As Ireland head to the polls to vote on whether to countermand the country ’s rigorous abortion laws , and the US deals with the payoff to apro - living administration , a new study has found that a myth often cited by anti - abortion campaigners has no basis in fact .
A common myth surrounding miscarriage is that it increases the risk of self-destructive thoughts in women who have one . In South Dakota , doctors arelegally required to advise womenthat they will face an increased endangerment of suicide after the operation has been performed . XII of states have similar laws , ThinkProgress report .
Pro - life campaigners spread out this information around regularly , even though it is extremely questionable .
Now a five - year study , bring out in theAmerican Journal of Psychiatryhas investigated whether the link holds .
The squad , from Researchers with gain New Standards in Reproductive Health ( ANSIRH ) at the University of California , studied 956 women from 30 US miscarriage facilities . Of these women , 231 women were turned aside from the facility , 273 cleaning lady had abortions in their first trimester , and 452 women had an miscarriage further down the line in their pregnancy .
All were contacted a week after their abortion centre visit , and then every six months for the next five long time . During these session , they were inquire to make out a patient health questionnaire that assess their felo-de-se ideation ( suicidal thought process ) . This let the researchers to be able to directly compare the data on suicidal thoughts between fair sex who had an abortion and those who sought one but were sprain away .
Previous written report have only equate women who have render to have abortions with women who have never assay one , moderate to a potentially problematic selection bias .
One calendar week after seeking an abortion , 1.9 percent of the women who attempt an abortion during late stages of their maternity ( but still within state point of accumulation ) cover suicidal ideation , compare to 1.3 percent of hoi polloi who were turned away . This isnot significantly higherthan the percentage of the cosmopolitan public in the US who experience suicidal thoughts .
Over the five years , the field of study showed that self-destructive ideation dropped significantly , and by the end of that stop there was no pregnant difference between the two groups ( 0.25 perhaps in women who had abortion lately , 0.21 pct in adult female who were become aside ) .
They concluded there is n’t enough grounds for laws that require women to be told their suicide peril may increase .
" degree of self-destructive ideation were similarly low between woman who had abortions and women who were denied abortions,“the authors save in the study .
" Policies command that women be warned that they are at increased risk of becoming suicidal if they take abortion are not evidence - found . "
“ I think that there is a draw of misinformation out there and a raft of myths about miscarriage and attempt to deter women from abortion and trammel their right hand to an abortion , ” Dr Antonia Biggs , lead author of the studytold Motherboard . “ I would go for that this newspaper would help to inform grounds - based policies . ”
