In the United States, pain management of very old women has been complicated due to terrible guilt the woman has over an abortion fifty or more years in the past. You can suppress guilt for a time but it just gets worse. And we men need to shoulder our share too.

Jay Maupin, Los Angeles, United States

i had 2 abortions both due to a partner as soon as i woke from the op i was in tears because i knew it was wrong. why did i let some one else make me feel i had no choice. now im alone and dearly wish i could turn the clock back i now relie on tablets to get though each day

kim , birmigham, uk

I'm 43 and being treated for depression after my partner coerced me into an abortion. I take no joy in simple things and have a hard time raising my little one. Everytime I see her I think of the baby that was taken from me....I resent my partner.
Joy - Canada

Joy, Thunder Bay, Canada

i had an abortion when i was 16 and now i am nearly 18 and have to see a psyciadrist because of what i did

ashleigh, manchester,

Abortion for financial or 'mental health' grounds can never be right. My choice as a father was ignored by the law. What about the father's mental health? I've been a mess since: anxiety etc Abortion should be a joint decision, if society wants guys to be good fathers. A lone decision is WRONG!

CHRISTIAN LEE, Hyde, UK

My husband whom I just married for 3 months divorced me while I was pregnant, but he wanted the baby for himself and threaten to kill me if I fight for custody... I was so sad and depressed that I did abortion at 9th week. I didnt know what else to do, my life was a hell with him... Till now I'm sad

Safaa, Sheffield, UK

I aborted at age 16. One thing was on my mind - relief. I was not in any position to have a baby and coaxed by my boyfriend, and did not want to tell my mother.

- I am now 50 and full of sadness and regret and have suffered since. PLEASE think and seek guidance by minister or priest ! PLEASE

Tammy , Three Rivers, CA, Tulare

Childbirth can also trigger mental illness in some individuals, as can carrying to term an unwanted pregnancy.

Bowleserised, Berlin, Germany

My children whom I have killed are named Matthew, Michael, David and Sophia. They are in heaven and waiting for me. I never forget who I am - a child of God and God loves me.

This is the only thing that gets me through the night, the day and even the moment.

And I am 50 years old and it began in 1975.
God Help All Of Us

Sherri Irvin, Marietta, GA

This overturns the consensus that has stood for decades that the risk to mental health of continuing with an unwanted pregnancy outweighs the risks of living with the possible regrets of having an abortion.

Er, no it really doesn't. It simply states the obvious, that for some women there will be significant emotional consequences to having an abortion. However, that doesn't show anything about what would have happened to those same women's mental health if they went ahead with an unwanted pregnancy, or the consequences for the mental health of the children they went on to have.
The Times should know better than to extrapolate such a sensational conclusion from what has actually been said.

Tennison, edinburgh, scotland

Forcing single women into a so-called "choice" of ONLY adoption or abortion is common in United States. Limiting a woman's perceived "options" makes it possible for males to avoid taking responsibility for pregnancy prevention and for the children born to them. But for many women, it is a horrendous "choice". Every woman I've ever known who was forced to give "it" up for adoption suffered horrendously. By the time "it" is born, "it" is not an "it" but her closest family member, her baby. People who would consider it terribly cruel to take a newborn puppy away from it's mother are nevertheless eager to get a newborn human baby away from mom as soon as legally possible. In some states in the US it's "legal" to obtain a mother's surrender in a few as 24 hours after birth, with no revocation period. We have a whole industry built around infant "adoption", with "professionals" suggesting to a woman that she "consider adoption", promising her she'll feel good about it. It's sick.

Laurie, Marion, IA, USA

One facet of this discussion that I haven't seen brought up is the fact that so many mothers of pregnant girls are coercing their daughters to abort. Yes, many guys try to force their girlfriends to abort, but at the crisis pregnancy center where I volunteer we've seen way too many moms doing the emotional blackmailing. Several mothers have threatened to kick their daughter out of the house if she wouldn't abort. Another mom got a loan to pay for her daughter's abortion so she wouldn't be a single mom. Many of these girls didn't want to abort, especially when their boyfriend was supportive, but did abort because of mom. We don't really understand what is driving this trend, but find it very disturbing.

Jane , Loveland , USA/CO

Given that human beings currently number 6.8 billion, there are only 3500 tigers let, (among the myriad species we are pushing to extinction in our quest for lebensraum) I find it tiresome that abortion is still, in this day and age, being presented as a tragedy. Remember that one in three pregnancies ends in a miscarriage anyway. There are some of us who don't feel guilty, just relieved. Some women, shock horror! don't want children. The trouble is, society only really allows women to talk about abortion in terms of regreting it. Where are the women who are perfectly happy with the choice they made? Not upset at all? Here I am! Get over it already.

maz, Berkshire,

Every woman I've ever known that had an abortion suffered because of it. No matter how necessary, it's still traumatic. The first I witnessed was aged 13. This young girl was allowed to do it without her parents permission but her treatment was horrendous. She was over 12 weeks and induced. She named him. When we visited her after school she was still covered in blood. It's insane that we see it as a form of contraception. The woman is pregnant, the hormonal changes happen. Of course it affects a woman's psychological state. To avoid getting pregnant I have had to be extremely careful. Sex may be fun but the potential consequences are no laughing matter.

Mariette, London,

Each of us would like to be outcome of real love and that is a minimum that each of us should and can have. If women decided to do abortion of unwanted pregnancy in favor of wanted pregnancy where she/they will be happy from the first sign of pregnancy such women’s are my heroes. One unwanted pregnancy more often means one wanted pregnancy less!

Antoan, Compiegne,

hi - i m a 37-year-old mum of 16 months old twin girls which i still got after 2 miscarriages the year before - i m very proud and happy about them - so it is everything possible- my relationship has changed we are still together but most of the time i took care of my girls alone - now i am pregnant again from the same man my husband and we had big discussions about having this baby or maybe babies???am still in consideration of what to do but i myself am terribly scared of an abortion and at the same time i don t really know how to cope with the new life and my twin girls when i cannot find enough support through my partner - relationship is difficult now- wish there is someone out there who feels something to say to my story...

Constanze, London , United Kingdom

Of course abortion affects women's mental health, and some women make the wrong choice for them, but wouldn't it be useful to make compative studies looking at the mental health of single mothers and those who get married as a consequence of pregnancy?

I have a number of friends who are single mothers and suffer greatly from anxiety over lack of money and support. These were all women who didn't want abortions and some have gone on to have several children, by different fathers, none of whom are involved emotionally or financially. Since their kids are statistically more likely to do less well at school and more likely to get involved in crime, and are seen as a huge drain on the public purse, they are not the revered creatures that the 'pro lifers' would have us believe.

The anti-abortion lobby might better employ their time educating young men about being good partners and fathers. Depression is the reward for women in these circumstances, whatever their decision.

anne, coventry, UK

I had a miscarriage and the effect was devastating on me mentally. I consider myself a logical person but I did really wierd things for a couple of weeks. Why? Because a fetus is more than flesh and blood, it is a living soul within your body. After this incident I can believe that an abortion causes mental problems. You have to experience it to know. . .
I know of many women who have suffered silent agony for years before being able to confess their true feelings and get help, professional help. If a salesman pushes me too hard to buy a product I become suspicious, I believe this is the same: Why push so hard for a decision on life and death if you are not hiding the true effects?
In conclusion: I was an unwanted child (nearly aborted), yes we suffered financially, but I am truly greatful that my mother decided to keep me. I have so much I still want to do and become. Love makes up for finacial hardship, finances can't make up for love.

Marlene Briel, Hartbeespoort, South Africa

It has been over thirty some years for
me since I had my abortion and I still
think about my child that I destroy.
I regret it everyday of my life and yes
I do suffer from depression now. I have
to take medecine for it everyday. At
the clinic they offer counselling but
made the hasty decision to have
the abortion done right away. If
abortions weren't allow back then
and even now ...

Cathy, Smyrna, DE

I' m Christian and non judgmental.
I would help a girl and her baby, without ever calling her any name. She is a human person who deserves respect, just like her child.

Tony Pelletier, Moncton, Canada

If you don't like abortion don't have one.

I'm sick of narrow minded anti choicers. For christ sake we have enough unwanted children as it is. Their the chavs who attack you on the streets at night, who sponge off the benefits system, who fill our prisons up, who are multiplying at an ever increaseing rate. If abortion is banned it should damn well be the anti choicers who suffer the tax burdon all these unwanted children will place on the state.

Most of the women i've known who had abortions didn't regret them. Neither was it an easy choice for them. But a little depression compared with the financialy crippleing uphill battle of raiseing a delinquent child. Ha.

Typical christian anti choicer retoric. Anyone want to bet who funded the study?

Joe B, Wolverhampton, UK,

Life as I knew it ended with the untimely co-erced abortion of my daughter, Sara, who would turn 17 next October had she been allowed to live. Her father moved on (thank you, God), married (unhappily, I hear) & had 3 MORE children, oblivious to the destructive force of his pressure on me to end our daughter's life. I think the abortion's effects in his life were also deleterious.

Men support abortion far more than women, for financial reasons and responsibilty factors already blogged.

All that said, countless women who think they made the decision of their own volition continue to experience Post-Abortion Trauma issues. Even poor-choice folks can suffer grave psychological distress from ending their child's life.

The reason? We are supposed to protect our children. To do anything but is to fly in the face of everything hard-wired into the human spirit and our instrinct to survive as a species.

It's time the medical community and the media reported the truth.

lark, Readington, USA/NJ

I had an abortion when I was 18 years old. I must admit that I had a mental health breakdown - because I lost all my 'friends'. I was a member of an evangelical church. They called me a whore because I had sex before marriage and a murderer.
I think that abortion is wrong but before I decided to do this I realized that nobody in my family or my church would have liked to supporte me and a baby.

Katrin, Cambridge,

What is sad is that the safest place in the world used to be a mother's womb. Not anymore.

Cherry, San Diego, CA, USA

The comments here have gone way beyond what the majpr point of the article is: SOME people have problems after an abortion and there is research to back up that statement. We should let people know that.

Is it that hard?

In slightly unrelated news: Adoption can be a great choice for many people.

Josh, West Valley, USA

My father has been participating in the "40 days for Life" event in his town. Folks have been praying at abortions clinics, 24/7, not engaging visitors, just standing and praying. Interestingly, the persons most outraged by the presence of prayerful people outside clinics have been men aged 18-30. It seems that they are adamant about the right for abortion. I was baffled by this,what would they care? until I realised that abortion is their ticket to freedom from a child and a woman they might not care to be linked to.
These men may be coercing abortions in their partners, I wonder how much that contributes to mental health issues for the women. Its one thing to make a choice and live with it. Its another to have a choice made for you and then have to live with feelings of self hate and regret.

Mot Keen, Lake forest Park , WA, Usa

Thomas Kane: Apparently you do not understand very simple statements so I will try again. This is my original quote "Men should keep their comments to themselves, unless they have participated in aborting a child." Where does that say, according to you, that they don't have a right in the decision? They DO have a right in the decision. However, unless a man has participated in the aborting of a child, their comments (such as here) don't do a great deal of service. It's all theory.

As for your comment: "Seems like you still are involved in feminist selfishness. You have alot of deconditioning left to do." You should really apologize for that. You can't even read my comment CORRECTLY and then you are going to offer condescending advice? You sound like a real winner to me. As I said above....nothing real constructive to offer if you've never been a part of the process. Keep your comments to yourself. You're doing a disservice to those men that actually have something beneficial to say.

Melissa, Franklin, Indiana, USA

When I found out I was pregnant back in 1981, I, like a million other young women at that time, had contemplated abortion. Abortion was not such a huge issue as it is today, and I didn't know the full truth about the subject. It was when I decided to call a clinic in my city just to know and understand the abortion procedure. A man came on the phone and began to answer my questions with, I felt, was the most heinous, insensitive, cold, unfeeling, description of just how the baby--mind you, a very alive baby--is terminated. I was extremely shocked that any human being--whether a medical doctor or not--could be so inhumane regarding human life. After I recovered from the shock, I made up my mind that no matter what I had to go through alone to raise my baby, I wasn't going to make the decision to kill it. I felt my child did not deserve its life to be ended in such a self-centered, cold-hearted manner. Today, my daughter is 26 years old and a wonderful blessing to me.

Pam Jenkins, Los Angeles, California

I have known this for 30 years. I had an abortion when I was 27, single and dating the wrong man. I got pregnant and could not imagine how I could manage being a single mother. I was very alone and tricked myself into thinking that I was just postponing having a baby, not actually ending the life of a child. The only way I could really do it was to lie to myself. 5 years after that I experienced a premature menopause. Ending the "possibility" of a child was in fact taking the life of my only chance at having a child and ending the life of a real child with its own distinct DNA and life ahead of him/her. As I allowed myself to absorb this truth, I was filled with remorse and regret. This has been a sorrow and a major thing I had to come to terms with in my life. I also firmly believe that the false feminism which celebrates abortion as a woman's choice and empowerment is so wrong, denying scientific and medical reality. And denying reality is the root of mental illness.

Patricia, Brooklyn , NY

To all those women who say that men should have no opinion (or right) in the matter of a woman's pregnancy, I wonder if you told your boyfriend or husband that before you had sex. Last time I checked all women have a father, be it a good one, bad one, live one or dead one. Even those who have lesbian mothers, I am yet to meet one who could produce sperm.

Why is it that if a women decides to keep a baby the man is forced to support that woman and child regardless if the couple stays together. Yet if a woman does not want the child, he has no say as to whether his son or daughter shall live. Am I the only father who is upset by this?

The greatest drawback of the women's movement has been the determination of feminists to downplay the importance of fathers.What percentage of gang members have a positive father figure at home? I dare guess, less that 10%. Anyone like to challenge me on that one?

Rob , St. Catharines, Canada

I find it interesting that doctors in England are willing to admit that abortion has long-term consequences for mental health. I wish doctors in America would stop pretending that it doesn't. The abortion lobby here is very good at making trouble for anyone in medicine who suggests publicly that the depression, nightmares, sexual dysfunction, and even suicides that too often follow abortion are in any way related to the experience itself. It's time we opened our eyes to Planned Parenthood's (and other's) abuse of women's trust.

Kathleen Wagner, Virginia Beach, VA

I don't think anyone has the right to judge. Unless you walk in someone else's shoes you have no idea what they experience. However, there is also the right of the clinician who is expected to abort the baby. Even if it is providing the medication to self administer for abortion they are in an unenviable position.

Kate, Glasgow,

For everyone who says that a child is not developed before the 3rd month they are wrong. I found out I was pregnant at about 8 weeks and when i saw the picture of the ultra sound my daughter was moving. I could not feel her because she was small, but she was moving during the screening. I thank God for my little girl. Maybe if we think of marriage and family before sex abortions wouldn't be as wide spread. I think that abortion would destroy you mentally because it there is no turning back once it is done. Having a child is hard work but the rewards outweigh the struggle. Think first before you lay down!!

vo, Paterson, New Jersey

I think the "cooling off " period is a great idea, obviously many women consider abortion, but it may not be the solution for all of them and some will obviously need the extra time to think and gain some perspective.

As for all the people commenting on here who condemn women for having abortions and cite an unfounded superstition as a reason for ignorant hatred,i think they should be ashamed of themselves. What right have they to pile guilt on the head of already miserable and emotionally vulnerable women? I think it's appalling.

Besides, the issue of whether abortion is right or wrong is not the issue here, the issue is the mental health of women who may (or may not) have rushed into this huge decision without being properly advised. We just have to hope that the councellors are compassionate and unbiased. I don't envy them because of the abuse they'll recieve from fundamentalists like some of the people commenting on here, but i hope they persevere.

Katy, London, UK

If having an abortion is the smartest choice you've ever made you must have a pretty sad life.

Sean, Sacramento, CA

It is interesting to note that those little ones who were aborted are called 'children' or 'child.' If one ever believes in God, then killing as you all know goes against the 5th Commandment. Also, those who abort show by their commentaries that they only care about themselves. It is selfish self-centeredness. The little one in their belly should be they care about. Not themselves. It is not 'self-love' but love of their neighbor, so to speak that is required. The woman's 'right' is to care for her children. How any woman could not have a big enough conscience to truly realize that she is killing her own child is an abomination. And this is no different from Herod in the time of Christ killing all the Innocents. So...Rachel continues to weep for her children. Shame on those of you who have killed your child. It is certainly not the way of love nor the way to heaven. Wisdom is needed. It's time for women to open their hearts to loving children and provide that example to others.

Magdalene, Harrisburg, USA/PA

Melissa: boys are aborted too. Those boys would have
grown up to be men. But men don't have a say? Some of those aborted children may actually have had Fathers who
wanted them. But men don't have a say? Men have to deal with
women who are destroyed by the bad choices they made. But
men don't have a say? Seems like you still are involved in fem-
inist selfishness. You have alot of deconditioning left to do.

Thomas Kane, Quincy, Uninted States

Suicides can not be analysed afterwards even with a note which can only be taken at face value. Nevertheless, the leaving of a note is very manipulative behaviour and indicates a desire to have power over events after death.
Actually, we do not have to allow ourselves to be manipulated by the dead. That would set a negative example.
It would definitely be a step backwards for feminism if the authorities compel us to have psychiatric analysis before any important decision we take. Female subjugation to "experts" is a thing of the past. Get over it. We must make our own decisions without interference and it is entirely up to us to know our own minds thanks.
The psychiatric/guidence industry/s is as usual, job creating. Most people do not like being forcibly messed with by "experts" or other busy bodies. Perhaps this was an issue in this case and she was reacting to pressure from psychiatrists.
More positive publicity for abortion is needed to prevent tragedy.

finella, geneva, switzerland

EVERY child IS a wanted child. There is a waiting list for couples waiting to adopt. There are ministries (search on google for Nathhan/Chask) that find adoptive families for special needs babies, too.

Some women may not suffer guilt following their abortions because their conscience is seared. Too bad that this is no protection against the high risk of breast cancer following an abortion. Google abortionbreastcancer and abortionNo

Sharon G. , Ontario, USA/California

I seem to be missing what's theistic about insisting that all members of the human species be accorded equal rights, including the right to life. I know atheists who oppose abortion for just that reason. I've duly noted that some women who've had abortions do not appear to have adverse effects, but why on earth would they want to deny other women the knowledge that some women don't pull through a-ok? Why can't we trust women with all the information and let them decide what they need to know to make this very serious decision. What's the danger here, that some women might choose life? Me thinks they doth protest too much...

Peter, Portland, ME

I believe that abotion should be allowed up to 3 months - as afterwards the baby is very developed and for the pregnant woman herself - the more you wait to have an abortion and the more you feel bad.

I used to condemn abortion but took an abortion pill a year ago. I was 5 weeks pregnant and was still half way through my university degree. My boyfriend was also at university. We both come from strict families.

I still regret failing to take proper contraception - once - and I do feel bad about that human life. However, I do NOT have any mental illness or depression - I regret that I put myself in this situation but I do not regret aborting because Iam sure that I took the right decision.

Please have your own opinions and live your life as you wish but allow people to take their own decisions without judgement as well.

Jenny, London, UK

I will never be the same. I was in my mid 30's and old enough that I should have known better. I hope my baby in Heaven forgie\ves me. I know God did, but I know I'll never forgive myself for killing my baby.

Tamara, Springfield, New Jersey-USA

It is about time. After counseling girls all through college and seeing the emotional carnage, it is about time the medical the medical institution realized what God has said since the beginning of time "Thou shall not kill", It is not natural for a woman to kill their child. It goes against all that is in them.

Chet, Boerne, Texas

To Everyone out there who says they've never net a person who did not regret having an abortion.

Hi, I'm Emma. My abortion was a difficult choice, but still the smartest choice I ever made. I DO NOT REGRET IT.

Now you've met one!

Cheers
Emma

Emma Fox, Sydney, Australia

Have any of you women actually seen the products of an abortion???

We are called "the fair sex"! What a misnome

Angela, toronto, ON

It's amazing to me that there isn't ONE mention in ANY of these comments about adoption. Every child is a wanted child. It might not be by the parents, but there are couples out there that would take that baby in a heartbeat.

I had an abortion almost 14 years ago. I was 18. It was selfish and I only cared about MY life and MY career and what I wanted to do. It's not in a baby's best interest to kill it. Sure, adoption would be a hard thing to do. So hard that it takes a SPECIAL woman to do it. Those of us that aborted did not have the STRENGTH to go through with giving birth and placing for adoption. We thought that aborting was an easier way out....until you live with the consequences (which there are). Nobody talks about those beforehand. You are led to believe that it's over and done with never to be thought of again. NOT TRUE.

Men should keep their comments to themselves, unless they have participated in aborting a child. Women that haven't done it don't know the first thing.

Melissa, Franklin, Indiana, USA

I have had two abortions over my reproductive years, and I am just fine thank you very much. And so is my sister who had one 20 years ago.

Women are not children but the world continues to discuss what is best for us like we are.

Helen Immonen, NYC, NY

While the phenomena of abortion certainly is not new, there always was (and still is) a stigma to be attached to a woman who opts to terminate her pregnancy. The term "therapeutic abortion" is intended to eliminate feelings of guilt a woman may feel in ordering the death of the human being growing inside her womb. While socially acceptable in today's permissive society, there is a moral downside, and in many cases the woman subconsciously views herself as less than a real woman and later in life as a murderer. When mental instability ensues, it can be debated if it was caused by the event or latent mental aberrations existant since birth.

Dr.Proctor, Philadelphia , PA

No uterus? No opinion!

The number of men commenting on this story disturbs me. I know many women who have had abortions, none of them made the decision easily nor do they regret it.

Natasha, Manchester, UK

My Honey and I have been through this decision. She had had an abortion done before ( with somebody else) and I refused to to let her do it again even though financialy it was crazy. She lost the baba anyway, probably through stress, but my point is, that if we selfish males sire babies, its our job to support our partners and lovers.

John

John R, Danbury, CT

Responding to Anna, Bristol, England who said "a potential child (please note the use of the word potential) that wouldn'tve been wanted, much loved, or supported to any degree financially."

Anna you have fallen for psychobabble that has convinced a generation, worldwide, that the human being in the mother's womb is merely tissue, cells, an embryo, a fetus, a potential. Well ask yourself, if that very alive baby in the mother's womb is not a very real person, baby, child, or human, then what species is it? Here in the U.S. in 2007, our Supreme Court (supremely ignorant) authored a much celebrated horrific abortion manual known as the Partial Birth Abortion Ban in a case known as Gonzalez v. Carhart. The ban was only a deception to allow the abortionist to cut up the baby delivered up to its naval instead of its neck. And it gets worse. Mental illness is on the mark when you have been convinced its OK to murder your own baby. The result is you're now the mother of a dead baby. SICK!

Brett, Denver, Colorado

Wait a minute, wasn't it just a couple weeks ago that poor woman killed herself over the abortion she had and everyone piled on her, excoriating her, saying she was weak and abortions are a dandy experience?

Either life matters or it doesn't. If it doesn't there's no problem. If life matters, then an innocent has been killed. People should be something fairly powerful about that.

J. Haley, Santa Barbara, USA

Abortion is unavoidable if you are raped and don't want the child to be born and live in a hell where the society will be cruel to them.

But if some one does abortion just because they did not want a child after being careless when doing sex, that is completely unacceptable. Those women should be punished in court of law as a criminal.

buddy, UK,

Women's rights?

What about the rights of unborn women?

Andrew, Edinburgh,

First of all, no man should ever have a say whether a woman does or does not keep a pregnancy. Man only has a say when he is the one who's life could be at risk.

Second, what's wrong with counseling. I think women should be given all sides of having an abortion before making the decision. We are told that abstinence doesn't work, that we should give kids all facts about sex, including contraceptives, because they are going to have it anyway and should have all the information available. The same thing should go to having an abortion. Get all of the info and then make your decision.

V. Bean, McKinney, Texas, USA

Vicki Bean, McKinney, TX

Amazing, all these men posting who don't only know what some women who have had an abortion feel but what every single one of us feels - wow, now that's mindreading on a truly breathtaking scale. This is despite the fact that many women are also posting here and saying that actually, despite not being what most of us would ideally have wanted, it was our choice and we're glad we made it. Personally, I was in an extremely abusive relationship and didn't want to introduce a child into that and I'm glad I didn't - I certainly don't need any man to tell me what I felt then, feel now or ''should'' feel about it, thanks.

I agree that there should always be counselling for any woman considering an abortion, but most definitely not from any fundaloonies (who never seem so fussy about the sanctity of the lives of those already born, certainly not outside Western nations) ot others biased against or for it, but from people who can calmly, objectively help in considering the options).

Ruth , Glasgow, Scotland

It is high time Psychiatrists recognized what many people have known all along. It is not normal for a mother to kill her offspring, whether in the womb or outside it. There are many women suffering in silence, bearing the grief caused by their decision years ago. Thank goodness there are groups like Project Rachael, who seek to aid women who've had abortions.
http://www.hopeafterabortion.com/

JD Keating, New York, NY

I don't believe for a second that post-abortion guilt is in any way caused by the abortion itself. Rather, when it occurs it's caused by the collective morality of others (invariably people devoid of any empathy whatsoever, who enjoy nothing more than imposing their own limited world views on others, and then wallowing in the malicious joy of their own schadenfreude) weighing down inexorably on the fragile psyche of a vulnerable, insecure person. (There's no limit to the harm this sort of socially acceptable bullying can do.) I know this to be true, because I know women who feel no guilt whatsoever over their own abortions, only relief and the calming satisfaction of a difficult decision well taken.

And let us not forget that all women should have absolute dominion over their own bodies. Anything less than that is an utterly abhorrent repudiation of what it means to be human. Forced pregnancy? What sort of society compels a woman to carry, for example, a rape pregnancy to term?

Oliver Cunningham, London,

You cannot equate what happened to Andrea Yates children with abortion. Although the end result was tragic, their lives had meaning while they lived. It is like saying if a child is hit by a car and killed, it would have been better off if it had been aborted. We cannot know what the value is of any human's life, nor is it for us to decide. We just have to act in as unselfish way as we are able, and live with the consequences when we don't. That's what tears so many woman up; the realization that they chose their own life over another's so entirely at their mercy. I do not judge them - but I can judge the act. I was in that spot once, and knew I had to face the results, even when the father wouldn't. I believed that I couldn't foretell what the future held for either of us, even though I thought it would be too hard to bear- for both of us. I won't say what happened after that, just as no one can say what will happen if they do or do not abort. Life is like that.

Kay, La Mirada, United States

What about the risk to your mental health that bringing a child into the world when you aren't ready, can't afford it, or were raped? What about "New mothers who wanted an abortion are extremely likely to experience a mental breakdown" or some other such study...

EB, New Orleans,

A scientific study has now told us that women are harmed by abortion. Where is our defense of women now? If we really care about women we would say we should do all we can to protect women from abortion even though the science goes against what we want to be true. And leading pro abortion geneticists tell us that it is a human life, not a potential life. To say it is a potential human life is an unscientific opinion. The article did nothing to lambast women for abortions. It stated scientific fact and spoke of protecting women from a proven harm. Properly researched we will find that women are harmed by abortion for many years to come. There must be a better way to deal with an unexpected or unwanted pregnancy. A way that does the least harm to both the baby and the mother.

Geri, New Jersey, USA

Let's not forget, that at least here in the States the abortion mills we have are in it for the money. The media in the states is so afraid of the powerful abortion lobby that this mental health story would never have appeared in the print media in the states.
Also, when a female student at UCLA is told she is pregnant she is immediately hustled off to an on site person who refers her to abortionists.
There is another aspect to this as well. It is the role of the media who repeatedly urges young women in movies and the trash that is TV to have sex earlier and earlier. Many of these girls/women would not have gotten pregnant in the first place if it weren't for the trash that Hollywood serves our young people.

Samantha, Marina del Rey, CA

it makes no difference if you understand the functioning of your body from a spiritual or a physical understanding. the only thing you need to know is that if you violate what is a natural function, there is a price to pay. it is not possible to adequately rationalize a reason for a mother to throw away the "normal built in" actions relative to motherhood and have that to be okay.

harold, casa grande, Az.

h. vangilder, casa grande, USA/AZ

Anyone who calls abortion a 'crime against humanity', or parallels it with Nazi eugenics, is simply foolish. This is not a spiritual issue. I can understand that, if I did have an abortion, I might feel a sense of regret when wondering at the potential life which did not, in the end, exist. But 'potential' is the key word here. An embryo is merely 'potential' life. It is entirely dependent upon the mother for nutrition, etc. So, until it is physically able to function outside the womb, it remains the bodily property of the mother... who has the right to determine its destiny as she wishes. The state, or church, or any individual, does not have the right to control what a women does with her body, in this respect.
And let's not forget - some children would perhaps have been better off unborn. I refer you to the work of Harvard economist Steven Levitt, who points out the link between Roe vs. Wade (1973) in the USA, and the subsequent drastic drop in crime in about 1992.

Danielle, London,

Potential,?

Give me a break! As a Side walk counselor who has been outside an abortion millfor over 15 years, I have never heard a mother who came out to say I aborted my "potential' fetus.

They all know for a fact, it was their unborn child.

Also, with the 4 D ultrisounds today, that "potential" baby argrument wont fly.

Ruth T
Ft Inn, SC

ruth, Ft Inn, USA

All i can say is i had one 16 years ago-at the insistance of my boyfriend. I regret it very deeply now.I am a mentally strong person,but at times have a very difficult time with it. It is one thing you cannot undo.
If i would have kept it-no matter what happened in my life it would not be as miserable as never seeing that baby-and knowing it is my fault.

lisa, california, usa

It is easy to pass judgment when it is someone else's situation. I am not going to tell a woman that she should not have an abortion because there may be a risk of mental illness that may or may not occur. Did everyone forget Andrea Yates (of Texas), the woman that killed all 5 of her children. Can anyone tell me what those 5 children went through was better than if Andrea Yates had had 5 abortions? The mental illness Andrea Yates suffered was probably going to be whether she had the children or not. Has anyone stopped to look at what other factors that may have contributed to the mental illness in these women in the study? I think this is just a BS study. The study should make sure that these woman do not have other stresses (job, relationships, financial) that do not contribute to mental illness.

Dee, Atlanta,

If I were ever to have an abortion I'd feel much more guilty for the things I've been lambasted as in this blog alone than the fact I was getting rid of a potential child (please note the use of the word potential) that wouldn'tve been wanted, much loved, or supported to any degree financially.

Anna, Bristol, England

The grace period may sound like an excellent idea, but will this result in a better decision being made? Most women do not make their decision overnight about having an abortion. It becomes a labor some process for them and their significant other, should they be present.

It is the responsibility of the patient to seek help, with depression and/or other illnesses. The physician is there to help the patient, not to tell the patient was is best. Therefore, if the situation doesn't present itself, then the physician need not discuss it. The literature on abortions side effect (ie. Depression) is out there. It is the patients responsibility to seek advice, not the physicians to provide information that may not be sought or warranted.

Ron Baptiste, Washington, DC

Some people due to political and social beliefs, ignore the fact that most...MOST women who have had an abortion will experience mild to suicidal depression, anxiety, and require medication to hide not relieve not rid,,, thier guilt. Which is what it is. In todays PC environment no one is allowed to speak what the truth is. So women suffer. The same women that "pro-choice" groups are fighting to "protect" are being sent ... impressionable girls like lambs to slaughter in order to keep and protect a political and social view. There are not nor were there ever back alley abortions that killed millions of women. It is all lies. Just like the lie that an abortion is a minor surgical procedure. You don't suffer through years of torment guilt and dispair as the result of having a tooth pulled. That is a minor surgical procedure. If abortion is not murder... why do women feel the guilt and pain as if it is....and I mean women who never hear terms such as murder who live in PC communities.

Tony, Tucker, Ga.

First of all I think that information about pregnancy and avoiding falling pregnant should be enforced at an early age therefore there would be less abortions and unwanted children. Children are eager to grow up and therefore are carrying out acts they know little about.
This also goes for the women who have abortions. The ‘cooling off’ period spoken about seems ideal and would benefit many women. Perhaps if the artist Emma Beck had this she would still be alive.
The reduction of time given to have an abortion would only put more pressure on women therefore leaving it at 24 weeks will rouse less aggravation than changing it to 20 weeks.
It is inevitable a woman who is faced with this difficult decision will have an aftermath of emotion that leaves them distraught and scarred.

Leela, London, England

Yes! God indeed did create us in Her/His Image, I have known Mr. and Mrs. God since they were in diapers! Lovely balanced pair they are too! They have given us free will, since they are hoping we will one day grow out of our infancy; is this where I can use a semicolon! in other words, quit acting like fools.

Miss May, Chattanooga, Tennessee, USA

No one should ever counsel a woman....she should trust her feelings.

Charles, Vancouver, Washington

I've had contact with several woman post abortion. I can say that yes, having an abortion leaves scars that don't heal and these scars have NOTHING to do with pro-lifers. They have to do with feelings of loss and personal guilt at having taken the life of a baby that was growing inside you. The article advocates letting women think over this critical decision before jumping to it. I agree.

Gregor, San Diego, USA/CA

This is certainly a very interesting development, and I applaud the efforts of the Royal College of Psychiatrists for coming to an unbiased decision, when it would be so easy to cater to the culture that demands constant and instant gratification. What I find even more interesting are the arguments against such a finding by the Royal College - yes, we have to be wary of imposing undue restrictions on the availability of certain treatments, but what good medical professional would let a young person pursue a course of treatment without giving them the full and complete information regarding what might happen after the treatment? If there was a chance that a particular treatment could harm you in the future, wouldn't you want to know before-hand? Indeed, some people may feel confident in their decision making abilities without the help of trained professionals, but, we must be just as cautious in imposing undue restrictions on the proliferation of adequate information!

Ben Cavallari, Ganymede,

As a woman who has had an abortion, I find calls for counseling insulting and patronizing. I was certainly not in need of professional help to make my decision; indeed, any sort of waiting period would have caused me enormous difficulty given my youth at the time, and the logistical issues involved in arranging the abortion. While some women certainly suffer depression and remorse, plenty do not. I have never felt anything but gratitude that the choice was available to me. Having a child would have ruined my life. 20 years later, I feel the same way. I absolutely don't want children, and had I been forced to bear one it would only have been disaster and misery for all involved. I myself was adopted as an infant - possibly because my biological mother was not able to obtain a legal abortion. Had I been aborted, I simply would never have existed. I don't have a problem with that.

Rebecca, New York, NY,

If there is painful guilt after an abortion it is mostly because of the pro lifers ranting on about god and how evil it all is.
Some say they feel so strongly that life is sacred that they want us to murder anyone who has an abortion. So the mothers life is not sacred?

Panikos, Grays Essex,

Folks, this article references a position statement, NOT a medically peer reviewed journal.

Take it for the unacademic merit upon which it stands.

Marciah1, Gloucester,

Women need to make their own mind about abortion, its not for doctors to counsel women, I would see this as pressurising a woman at a very vulnerable time. Women need to do what is right for them not what the medical profession thinks is right for them.I took the drastic decision to have my falliopian tubes removed to avoid getting pregnant. There is absolutely no continuity of care in the NHS. I could not have copied with being passed around from pillar to post whilst being pregnant or whilst in labour. Then you have the injustice of social police "health visitors" visiting you with advice and pressurising you with all their health promotion advice.There is too much pseudocounselling going on in the NHS and not enough real medicine with continuity care of patients.I have never ever regretted my decision and would have hated/completely resented being subject to counselling prior to a abortion. I am quite capable of making my decisions without the State/NHS interference.

carol, bicester,

Information about the possible consequences of abortion should be given well before a woman becomes pregnant. It should be part of the sex education that all children receive, boys and girls: explaining how to get pregnant, how to avoid getting pregnant and all the possible consequences in either case.
When a woman is already pregnant, already afraid and worried about her health and her future is NOT the time to start telling her about dire consequences of any kind. By then she should already have all the information she needs. Then she can act as a responsible adult and make her own decision.

Rosemary , Germany,

And God created man/women in HIS IMAGE! Even those 14 year old teens who mentioned that their mother cut and sucked out their brother/sister out of their mother's uterus KNEW instinctively that this was "human life". To those people who mentioned that they have never regretted having an abortion who have never known anyone who has had one tells me the how selfish we have become! DO NOT KID YOURSELF THIS is NOT JUST a medical, emotional, or economic issue.....THIS IS A SPIRITUAL ISSUE! We condemned the Nazis for their hatred and mass murder of the Jews during WWII. But we fail to see the rhetoric that the Pro-abortionists use to justify and support the rights/cause of abortion! During WWII the Jews were referred to as "utermenchen" or "subhuman". Today, Pro-abortionists refer to the unborn as "products of conception". Abortion on demand, human cloning...any devaluation of human life can be justified for any reason!

DMW, Racine, Wisconsin

i really dont get firstly what god has to do with ANY of this? i notice ALOT of judements and the word"murders" and "killing babies" being said but everyones definition of "life" and when it starts is different, personally im facing an unwanted pregnancy, my first experience of being so and i as a woman could NEVER have imagined what this feels like so how the men on here can be soo careless and insensitive to use those terms is holy unfair! im not in a position to have it yet im faced with conflicting feelings of course,i have depression now and part of my reason for prolly having it IS that. im sure pro lifers are very willing to equally critise a woman who cant cope with her kids and struggles! as i think more and more, those of you who agree with pro life should tell me if you have fostered or adopted or been carers and done ANY volenteer work for grown unwanted kids!?its easy to SAY harder to LIVE bu what you preach, which happens to involve god!

Sanity, Newbury, UK

I really feel for these women who find themselves destroyed by guilt and grief for the rest of their lives. Way back when I was younger, I had always said I would have an abortion if I found myself in the difficult position of having an unwanted pregnancy. Fast forward a few years to a happy marriage and the birth of my first child. It was only when he was born that I understood how utterly wrong abortion is. In that moment I thanked God for never having to make that decision in my earlier years as I realized how devastating I would have found it later. Even when an ultrasound showed our second child would possibly be born with birth defects, we refused to consider abortion. She was born perfectly healthy but we would have dealt with her problems regardless.

Teenagers/young women are out there aborting children without fully understanding the ramifications of their actions and I think it's a sad testament to society that it's so easy.

Denise L, Susteren, Holland

Normal girls would not even think of holding a gun and shooting some one to death. These same normal girls will go ahead and kill their own babies. Ofcourse this causes strain and mental health problems. It's against any mothers' nature to kill their own children. You don't go out on a hunting trip when they are 18 and then shoot them either.
It has nothing to do with God or religion. If you are not wired to kill, you are just not wired to kill. We are taught that killing is bad. Abortion is killing. There is no gray area, dead is dead, no matter how you look at it.
It is time people see that any killing is bad, would cut down on wars overall. No normal person likes to kill. Taking the life of your own child is against any rule of nature.

L.Puetz, Moseley, Virginia, USA

Those that advocate abortion are murderers and complicit in premeditated murder. They are pagans that were born too late... they would feel right at home in ancient pre-christian Rome. These people have to be held accountable for their Crimes against Humanity. I feel no empathy for them, they are beyond redemption and have no remorse. The culpability of these people lies not just in the leaders of the pro-abortion movement but also in their blind followers, just as the German people were culpable en masse for what the Nazis did. When abortion is overturned, and it WILL be, those people at the top of the abortion chain, their political supporters and financial contributors, should stand trial for CRIMES AGAINST HUMANITY and be punished accordingly, death penalty notwithstanding. It is very unfortunate that the emphasis is placed on the mental health of a mother that aborts her child and not on the act of abortion-murder itself. It shows how mentally ill our world really is.

David Demar, Milton,

It's ironic that the same left-wing people screaming about the rights of children -- for instance, to consent to circumcision, or not to be corporally disciplined by their parents -- are the same people ranting over the the right of the child's mother to kill him/her before birth.

A child cannot consent to be aborted. Nor would he. Before the increasingly-artificial moment of birth, or the ever-decreasing age of fetal viability, when does the child get to "choose"? Does the arbitrary act of emergence from the womb confer a sudden change in human rights?

If you are in favor of unlimited abortion, but not in favor of absolute parental rights over their children, then quite simply, you're a hypocrite suffering from textbook cognitive dissonance. Deny it how you will, but if children have rights after birth, they deserve rights protection before birth as well.

J Cline, London,

My personal experience is that abortion can definitely cause mental health problems for women. I think it can also have an adverse mental health effect on at least some men, and thus on relationships with women and with other children. This had been my experience and it does not surprise me that the scientific evidence is now confirming this.

The idea that an abortion will always be in the best interest of the woman who requests it, without looking into questions of informed consent, stress or counselling, seems to me very niaive. For no other clinical procedure would it be assumed that whatever was requested was always appropriate. Clinical decisions should be based on evidence and the evidence suggests that abortion can have serious psychological consequences and this should be taken into account by a doctor.

David, London, UK

This article really hit home. My sister has spent the past 30 years regretting a "convenience" abortion that she had while in her twenties. She's also gone from a confident, free-thinking feminist to a childless, obsessive-compulsive hypochondriac.

Sis, San Francisco, CA

I have had an abortion, and I have never regretted it. From the age of a child, I was repeatedly raped and abused, resulting in an incestuous pregnancy when I was a teenager.

You people need to wake up. This is the society we live in. It's not all suburbs and white picket fences. People like me exist, who just cannot be forced to endure anymore than they already have. Perhaps if the resources my mother had needed were in place, I would have never had to endure all that I have. But that's all 'what if's' is it not? Because the facts are, those resources aren't in place and it's now 20 years after the fact. All your pipe dreams and fantasys about God, heaven, and sin are just that. Fantasys. You can't prove that they exist, but I can prove that I lived in hell on earth.

I managed to succeed in life by putting all of that behind me. Including that pregnancy. I thank "God" for medical technology. That, and that alone, is what saved me.

Anne, Allentown, Pennsylvania

Yes they may get sick with cancer or some awful disease too !

I am fed up with constant negative arguments on abortion, what's wrong with journalists, are they so afraid of the backlash they can never tell how liberating & what an enormous relief it must be for a woman who has agonised over whether or not to go for a termination. ?

A woman [ I am not talking about some drunken teenager] who makes such a responsible decision is lumped together with girls who use abortion as a contraceptive, every case is different & it's usually men who lead the bitter debate abortion.

Stop treating women as though they are complete idiots, give them the respect they deserve , allow them to be what most of them are , responsible adults.
Ernest , it IS her body, for nine months it's her body , she has every right to decide, maybe men could use condoms = fewer abortions

As for the younger ones, you should be more concerned about alcohol, that's the root cause of the majority of abortions.

maggie millington, brittany, france

It is strange to see an article in a British newspaper attracting so many comments from the USA where the "pro-life" movement has failed to make any significant change to the abortion laws. Lets hope our MPs are not easily fooled by quasi-scientific arguments advanced by ideologically driven political movements.

Chris, Dorking, Surrey, UK

Katie, New York, NY,

Is it truly your belief that these doctors are in this practice because they have some insatiable need to kill babies, what type of mind really thinks that these people are just heartless monsters out to kill babies?
Why don’t these people kill on a regular basis outside of the medical office, if they are the monster everyone here seems to think they are, they should committing murder daily to satiate there twisted appetite for death.

You people need to know, that you will never stop abortions, even if the US and Britain lose contact with their senses and cave to the pressures of these religious fanatics, there are numerous countries in the world that will provide this procedure.

You folks so want the world to see sex and reproduction as you do and it never will, why waste your time in such a futile effort?

F E Lang, Wilmington, DE

As a divorced man who experianced an X wife who aborted a child of unknown fatherhood, I would have to say that she was/is quite mentally ill and still is 15 years later. I will never know if the aborted child was mine or her boyfriends.

David, greenville, SC

Unborn babies feel pain, experience fear at least 8 weeks. Watch the film a silent scream and then say that a "mother" has the right to kill an unborn child. The baby's heartbeat increases as the instrument of death comes closer and she tries to swim away.

Selfishness causes abortion. Selfishness causes death to the soul. Two deaths occur in abortin the physical death of the baby and the spiritual death of the mother and abortionist. But their is always a chance for repentance and healing.

Elizabeth, Long Island, NY, USA

It's about time the pro-abortion mafia's hold is loosened. Everyone is different, let's be open & fair: the truth will set you free. I'm a moderate and think we should have balance, present them with the truth and let them decide. Stop playing politics with people's minds, bodies, &/or souls, be TRULY tolerant & openminded. Live & let live...

E. O'Neal, Peoria, IL USA

The Word of God is sovereign even in the hearts and minds of those who claim they do not believe. Do people really think that there is no cost to having an abortion? A mother has killed her child and the cost is more than a human soul is prepared to pay. Truth will resonate in the souls of men even while a lie is chosen.

The truly lost are the ones that claim, they have felt no loss and no shame. For the rest, know that our Lord is a merciful God whose love can cover a multitude of sins. You shall forget the shame of your youth and if you do remember, then remember also the love of God. Love God with every thought and through every instance of time and let him stand with you when the day of evil comes.

justin, lubbock, tx

I don't know anyone who wishes they had been aborted.

How many of those aborted would have liked to live, given the chance?

A.Newman, London, uk

Am I the only British person here who objects to all these religious Americans raving on about abortion?.A woman has a right to choose.She is the person who has to give birth and then look after the child for the next zillion years.There are far too many children in the world anyway.There are also a lot of lousy mothers.I have worked with children whose drug-addicted mothers already have four or five and they continue to breed, even thought the ones they already have are malnourished and neglected.As for women who have abortions,no woman would do it lightly.

Jan, London, England

My views have changed a little over the years in the opposite way to some of the (all-American) commentators. When I was younger I was completely anti-abortion. At 22 I developed a severe illness that makes day to day life very difficult. Having a child would be a huge struggle now-giving it the kind of upbringing I had would be impossible. Now I am still of reproductive age, and if were to become pregnant I still doubt that I could bring myself to have an abortion (before anyone criticises me here, it's not likely as I'm not doing the needful, one of the main reasons being fear of accidental pregnancy!). But, I now understand how someone could want to do it, and am now not 100% against it. The point of this anecdote is that it is very, very easy to criticise abortion if you know you'd never be in the position of really wanting to have one yourself.

I would be very interested to know how many of those against abortion are women of reproductive capacity? How many are not religious?

Rachel, Edinburgh,

How many grandmothes out there would give up one of her children or grandchildren? It's often only with the wisdom that comes with age that we realize the "accidents" of our youth to be the blessings of our lives.
I do know women who have made the tragic mistake of abortion and have regretted it the rest of their lives.

Elizabeth Snyder, Florence, OR USA

Have you experienced an abortion? It is a horror and it is real. It is not the "rhetoric" it is the act. From someone who knows. 23 years later, I am depressed and probably always will be although I know God loves me and forgives me, there is a hole in my heart that cannot be healed this side of heaven.

Name withheld, USA,

I have always thought that if a woman has so little respect for herself as to drop her shorts and have sex with a man that is not stable enough to be a father, not good enough to be a companion and not good enough to be in her life she was a little off level anyway. I have always been FOR abortion because most of those that have one are liberal,,and one less liberal in our society is just great.
Besides, aren't they acting the same way that the "Liberated Women" of the 60s said men acted? And shouldn't we be calling them Pigs instead of murderes?
The REAL reason we have kids killing kids, gang members carrying 9mm and STDs are so high is because life is devalued. And Why does life have so little value? Think of it this way,,,and as a former Police Officer I heard this from more then one kid on the street (At 3:00 in the morning) "If mom can have my baby brother or sister cut up and sucked out of her then why should I care about others or thier lives". And that came from 14 yr olds

Dutchman, Seguin, Texas

The abortion crowd lives in their head. They have forgotten how to feel with their heart. They have no patience for those that do. Is this the compassion that they claim to have? These women have a heart-ache because they followed the feminists blindly. Now that these sisters are in emotional pain, they will receive no comfort from the politicians at N.O.W.

Matt, Los Angeles, CA

Calvin
I see you have read our Constitution and Bill Of Rights, now can you tell me why you believe that a Fetus is NOT a person? You can't ,you repeat what you have heard and that you argee with because it give you a way out of knocking up a female and then running away doesn't it?
The mental stress of abortion is NOT what you face afterward it is what you have to live with afterward. Again, as a former Cop I have spoken to many people about this issue. Some of them were going to commit Suicide. They knew they stopped a life that could have been a great person or that are emty inside because of it. It was once said that cancer could have been cured but the researcher that had the ability to do so was aborted. The devaluation of life is the issue, not that you "have the right to do what you want with your body". The people that wrote our Constitution said our rights came from a Higher Power. Do you think that power agrees?
Our kids are watching, and emulating,,,scary, huh?

Dutchman, Seguin, Texas

Abortion is not officially legal in the UK; the law states that nobody will be prosecuted if certain conditions are in place to justify the termination of the infant's life. This could be described as a balancing act between due protection for the unborn baby against the arguments put forward by the mother. In practice abortion is on demand, and there have been nearly 7 million since 1967. Doctors sign certificates but rarely see the patient.
This report from a secular medical organisation is an objective and welcome focus on the mental health of the mother, and dove-tails into research done in NZ by a pro-choice academic, Prof David Fergusson, who has also had the honesty to acknowledge that women can suffer from abortion.
We have to work together to create a social climate which provides support for women, makes abortion rare, and acknowledges the right to life of the unborn child. We will all be the better for it.

Josephine Quintavalle, London, UK

Here there is an official 5-day wait before you can have an abortion. Give you time to mull it over.

Nobody I know, including myself, has ever felt regret at having an abortion. More a huge sense of relief.

I figure the mental health problems are there already to begin with. And without a support system in place to let that child be born (partner, work, finances, etc), I could imagine women feeling they have no other choice, even though they don't want to.

What makes me really mad, is not women who are having abortions, but those parents that do have children and then go on to abuse them!!!!!

Marielle, Amsterdam, The Netherlands

In America, We hold these truths to be self evident: that all men are created equal, that they have been endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that amongst these rights are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness, and to secure these rights, governments are instituted, deriving their just powers by the consent of the governed. Before these ideas were accepted, the Europeans in the British colonies called themselves colonist, and after, they called themselves Americans. My rights come from a higher power and governments are instituted to secure my rights.

My body is property of my mind. If I should become 'brain dead', then my body becomes property of my next of kin. A child five minutes after conception does not have a mind. Therefore, it's body belongs to it's mother. At some point, the child reacts to pain and pleasure. This seems to me to be an appropriate point to recognize it's rights and to protect these rights. Medically, when is that point?

Calvin, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Is the "trauma" caused by the abortion, or by the anti-abortion rhetoric that calls a woman who gets one a "murderer"? Do women in countries where abortion is not stigmatized (for example, Russia) experience the same level of psychological problems?

I think women's anguish is caused by the people calling them murderers, not by having a medical procedure done.

Jacqueline, Las Vegas, Nevada, USA

Having been one of those pro-choice people, who either luckly or by "choice" never having had an abortion, great weight must be given before hand concerning all the very real consequences of having an abortion for convenience. And in real honesty, if the life of the mother is not threatened, the only reason for an abortion is one's own selfishness and convenience. I have three children and have had two miscarriages, the grief and sense of loss of the "potential" that was lost was, and is still, profound. If pro-choice people were truly intellectually honest, they have to admit that NO ONE knows the damage done or the consequences endured by these needless medical "acts."

Miranda Anique, Westfield Village, , Ohio USA

Pro-abortion activists in the U.S. will continue to deny and suppress all information, no matter how legitimate, about the negative effects on women of having an abortion. They do not actually care about the women they claim to support, they only care about their cause of fighting against the pro-life forces and they are more than willing to sacrifice the health of us women to do so. Be wary of these people.

Katie, New York, NY,

Finally a report that talks about the repercussions of someone terminating the life of their child. These women need all the support and understanding society can give them. But that's only half the horror story of abortion. The baby's life that is viscously and brutally exterminated must be told also. The silent scream from these children will never be heard. It is societies responsibility to protect children, even in the womb. No mother should have the right to say weather a child lives or dies. It's NOT her body she is aborting. It's a child not a choice!

Ernest J Filippini, Cincinnati, OH, USA

Why dont proponents of abortion ever consider the mental health of the baby? I would think that if the child could respond, he would prefer a less than perfect mother instead of having his life terminated. It is a sad commentary on our society when we dont care for those who cant respond and ask for help.

Charles, Salt Lake City, Utah, USA

Abortion is a betrayal of the greatest bond possible, between a mother and her child. Anyone denying this baby is human, or a person, is denying biology, human nature, and common sense. Of course letting one's baby be killed can cause mental disorder. I pity those few who are cold enough to not be troubled.

Jim, Ann Arbor, MI, USA

I hope the same "cooling off" period applies to women who want to have a child. I've known more women to go off the deep end after having a child than having an abortion, and certainly, taking a train to Crazy Town with a child in tow has a few more ramifications.

Michelle, Atlanta, GA,

Of course they are going to have mental breakdowns... they just killed their baby!

jj, austin, tx

I had an abortion 25 years ago, at 17, and have never once regretted or been depressed by my decision. If I were in a similar position today, I would be highly insulted if a doctor told me that I needed time to think about my decision, as if I had made the appointment on a whim with zero forethought. The attitude that women must be saved from themselves is incredibly patronizing.

Moreover, where do these statistics come from? Are they from a representative sample of people who have had abortions, or are they based on people being treated for depression or other mental health issues (thus ignoring those of us who did not experience regrets)?

People are merely looking for a reason to outlaw abortion--I'm sure that people become depressed over their decision to have children, to marry, to divorce, to attend or not attend university; no one is trying to outlaw those things. It's ridiculous.

Diane, Norman, Oklahoma

Gee whiz!! You mean that the slaughter of an innocent healthy baby could possibly leave its mother with a guilty conscience? And they talk about catholic guilt...give me a break, would I rather have knowledge that all are short of divine grace as mere mortals, and lose some sleep over it...or kill a baby and take pills to calm down over it.... the choice is simple.... Catholics are comfortable knowing they are not divine, just mortals who try to live by God;s teachings.

William R. Smith, Marietta, Georgia, USA

This is not a surprise. God has given women this wonderful gift of being able to bring a new life into this world. Just like we experience motion sickness when our balance is off and our equilibrium is confused, when it is a "baby" when it is wanted and a nothing when it isn't, our minds get confused with the deception.

It is not the pro-life crowd that is causing the confusion, it is a woman's own built in sense of right and wrong. No matter how much they want to think it is just a "choice", inside they know different and it tears them apart. They bought into the lie and now they risk suffering the fate of Emma Beck. She believed the lie and in the end it cost her the lives of her babies and then her own life.

Dale, Michigan, USA

It's hideous and barbaric and used too often as just a form of birth control by irresponsible, careless people.

Linda, Toronto, Canada,

None of the women I know who have had abortions regret it. It's not a decision to be made lightly, but I'm tired of the usual pushy christian, patriarchal types insisting that every woman regrets this choice. They don't.

Christine Almeida, Newark, NJ, USA

What about the New Yorker article on post-partum depression that never goes away? Counterpoint, please.

Erica, NYC,

I guess people who don't want abortions shouldn't have them... except I wonder what all the babies who are slaughtered would opine.

Jake, Austin, TX

First poster, it is not true that post partum depression happens to all new mothers, this is a modern day myth. It is actually pretty rare. About the mental health effects of abortion --
I can tell you from personal experience that you are haunted for the rest of your life by an abortion. You may block it out for years, a decade even, but you will never forget. The terrible decision you made will be with you forever. Even if the decision was forced on you by your partner, as mine was, or by circumstances, it will make no difference. Later in life I was blessed with two children . A part of me will always feel I don't deserve them,because of what I did to my first baby. It's time people were honest about the evil of abortion and the long-term consequences.

Lynda Weber, Dallas, TX, USA

Gee, why would they get depressed and have breakdowns? Could it possibly be from the never-ending rhetoric from anti-choice folks who make it their duty to demonize, harass, and attack women who have had the procedure? Nooooo, never! After all, what possible effect could this constant negative input from people who have no business in the matter whatsoever have?

Jesse, Toronto,

Just like women can't legally commit suicide, take illicit drugs, or abuse their born children for moral reasons, they shouldn't be allowed to kill their unborn children. It is not her body; half the time it has a penis. God will continue to pull back His Hand of protection as the "legal" slaughter continues. It is murder in His eyes, the breaking of the Sixth Commandment. Just like in the Old Testament, God will allow other nations to invade the nations that are guilty of shedding innocent blood. Can you say, terrorism? Mothers are not psychologically created in a way by God that they can kill their own children and not be affected by it. Abortion does not cover up the sin of fornication or greed; it compounds it. Pastors better start encouraging their best church members to run for office so that we can get this abomination illegal again. We need to be salt and light in the leadership positions so we can love and protect our neighbors with just laws - even the smallest & voiceless.

Sharon G. , Ontario, USA/California

This study gives scientific underpinning to what the culture should have already known - aborting a child goes against a woman's purpose and psyche. We were fed a bunch of lies for decades, and our generation is a graveyard of broken hearts, lives, and marriages as a result. At the very least women should be fully counseled and given time to think deeply on their decision, and it should be ascertained that they are free of outside pressure.

One quick decision can have consequences that last a lifetime. But those who have regrets should always remember - God loves, forgives, heals, and restores. Give your mistakes to Him and place your trust in Him. He will accept you.

Paul B., NY, US

I am satisfied that abortion is available to any woman in the UK. 12% are performed after 13 weeks, (24000 in 2003) 1% were due to abnormality.
The theists should be happy the rationalists are not multiplying.

Maxie, drogheda, Ireland

Why don’t proponents of abortion ever consider the mental health of the baby? I would think that if the child could respond, he would prefer a less than perfect mother instead of having his life “terminated.” It is a sad commentary on our society when we don’t care for those who can’t respond and ask for help.

Charles, Salt Lake City, Utah, USA

Abortion should be outlawed, period. It is abhorrent in every way.
KB

Kathleen, Santa Maria, California USA

It has been shown that most women would have chosen life for their babies if the man had supported them

Where are the feminists????? To have the men support the mother of their child?

lu, cindytown, ny, usa

Every woman I know who had an abortion has problems later on. At least one had a mental breakdown and needed psychiatric help. She would used to say how old it would be if she hadn't killed it.

Abortion is killing of someone who cannot scream and dies alone. A child looks to a mother as the one protector. Some adults even die with the word 'Mother', the last words on their lips.

Abortion is a betrayal of the highest order. I cannot imagine the guilt and grief felt by the mother.

Kate Dommett, Brussels,

I think it is wonderful to read so many sane persons on this commenting about the manifest danger that abortion poses to all involved INCLUDING the sleeping society. Our culture just "accepts" that somehow we must A, defend and rationalize irresponsible (but now fashionable) behaviour in the first place and then reward it by granting the "right" to simply kill the product off. How absurd! But I suppose it is all part and parcel of the post modern notion that we-lah-dee-dah- dream up our morality as we go along and that the more traditional moral thinking pre-Roe v Wade or pre- Sargent Pepper or something was the province of poor beknighted fools. We're NOT progressing, dears, as so many believe we are. We're actually regressing into a category of horrors unthinkable even in the ancient world. And I fear, as I listen to reports of the "abortion generation" and the latest shoot up at an american campus, that this is "only the beginning of sorrows".

john frantz, Syacuse, NY

The question in this case is not if abortion can cause depression. Nor is it whether or not this, in practice, outweighs the remorse, hormonal changes and economic strain that can accompany unwanted pregnancy. The question is how much the government should have to do with enforcing descisions about when women can get abortions and what information they may have. Currently in the UK GPs have a tremendous amount of discretion. This is undoubtably as it should be, given the wide spectrum of women and circumstances under which abortions are desired and performed. The law isn't meant to confrom to black and white cases (the woman who hung herself, etc) but rather to encompass gray areas and individuals, from a mother at 23 weeks who finds out her child is deformed to a teenage mother who has to travel two hours to get to a clinic and for whom waiting period hurts. An increase of arbitrary regulations means the government steps into the private realm of descisons between doctor and patient.

Ingrid , Austin, TX

I do hope that women who read this and may in future find themselves having to make this toughest of choices will understand that people who paint the decision to have an abortion as murder do not have women's interests at heart. No one wants to have an abortion, and yes, women need more information rather than less, but the decision cannot morally be taken out of women's hands. The day governments are willing to provide tax credits and other real benefits and assistance for women who become mothers and lack financial support, and the day good childcare is not so expensive that most working women cannot afford it, is the day we can finally say goodbye to "social" abortions, because no one I know would choose to have one unless they absolutely believed it was necessary. I am sure the overwhelming majority of women who choose to have one are of perfectly sound mind and heavy heart. And who's to say what mental problems they might have in later life if they didn't have an abortion?

Ellie, Washington, DC

We CANNOT know how life will turn out. I have never met someone who was sorry they did not have an abortion. Ever. I HAVE met people who will feel sad and sorry and guilty for the rest of their lives because they did. Abortion was available to my daughter when she became pregnant 4 years ago at the age of 16. Actually, her father offered to take her for one. She decided that she believed that ending a life would be ending a life, no matter if that human being lived inside her womb or outside it. Now, it is impossible to imagine this planet without my 4 year old granddaughter on it. It has been quite amazing to see how life has changed and molded itself to enable my granddaughter to grow and thrive...and to be loved beyond imagining.

Martha, Centreville, Virginia

The RCoP went on to say that studies have shown many women become depressed and have suicidal (not to mention homicidal) thoughts (and actions) brought on by post partum stress. PPS almost always only occurs in women after giving birth to a child, so the MP's will have to look into allowing women getting pregnant and having children at all as it's just too great a risk.

Further, the RCoP noted that since many people commit suicide during their teen years, the MP's will next consider banning the teen years.

R Greeene, Greene, Waltham, MA

People who don't want abortions should not have them.

Clarissa, Alger, WA

No woman can imagine what good a mom she will be until she has children. I was a drunk and a sleaze until my (unwanted) daughter was born. Now I have five kids (same man), grind wheat, and make