National Abortion Federation Blog: Saporta Reporter
| News about reproductive choice from the President and CEO of the National Abortion Federation, Vicki Saporta. |
 |
|
|
Report Confirms Abortion Does Not Cause Mental Illness
A report authored by the American Psychological Association has concluded that women who have abortions have no greater risk of mental-health problems than if they carry the pregnancy to term. While some women may experience feelings of grief and loss after choosing to have an abortion, there is no evidence that an abortion causes significant mental health problems. The task force drew its conclusions after spending two years reviewing more than 150 studies on the subject.From the Supreme Court to states such as South Dakota, some politicians and government officials have been willing to mislead or manipulate women with inaccurate claims about the impact of abortion on a woman’s health. This report underscores the importance of providing nonjudgmental, medically accurate information, so that every woman can make the best decision for her particular circumstances. > Read the full APA report here. Labels: safety, studies
Canada Releases Abortion Statistics
Today, Statistics Canada released abortion data for 2005. According to the data, a total of 96,815 abortions were provided to Canadian women that year, which was down 3.2 percent from 100,039 in 2004. The agency reported that abortion rates fell in every age group except among women aged 35 to 39, where it remained the same. Women in their early 20s accounted for the largest age group—at 31 percent—of women who obtained abortion care in 2005. These numbers include all abortions provided in hospitals and clinics in provinces and territories, except Manitoba clinics, which have not had data available since 2004. Abortions obtained by Canadian women in some U.S. states are also not accounted for by the data. Labels: Canada, studies
Study Finds Women’s Sense of Responsibility a Key Factor When Choosing Abortion
According to a Guttmacher Institute study published in this month’s Journal of Family Issues, women’s sense of responsibility for their existing and future children influences their decision to obtain abortion care. The study found that the majority (61%) of U.S. women who have abortions are already mothers, more than half of whom have two or more children. “Among those women with children, the most commonly cited reason for choosing to have an abortion was the concern that having another child would compromise the care given to existing children,” said Rachel K. Jones, senior researcher with the Guttmacher Institute. “Women felt that they were already stretched thin financially, emotionally and physically—and they wanted to put the children they already had front and center. Two-thirds of women who gave this answer were at or below the poverty line and received little help from their partners.” Through our toll-free Hotline and website, women from diverse backgrounds tell us about their abortion experiences every day. This latest study confirms something that we know to be true from these patient stories: women who have abortions are the same women who have children, just at different times in their lives. >Call our Hotline: 1-800-772-9100 >Share your story about your abortion experience.Labels: studies
Abortion Rate Declines Worldwide, But Illegal and Unsafe Abortions Remain a Problem
A new report shows the abortion rate declined more in developed countries, where abortion is generally safe and legal, than in developing countries, where the procedure is largely illegal and unsafe, according to “ Induced Abortion: Rates and Trends Worldwide,” a new report released by the Guttmacher Institute and the World Health Organization (WHO) published in the October 13, 2007 issue of The Lancet. The number of induced abortions worldwide has declined from nearly 46 million to under 42 million between 1995 and 2003. Abortion rates fell most significantly in Eastern Europe, a trend that corresponds with substantially increased contraceptive use in the region. The study also found that an estimated 20 million unsafe abortions occurred in 2003, 97% of these in developing regions. The prevalence of unsafe abortion remains high, with up to 39 unsafe abortions per 1,000 women aged 15–44 in Eastern Africa and 33 per 1,000 in South America. By contrast, developed regions, where almost all countries allow abortions with few restrictions, had an average unsafe abortion rate of two per 1,000. The report concluded that reducing the incidence of unsafe abortion would result in an immediate and substantial reduction of maternal mortality and improve maternal health. Labels: Africa, Europe, safety, studies
The Health Dangers and High Costs of Unsafe Abortion
This month’s issue of the UK publication id21 health focus addresses the health dangers and economic impact of unsafe abortion. The issue highlights the findings of a technical meeting held at the Institute of Development Studies (UK) in April. Unsafe abortion is a major global public health problem particularly affecting low-income women. The World Health Organization estimates that 68,000 women worldwide die from unsafe abortions annually and millions more are injured, many permanently. Ensuring safe, legal, and accessible abortion care promotes health and justice for women. The issue also features articles on ways to reduce abortion costs to health systems and necessary advances in international abortion policy. >View a pdf of the issue.Labels: safety, studies
Report Examines Unmet Need for Contraception in Developing Countries
More than 100 million married women living in developing countries have an unmet need for contraception according to a new report released this week by the Guttmacher Institute. The study defines a woman with an unmet need if she “is married, in a consensual union, or never-married and sexually active; is able to become pregnant; does not want to have a child in the next two years or wants to stop childbearing; and is not using any method of contraception, either modern or traditional.” The study identifies the populations with the greatest unmet need for contraceptive services in developing countries and examines why women with unmet needs are not using a contraceptive method. Some of the more common reasons the study finds that women do not use contraceptives include health concerns stemming from fear of possible side effects, and the belief that they are not at risk of getting pregnant. “Family planning programs have made significant strides in reducing unmet need around the world and educating women about contraception, but there is still a long way to go,” said lead study author Gilda Sedgh, senior research associate at the Guttmacher Institute. >Watch the slide show New Evidence to Address the Unmet Need for Contraception>Get Facts About the Unmet Need for Contraception in Developing CountriesLabels: Contraception, studies
Study Finds No Link Between Abortion and Increased Risk of Breast Cancer
Scientists from Harvard published a study last week that “found no difference in breast cancer incidence between the women who had had spontaneous or induced abortions and those who had not.”
According to Karin Michels, the lead author of the study and an associate professor of epidemiology at Harvard, “There are still some states that require women to be informed about the risk of breast cancer if they get an abortion. I think that may not be justified based on the current evidence.”
More than 100 of the world’s leading experts on pregnancy and breast cancer have concluded that having an abortion does not increase a woman’s subsequent risk of developing breast cancer. However, the anti-choice community continues to claim an association between abortion and an increased risk of breast cancer in an attempt to scare women away from choosing abortion.
>Learn about other abortion mythsLabels: anti-choice, studies
Study Finds Doctors' Moral Views May Affect Patient Care
According to a study published in Thursday's New England Journal of Medicine, one in seven doctors surveyed said they would not mention a procedure they believed to be morally wrong to patients as a viable treatment option. Fifty-two percent of the doctors in the study said they opposed abortion, and 42 percent opposed prescribing birth control to 14- to 16-year-olds without parental approval. The study, conducted by University of Chicago researchers, is the first to examine how the religious or moral beliefs of physicians might affect patients' care—especially when dealing with abortion, teen birth control, and emergency contraception.Labels: Contraception, parental involvement, studies
Researchers Search for Alternate Uses for Mifepristone
Researchers continue to look for other uses for mifepristone, such as treating breast cancer and reproductive system disorders. So far, the research has been promising. A study released in November reported that mifepristone had been successfully used to treat breast cancer in mice. Finding additional uses for mifepristone will increase its availability and benefit the lives and health of women.
>Learn more about mifepristone and Medical Abortion.Labels: medical abortion, studies
Study Examines Global Impact of Unsafe Abortions
A study published this week by The Lancet identifies ending the pandemic of unsafe abortion as an urgent public-health and global human-rights issue throughout the developing world. According to the report, 68,000 women – mostly in developing countries – die each year during unsafe abortions, and millions more are hospitalized from complications. Even in countries where abortion is legal, restrictive laws make it difficult for women to access safe abortion care. The report compares data from 13 countries and finds a clear association between legal access to abortion and improvement in sexual and reproductive health. The evidence clearly demonstrates that when abortion is made legal, safe, and easily accessible, women’s health rapidly improves. Titled “Unsafe Abortion: The Preventable Pandemic,” the report is authored by NAF member David A. Grimes, MD, of the University of North Carolina Medical School; Janie Benson, DrPH and Bela Ganatra, MD, both of Ipas; and other noted experts in obstetrics-gynecology or international public health. >Learn more about the barriers that restrict abortion access to women around the world.Labels: access, studies
Report Shows Americans are Ready for a Conclusion to the War on Choice
The Pew Research Center for the People and the Press, released a new report on social issues and concluded that a majority of Americans want abortion to remain legal and think that laws on abortion should be made on the federal level, rather than by individual states. > Read the full reportLabels: poll, studies
NAF Commends Study Exposing CPCs
The National Abortion Federation commended a new study released by Rep. Henry Waxman (D-CA) on federally funded Crisis Pregnancy Centers (CPCs). The study found that 87 percent of the CPCs reviewed provided false or misleading information about abortion. > View NAF’s press releaseLabels: crisis pregnancy center (CPC), studies
Thursday News Roundup
The LA Times reports on how the FDA is grappling with political pressure after its controversial decision to withhold judgment on over the counter use of emergency contraception. According to a new study, more teens in Alberta Canada are learning about contraception and reproductive health from their parents than in other provinces. The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports on a website that provides counseling for men whose partners have chosen to terminate an unwanted pregnancy. Labels: studies
|
