Adolescent women experience far graver risks of mental and emotional health problems from abortion than they do by carrying their “unintended pregnancies” to term according to a new US study. The study, published in the Journal of Youth and Adolescents, proves without a doubt that abortion - not the “unintended pregnancy” - causes severe mental health problems in young women.

The research conducted by Dr. Priscilla Coleman, a research psychologist at Bowling Green State University, evaluated adolescent women with “unintended pregnancies” and discovered in her findings that those adolescents who aborted their unintended pregnancies were fives times more likely to seek help for psychological and emotional problems afterwards than those adolescent women who carried their pregnancies to term. Dr. Coleman also found that adolescents who had abortions were subsequently more than three times more likely to experience trouble sleeping, and nine times more likely to report marijuana use after their abortions.

In the federally funded study, adolescents participated in two series of interviews in 1995 and 1996. Nearly 76 percent of girls who had abortions and 80 percent of girls who gave birth fell between the ages of 15 and 19 during the survey; the remainder being 14 and younger.

In her report, Dr. Coleman stated, “When women feel forced into abortion by others or by life circumstances, negative post-abortion outcomes become more common.” She added, “Adolescents are generally much less prepared to assume the responsibility of parenthood and are logically the recipients of pressure to abort.”

“The scientific evidence is now strong and compelling,” Coleman concluded. “Abortion poses more risks to women than giving birth.”

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