower self-esteem, lower life satisfaction. For up until the first six months, the women who were denied fared worse.

SOURCE: NPR • AUTHOR: Terry Gross • LAST UPDATED: June 16, 2020