Half of Abortion Patients' Suicide Attempts Self-Attributed to Their Abortions, New Study of Random Sample • AfterAbortion.org

Pensacola, FL (January 22, 2025) — One-third of abortion patients report having attempted suicide, with 94% reporting that their abortion experiences contributed to that attempt, according to a new peer reviewed study of a national, random sample of women.

By the age of 45, fully 35% of women who had a history of abortion reported having attempted suicide, compared to only 17% of never pregnant women and 13% of women who had only successful deliveries. But 30% of those who had natural pregnancy losses also reported attempted suicides, suggesting psychological similarities between both induced and natural pregnancy losses.

This study was unique in that it also asked women to identify the degree, if any, to which their pregnancy outcomes directly contributed to suicide attempts, suicidal thoughts, or other self-destructive behaviors.

Women were more likely to attribute suicidal thoughts and behaviors to their abortions or miscarriages than were women who gave birth to wanted pregnancies or delivered one or more problematic pregnancies (defined as any “unplanned, mistimed, unwanted, or otherwise difficult pregnancy”).

The risk of suicidal thoughts and risk-taking behaviors was especially high among the 70% of aborting women who said their abortions were not consistent with their own values or preferences.

Previous studies have consistently shown a link between abortion and suicide. But abortion providers have argued that this is not due to abortion itself. Instead, they hypothesize, the type of women most likely to seek abortion are simply predisposed to more mental health problems, including suicide. The problem is not abortion; it is mentally ill women…according to abortion providers.

“This study disproves that argument that women who have abortions are simply more prone to suicide,” said the author, David Reardon, who has published over fifty peer reviewed medical studies on abortion and women’s health.

“These findings are especially important in that they represent the first study that has invited self-aware women to explain how much, if at all, their pregnancy outcomes have contributed to mental health issues,” said Reardon, director of the Florida based Elliot Institute. “According to women themselves, both abortions and miscarriages directly contribute to their suicidal thoughts and behaviors. Moreover, the risk is especially high among those women who report feeling pressured into unwanted abortions.”

Notably, this study also confirmed the findings of a previous study revealing that only about one in three abortions is freely wanted and consistent with the patient’s own values and preferences.

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