Reuters (11/20, Millar) reports a study published in The Lancet Psychiatry concluded that “having an abortion does not increase women’s risk of suicide.” The study was “based on data from 520,000 Danish women over 17 years” and “found pre-existing mental health problems were the strongest risk factor for women trying to end their lives.” Investigators also “found that among women who had a first-trimester abortion, 8.9 in 1,000 made a non-fatal suicide attempt in the year before the procedure, while 8.6 per 1,000 did in the year directly after,” and “said the similarities in the rate indicated that the suicide attempts could not be attributed to the abortion.”
Healio (11/20) reports the study suggests that “although women who have had an abortion have a higher risk for nonfatal suicide attempts, the abortion itself is not the cause.” Julia R. Steinberg, PhD, one of the study’s authors, said, “There are 12 states that inform women seeking abortions that abortion increases or may increase their risk for suicidal ideation or mental health problems.”
Related Links:
— “Danish study rejects link between abortion and suicide, “Molly Millar, Reuters, November 20, 2019