Psychological Reactions Reported After Abortion
This survey instrument was distributed to women who had contact with WEBA, Victims of Choice, and Last Harvest Ministries. The latter two organizations used it as an intake form for women inquiring about post-abortion counseling or crisis pregnancy counseling. Compared to women who received the questionnaire from these latter two sources, the 111 participants from the WEBA distribution were significantly more likely to have already participated in post-abortion healing programs, and were significantly more likely to report feeling “reconciled with” their abortion “today” (56.1% vs 13.9%).
Using chi-square tests for significance, women who had at least one abortion as a teen were significantly more likely to report: nightmares; flashbacks to the abortion; hysterical outbreaks; unforgiveness of those involved; feelings of guilt; fear of punishment from God; fear of harm coming upon their other children; a worsening of negative feelings about the abortion on the anniversary date of the abortion, during a later pregnancy, or when exposed to pro-choice propaganda; preoccupation with thoughts of the child they could have had; excessive interest in pregnant women; excessive interest in babies; experiencing false pregnancies; a dramatic personality change for the worse; a waking or sleeping “visitation” from the aborted child; having talked to the aborted child prior to the abortion.
Women who aborted as teens were significantly less likely to report: a history of professional counseling prior to their abortion; that the memory of the abortion has faded with time; having undergone surgical sterilization to avoid the risk of another abortion; feeling more in touch with their feelings after the abortion; feelings of hatred toward all men.
Women who reported having had more than one abortion were significantly more likely to report: a history of being physically abused as a child; a period of strong feelings of relief after the abortion; being pro-choice after the abortion; hatred of the man who made them pregnant; ending the relationship with their partner after the abortion; difficulty in maintaining and developing personal relationships; becoming promiscuous; being self-destructive; beginning to use or increasing the use of drugs after the abortion; feelings of anxiety; fear of God; fear of another pregnancy; fear of needing another abortion; fear for unknown reasons; frequently experiencing heavy bleeding after the abortion; emotional aftereffects of the abortion which were so severe that there was a period in which they could not function normally at home, work, or in personal relationships; having experienced a nervous breakdown at some time after the abortion.
Women with a history of multiple abortions were significantly less likely to report: that the memory of their abortion was vividly clear; a worsening of abortion related feelings on the anniversary date of the abortion or the due date of the pregnancy.
The following are the summary statistics to all questions, for all respondents. Additional analysis will be performed as resources permit.
SURVEY OF REACTIONS TO ABORTION
A total of 260 women participated in this survey. Since some women skipped questions which they felt were not applicable to them, or did not want to answer, or answered in a form that could not be coded, each item is accompanied by a number in parenthesis (N) which indicates the number of women who responded to that question. The percentages given correspond to this (N).
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Section 1
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Present age:
<20 20-24 25-29 30-34 35-39 >39
(259) 2.7% 11.2% 27.0% 24.3% 23.9% 10.8% Avg: 32.0 yrs
Race or ethnic origin: White Non-White
(255) 92.3% 7.7%
State of residence: (Respondents from 35 states)
Highest grade completed:
<12 12 13 14 15 16 17 >17
(254) 7.5% 40.2% 12.2% 17.7% 1.6% 16.9% 1.2% 2.8% Avg: 13.6 yrs
How old were you at the time of your abortion?
<15 15-19 20-24 25-29 30-34 >35
(257) 1.9% 40.1% 36.2% 15.6% 4.3% 1.9% Avg: 21.5 yrs
Time since abortion, in years:
(calculated field) <6 6-10 11-15 16-20 >20
(257) 19.8% 33.1% 31.1% 12.1% 3.9% Avg: 10.6 yrs
Was your abortion . . . LEGAL or ILLEGAL? One of Each
(251) 92.1% 7.1% .8%
How many abortions have you had? One Two Three Four or more
(258) 73.6% 17.8% 5% 3.5%
Marital status at that time: Single Married Engaged Separated/Divorced
(254) 64.6% 15.4% 7.1% 13.0%
How many weeks pregnant
were you at that time? <5 5-6 7-8 9-10 11-12 13-16 16-20 >20
Avg: 9.6 wks (247) 7.7% 11.7% 28.3% 16.2% 21.1% 10.9% 2.4% 1.6%
How many children did you have at that time? Zero One Two Three Over Three
(260) 74.2% 13.8% 8.5% 2.7% 0%
What type of abortion procedure
was used? Suction D & C Saline/Prostaglandin Other
(245) 80.0% 13.5% 3.7% 2.9%
Were you awake during the procedure? Yes No Unsure
(255) 79.6% 18.8% 1.6%
Were you given pain killers or Yes No Unsure
anesthetics prior to the operation? (256) 54.7% 32.0% 13.3%
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Section 2
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Strongly Strongly
(N) Disagree Agree
1. Prior to my abortion, I believed
that abortion was a moral choice. (252) 15.1% 9.1% 36.9% 22.2% 16.7%
2. I believed abortion should be a
legal option for all women. (257) 29.2% 10.1% 24.9% 19.5% 16.3%
3. My choice to abort was consistent
with my prior beliefs about abortion. (254) 36.2% 17.3% 18.5% 16.1% 11.8%
4. My choice was inconsistent with my
prior beliefs. I felt my decision
was a betrayal of my own ideals. (248) 12.9% 11.3% 15.3% 14.9% 45.6%
5. My decision to have an abortion was an
agonizing one. (256) 8.4% 11.6% 7.2% 18.5% 54.2%
6. Prior to my abortion I was a religious
person. (259) 16.6% 19.7% 17.0% 26.3% 20.5%
7. There was a time prior to my abortion when
I received professional counseling for
emotional or psychiatric difficulties. (248) 59.7% 12.9% 4.0% 10.1% 13.3%
8. The memory of my abortion has faded with
time. (256) 52.0% 22.3% 6.6% 10.2% 9.0%
9. The memory of my abortion is vividly
clear. (255) 8.2% 10.2% 9.8% 25.1% 46.7%
10. The abortion procedure was painful. (257) 10.9% 8.2% 12.1% 22.2% 46.7%
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Section 3
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AFTER MY ABORTION, I EXPERIENCED
FEELINGS OF: Strongly Strongly
(N) Disagree Agree
1. Guilt (256) 0.4% 2.3% 4.7% 31.3% 61.3%
2. Depression (255) 0.4% 3.9% 7.5% 35.7% 52.5%
3. Anger (255) 1.2% 9.0% 9.0% 35.7% 45.1%
4. Sorrow (255) 0.4% 2.4% 5.5% 36.5% 55.3%
5. Happiness (241) 62.2% 22.4% 7.9% 5.4% 2.1%
6. Grief (255) 0.8% 5.5% 9.0% 40.8% 43.9%
7. Bitterness (251) 3.2% 8.8% 13.5% 34.7% 39.8%
8. Regret (257) 1.9% 3.5% 9.7% 32.7% 52.1%
9. Rage (245) 9.4% 20.0% 20.4% 21.2% 29.0%
10. Anguish (245) 2.0% 7.8% 14.3% 37.1% 38.8%
11. Remorse (254) 1.6% 5.9% 6.3% 41.3% 44.9%
12. Power (237) 58.6% 23.2% 12.2% 3.8% 2.1%
Strongly Strongly
(N) Disagree Agree
13. Despair (245) 2.4% 9.8% 13.9% 35.5% 38.4%
14. Shame (254) 0.4% 2.8% 5.9% 39.0% 52.0%
15. Horror (241) 4.6% 13.3% 23.2% 29.0% 29.9%
16. Unworthiness (254) 1.6% 3.9% 8.7% 33.5% 52.4%
17. Loneliness (250) 2.0% 6.8% 7.6% 38.4% 45.2%
18. Hopelessness (247) 2.0% 11.3% 13.4% 32.0% 41.3%
19. Helplessness (248) 2.0% 14.1% 11.7% 31.5% 40.7%
20. Self-condemnation (251) 1.2% 2.4% 5.6% 33.9% 57.0%
21. Liberation (234) 44.4% 25.2% 16.7% 11.5% 2.1%
22. Rejection (238) 4.6% 10.1% 24.8% 31.1% 29.4%
23. Confusion (250) 1.2% 6.4% 11.6% 44.4% 36.4%
24. Anxiety (248) 1.6% 6.5% 10.5% 43.5% 37.9%
25. Constant stress (246) 2.0% 14.2% 19.5% 33.3% 30.9%
26. Withdrawal (245) 2.9% 15.5% 16.7% 33.1% 31.8%
27. Isolation (241) 3.3% 17.4% 17.4% 31.5% 30.3%
28. Sexual freedom (235) 40.0% 25.5% 19.1% 11.1% 4.3%
29. Self-hatred (250) 2.8% 6.8% 13.6% 33.2% 43.6%
30. Alienation from others (238) 3.4% 20.6% 18.5% 31.9% 25.6%
31. Inner peace (237) 63.7% 25.7% 5.5% 2.1% 3.0%
32. Unforgiveness of self (258) 1.9% 5.8% 6.6% 31.4% 54.3%
33. Unforgiveness of those involved (252) 5.6% 15.5% 14.7% 34.9% 29.4%
34. Having become degraded or debased (243) 2.1% 12.8% 17.7% 37.4% 30.0%
35. Having been exploited by other (243) 2.9% 15.2% 19.3% 30.9% 31.7%
36. Hatred of those involved (240) 7.9% 22.5% 22.9% 22.9% 23.8%
37. Hatred of man who made me pregnant (249) 15.3% 29.7% 20.1% 16.9% 18.1%
38. Hatred of all men (243) 23.0% 33.7% 19.8% 15.2% 8.2%
39. Fear of punishment from God (249) 4.4% 12.0% 13.3% 34.9% 35.3%
40. Fear of harm to my other children (218) 17.0% 21.6% 12.8% 25.2% 23.4%
41. Fear of another pregnancy (245) 13.5% 23.7% 13.9% 25.3% 23.7%
42. Fear of needing another abortion (244) 24.2% 28.7% 12.3% 15.2% 19.7%
43. Fear of touching babies (246) 24.8% 37.0% 13.0% 13.8% 11.4%
44. Fear of others learning of abortion (255) 5.5% 9.4% 8.2% 42.0% 34.9%
45. Fear of making decisions (245) 6.9% 21.6% 23.3% 28.2% 20.0%
46. Fear for unknown reasons (245) 6.1% 16.3% 20.8% 28.6% 28.2%
AFTER MY ABORTION, I EXPERIENCED:
1. Nightmares (241) 16.2% 22.4% 14.9% 28.6% 17.8%
2. Insomnia (243) 15.2% 25.5% 14.4% 25.5% 19.3%
3. Flashbacks to the abortion (249) 8.0% 18.1% 10.4% 35.3% 28.1%
4. Hysterical outbreaks (244) 11.1% 25.4% 12.7% 22.5% 28.3%
5. Uncontrollable weeping (242) 5.8% 14.5% 9.9% 35.5% 34.3%
6. Suicidal feelings (244) 12.3% 22.5% 9.4% 24.2% 31.6%
7. Greater closeness toward my lover (242) 51.7% 29.8% 9.1% 7.0% 2.5%
8. A loss of self-confidence (249) 2.4% 9.2% 12.9% 38.2% 37.3%
9. A loss of self-esteem (254) 1.2% 5.9% 10.6% 38.2% 44.1%
Strongly Strongly
(N) Disagree Agree
10. A loss of dignity (251) 1.2% 8.0% 10.4% 42.2% 38.2%
11. A general sense of loss (253) 1.6% 4.3% 7.9% 42.3% 43.9%
12. Greater self-awareness (237) 36.3% 27.8% 19.0% 11.8% 5.1%
13. Hallucinations related to abortion (233) 30.0% 41.6% 13.7% 6.9% 7.7%
14. Eating disorders such as bulimia
anorexia, or binge eating. (241) 22.4% 31.5% 7.5% 20.3% 18.3%
15. A general sense of emptiness (248) 1.6% 7.7% 7.3% 42.7% 40.7%
16. A loss of sympathy for others (242) 16.5% 22.7% 21.5% 22.7% 16.5%
17. A compulsion to be a perfect mother (231) 10.0% 19.0% 21.2% 24.7% 25.1%
18. An inability to keep jobs (232) 27.6% 33.6% 14.2% 15.9% 8.6%
19. A loss of concentration (236) 8.9% 22.5% 21.2% 29.2% 18.2%
20. A difficulty in maintaining and
developing personal relationships (246) 9.3% 19.5% 14.2% 30.1% 26.8%
AFTER MY ABORTION, I BECAME:
1. Preoccupied with thoughts of death. (243) 14.4% 29.6% 13.2% 20.6% 22.2%
2. Preoccupied with thoughts of the
child I could have had. (252) 5.6% 12.7% 10.3% 34.9% 36.5%
3. Excessively interested in pregnant
women. (243) 21.0% 33.7% 15.2% 17.7% 12.3%
4. Excessively interested in babies. (244) 18.9% 28.3% 15.2% 19.3% 18.4%
NEGATIVE FEELINGS ABOUT MY ABORTION
BECAME WORSE:
1. On the due date of pregnancy. (238) 10.9% 25.6% 20.6% 21.8% 21.0%
2. On the anniversary of the abortion. (235) 11.5% 17.4% 19.6% 26.4% 25.1%
3. During a later pregnancy. (199) 16.1% 18.1% 11.1% 28.6% 26.1%
4. At the birth of a later child. (200) 19.5% 21.0% 10.5% 23.0% 26.0%
5. At the time of a later miscarriage. (151) 33.8% 28.5% 10.6% 11.3% 15.9%
6. When I later tried to get pregnant. (181) 24.3% 24.3% 11.0% 19.9% 20.4%
7. When exposed to pro-life propaganda. (242) 8.3% 9.9% 5.0% 38.8% 38.0%
8. When exposed to pro-choice propaganda (227) 10.6% 15.0% 9.3% 31.3% 33.9%
9. When exposed to information in the
mass media about fetal development. (239) 7.1% 8.4% 7.9% 34.3% 42.3%
AFTER MY ABORTION:
1. I felt more in touch with
my emotions. (247) 37.7% 36.4% 14.2% 6.1% 5.7%
2. I felt a need to block out and (250) 3.2% 6.8% 10.8% 35.2% 44.0%
stifle my feelings.
3. I needed to “force” myself to be happy.(250) 2.0% 10.8% 17.6% 38.8% 30.8%
4. I felt unable to grieve. (248) 8.5% 17.7% 13.7% 35.1% 25.0%
5. My attitude toward life became more
calloused or hardened. (245) 5.3% 11.4% 17.6% 35.5% 30.2%
Strongly Strongly
(N) Disagree Agree
6. I felt more in control of my life. (244) 41.8% 41.4% 9.4% 3.7% 3.7%
7. I started losing my temper more easily.(245) 5.3% 14.3% 21.2% 35.1% 24.1%
8. I became more violent when angered. (246) 10.6% 26.4% 15.4% 26.8% 20.7%
9. I began to drink more heavily. (244) 27.0% 27.5% 9.0% 19.3% 17.2%
If so, would you describe yourself (N) Yes No Unsure
as having become an alcoholic? (107) 27.1% 50.5% 22.4%
10. I began to use, or increased my use
of drugs. (234) 33.8% 20.5% 5.1% 21.4% 19.2%
If so, would you describe yourself (N) Yes No Unsure
as having become addicted? (106) 25.5% 61.3% 13.2%
11. Because of my abortion experience, I
underwent a dramatic personality
change. (240) 6.7% 15.4% 26.7% 26.7% 24.6%
If so, the change was for the better. (155) 61.3% 18.1% 12.9% 4.5% 3.2%
(1 – worse, 5 – better)
12. I experienced a radical change in my
ideals and moral beliefs. (237) 8.4% 17.7% 29.5% 21.5% 22.8%
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Section 4
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(N) Yes No Unsure
1. Was there a time after your abortion when
you would have considered yourself pro-choice? (250) 46.0% 36.8% 17.2%
2. Was there a time after your abortion when
you would have encouraged or supported a woman
in similar circumstances to consider abortion? (252) 31.7% 54.0% 14.3%
3. Have you ever regretted having had the abortion? (251) 94.0% 3.2% 2.8%
4. Have you ever had a waking or sleeping visitation
from the aborted child? (248) 17.7% 73.0% 9.3%
If so, was the mood of the visitation . . . vengeful or forgiving?
( 46 ) 23.9% 74.1%
5. Did you ever talk to the aborted child (N) Yes No Unsure
prior to the abortion? (249) 32.1% 61.8% 6.0%
6. Did you ever talk to the aborted child
after the abortion? (248) 48.8% 45.6% 5.6%
7. Did your relationship with your sexual
partner come to an end after the abortion? (248) 66.1% 31.0% 2.8%
If so, how soon after the abortion? within 1 month within 6 months a year or more
(166) 55.4% 22.9% 21.7%
(N) Yes No Unsure
8. Did you experience greater irregularity of
menstrual periods after your abortion? (249) 33.7% 55.8% 10.4%
9. Did you frequently experience heavy bleeding
after your abortion? (250) 41.2% 50.4% 8.4%
10. Did you experience pain in the cervix or abdomen? (249) 58.2% 31.3% 10.4%
11. Did you experience an increased sense of pain
during intercourse? (247) 33.2% 49.0% 17.8%
12. Did you experience a loss of pleasure from
intercourse? (248) 58.5% 28.2% 13.3%
13. Did you develop an aversion to sexual
intercourse or become sexually unresponsive? (247) 46.6% 38.5% 15.0%
14. Did you become promiscuous after your abortion? (246) 42.7% 51.6% 5.7%
15. Did you experience greater fear of becoming
pregnant when waiting for each period to begin? (246) 48.8% 45.5% 5.7%
16. Did you have your self surgically sterilized
in order to avoid the risk of needing
another abortion? (250) 8.8% 90.4% 0.8%
17. Did you ever experience any false pregnancies
after your abortion? (247) 24.7% 68.4% 6.9%
18. Did you attempt to atone for your abortion by
conceiving a “replacement pregnancy?” (245) 28.6% 62.9% 8.6%
If so, how long after your abortion did you
become pregnant again? MONTHS
1-6 7-12 13-24 25-36 OVER 36
(76) 15.8% 28.9% 15.7% 11.8% 27.6%
(N) Yes No Unsure
19. Did you ever attempt suicide? (248) 28.2% 70.2% 1.6%
If so, how many times? One Two Three Four Over Four
46.8% 30.6% 16.1% 0% 6.5%
(N) Yes No Unsure
20. Were you ever physically abused as a child? (248) 20.6% 71.4% 8.1%
21. Were you ever sexually abused as a child? (247) 24.3% 65.6% 10.1%
22. Did you ever abuse your children before
your abortion? (193) 2.1% 96.9% 1.0%
23. Did you ever emotionally abuse your children
before your abortion? (190) 4.2% 92.6% 3.2%
24. After your abortion, did you experience a
strong feeling of relief? (248) 37.9% 49.6% 12.5%
If so, did it last … weeks months or years?
(95) 60.0% 12.6% 25.3%
(N) Yes No Unsure
25. After your abortion, did you experience any
negative reactions or ambivalent feelings? (253) 89.3% 2.0% 8.7%
If so, when did you experience the first of your
negative or ambivalent feelings?
Immediately Within 6 months After a year or more
(228) 64.5% 18.9% 16.7%
If so, when did you experience the majority
(or worst) of your negative feelings?
Immediately Within 6 months After a year or more
(222) 21.2% 18.5% 60.4%
26. Do you feel fully reconciled with (N) Yes No Unsure
your abortion experience today? (251) 31.9% 51.0% 17.1%
27. Knowing where your life is today,
did your abortion improve your life? (253) 5.9% 71.9% 22.1%
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Section 5:
If you have never experienced any negative or uncertain feelings
about your abortion, you may stop here. THANK YOU for your valuable participation.
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1. Overall, how severe were the emotional Mild Moderate Severe Very Severe
aftereffects of your abortion? (246) 5.3% 23.6% 41.5% 29.7%
2. Was there any time during which your
reactions were so severe that you were
unable to function normally at home, work, (N) Yes No Unsure
or in personal relationships? (244) 55.3% 34.8% 9.8%
If so, how long did this disability last? MONTHS
1-6 7-12 13-24 25-36 >36
41.5% 7.6% 12.2% 12.2 26.4
(N) Yes No Unsure
3. Would you describe yourself as self-destructive? (245) 36.7% 50.6% 12.7%
4. Did you undergo a nervous breakdown at
some time after your abortion? (241) 20.3% 63.1% 16.6%
5. Were you ever hospitalized for psychological
treatment because of the abortion? (244) 10.2% 89.8% —
6. Was there a period of time during which you
denied the existence of any doubts or negative
feelings about your abortion? (245) 62.9% 24.1% 13.1%
If so, for how long? MONTHS
1-6 7-12 13-24 25-36 >36
Avg: 63.1 mos. (124) 24.2% 9.7% 8.0% 8.0 50.0%
7. Despite your negative feelings, do you still (N) Yes No Unsure
believe the choice to have an abortion was
the right thing to do? (247) 2.8% 86.6% 10.5%
If not, was there a time after recognizing your
negative feelings during which would have still
insisted that you had done the right thing? (214) 19.2% 61.2% 19.6%
If so, for how long? YEARS
1 2 3 4 5 >5
Avg: 4.6 yrs. (37) 32.4% 16.2% 8.1% 5.4% 18.9% 18.9%
8. How long did it take for you to begin to
reconcile yourself to your abortion experience? YEARS
<1 1-2 3-5 6-10 >10
Avg: 7.5 yrs. (184) 6.5% 11.4% 25.6 35.3 21.2%
9. Do you feel fully reconciled with your (N) Yes No Unsure
abortion experience today? (241) 31.9% 48.5% 20.3%
10. Has abortion made your life worse? (238) 60.9% 16.4% 22.7%
11. Place a check mark next to whichever of the following persons
you went to for help in coping with your negative feelings, and
check whether or not they were helpful.
(N) Talked with: was Helpful Not Helpful Uncertain
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(86) psychologist/psychiatrist 38.5% 58.1% 3.5%
(63) social worker/counselor 41.3% 57.7% 1.6%
(92) clergy 68.5% 31.5% 0.0%
(69) parent(s) 36.2% 62.3% 1.4%
(145) husband/boyfriend(s) 46.9% 49.0% 4.0%
(144) friends 60.4% 38.2% 1.4%
(88) post-abortion counseling group 90.9% 8.0% 1.1%
(45) other : __________ 80.0% 17.8% 2.2%
Among the most frequent listed “other” were religious references to God, Jesus, the bible, and prayer (39%). Also listed were sister, aunt, and bartender, nurse, and pro-life person.
Originally published in The Post-Abortion Review 2(3) Fall 1994.
