Running head: ABORTION

Abortion: A Review of the Literature

Julia Gallegos
University of Texas at El Paso

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Abstract

With the recent controversy concerning abortion laws and restrictions, several important
topics need to be addressed and known to the general public. This literature review will inform
readers about current issues surrounding the topic of abortion and analyze its possible long-term
effects, causes, and trends of women who obtain them. Peer-reviewed articles, internet articles,
and on-line news articles contributing to the research of abortion will be discussed and reviewed
in this paper.

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Abortion: A Review of the Literature

At every point in history and in every known society, women around the world have used
abortion to control their reproduction, regardless of its legality. Laws prohibiting abortion in the
1800s took a heavy toll on womens lives and health, as many were treated for health
complications due to self-induced abortions (OBOS Abortion Contributors, 2014). Women
organized a womens liberation movement in the 1960s, and fought to make abortion safe and
legal. On January 22, 1973, the United States Supreme Court struck down all existing abortion
laws in the Roe v. Wade decision (OBOS Abortion Contributors, 2014). The Supreme Court
found that a womens decision to terminate a pregnancy in the first trimester was protected under
the right to privacy found in the fourteenth amendment concept of personal liberty (OBOS
Abortion Contributors, 2014). Though this decision banned state and federal laws denying
abortion in the United States, many restrictions have been passed, which are not seen as
violations of the law.
Roe v. Wade sparked a national debate on the issue of abortion, which continues today.
There has recently been much controversy surrounding abortion, including the issues of whether,
and to what extent, abortion should be legal and who should determine its legality. This ongoing
discussion has caused great dispute nation-wide over whether or not abortions should be legal to
women, and what restrictions should or should not be placed on those seeking abortions and their
providers.
In order for one to be more effectively involved in the decision making process for
abortion laws and restrictions, a better, more knowledgeable understanding of abortion topics is

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needed and should be further encouraged. For this purpose, the following three questions should
be considered:
1. Do abortions have long-term effects on the women who obtain them?
2. Are there certain factors that cause women to obtain abortions?
3. Do a certain group of women have a higher level of obtaining abortions than others?
The following literature review will: analyze any long-term effects that abortions may have on
women who obtain them, discuss any factors that cause women to obtain abortions, and examine
different groups of women and their abortion trends. The goal of this paper is to investigate
abortion and the issues that surround it through multiple perspectives and thus, answer these
research questions.
Do abortions have long-term effects on the women who obtain them?
Some claim that abortions have long-term effects on the women who obtain them, and
some claim that they do not. Perceived stress and emotional social support among women who
are denied or receive abortions in the United States: a prospective cohort study, a peer-reviewed
article published in BMC Womens Health, which examines and compares stress and emotional
social support among women who were denied wanted abortions and women who received
abortions, did not find evidence of long-term stress issues in women who obtained abortions.
Results from the Turn Away Study and the Perceived Stress Level showed that women who
were denied wanted abortions initially had higher perceived stress than women who received
abortions (Biggs, Foster, Harris, Roberts & Rocca, 2014). By six months, stress levels were
similar, and remained similar through thirty months. These results show that long-term
differences in stress, between women who received versus were denied an abortion, were not
found (Biggs, Foster, Harris, Roberts & Rocca, 2014).

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A similar result was found in Misinformation on Abortion, a peer-reviewed article

published by the European Journal of Contraception & Reproductive Health Care. This article
analyzed literature to find the latest and most accurate information on the aspects of induced
abortions. A literature survey was used in which a risk to life, risk of breast cancer, risk to mental
health, and a risk to future fertility were examined to seek any relations with abortion. The author
found no evidence of an association between abortion and breast cancer, and women who obtain
abortions are not at an increased risk of mental health problems (Rowland, 2011). Negative
effects of abortion on a womens future fertility were also not found (Rowland, 2011). This
article found no long-term effects or complications on a womens health associated with an
obtained abortion.
The devastating reality of Post Abortion Stress Syndrome, an online news article
published on the nationalrighttolife.org website, found that women clearly experience after
effects of abortion. This is shown when the author claims that the actual experience can affect
women not only on a personal level but can potentially have psychological repercussions
(Martin, 2014). The author identifies these effects as Post Abortion Stress Syndrome, which is
the name given to the psychological after effects of abortion (Martin, 2014). Martin notes that
the effects of Post Abortion Stress Syndrome may be long-term. Martins article suggests that
women who obtain abortions have an increased possibility of suffering from long-term
psychological effects and Post Abortion Stress Syndrome.
Are there certain factors that cause women to obtain abortions?
Experts claim there are various factors that cause women to obtain abortions. The online
article, The Real Reason Women Choose Abortion, claims that abortions take place due to
certain economic or social factors. This is shown when the author, Gudrun Schultz, states that

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almost all abortions take place because a child would be inconvenient, too expensive, or too
difficult to cope with (Schultz, 2014). This statement clearly indicates that Schultz believes that
most abortions take place due to economic or social factors. Through his study of a 2004 survey
of 1,209 American women at eleven major abortion clinics, Schultz found that women revealed
that neither health problems, rape, incest, nor coercion by family members or partners were the
primary or secondary reasons for seeking an abortion (Schultz, 2014). Instead, bad timing was
the most common reason women gave for having an abortion, and not being able to afford a
child was the second most common reason given (Schultz, 2014). These results from Schultzs
study indicate that almost every abortion takes place due to certain social or economic factors.
Reasons why women have induced abortions: evidence from 27 countries, a peerreviewed article published in International Family Planning Perspectives, opposes the view that
abortions take place due to a certain factor. This article used findings from thirty two studies in
twenty seven countries to examine the reasons that women give for having an abortion. The most
commonly reported reason women cite for having an abortion is to postpone or stop
childbearing, followed by socioeconomic concerns and relationship difficulties (Bankole, Haas
& Singh, 1998). Bankole, Hass, and Singh conclude that the reasons for why women seek
abortions are often far more complex than simply not intending to become pregnant. This is
shown when they state that, the decision to have an abortion is usually motivated by more than
one factor (Bankole, Haas & Singh, 1998). This statement indicates that abortions usually do
not take place due to a certain factor, but rather, more than one complex reason. This article
found that there is not a particular factor that causes women to obtain abortions, but several that
should be considered.

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Do a certain group of women tend to have a higher level of obtaining abortions than
others?
Some claim that a certain group of women have a higher level of obtaining abortions than
others, and some do not. The Guttmacher.org website indicates that women with certain
characteristics have a higher level of obtaining abortions than others. This is shown with the
display of various characteristics of United States women who obtain abortions. This website
claims that most women who obtain abortions in the United States are aged 20-24 (Guttmacher
Institute, 2011). The website also claims that non-Hispanic black and Hispanic women have
higher rates of obtaining abortions that non-Hispanic white women do (Guttmacher Institute,
2011). This website explains that the region of the United States in which women are most likely
to have an abortion is the Northeast, followed by the West, the South, and the Midwest
(Guttmacher Institute, 2011). These facts infer that certain groups of women have higher levels
of obtaining abortions, such as women in their twenties, and non-Hispanic black and Hispanic
women.
Legal Abortion Levels and Trends by Womens Age at Termination, a peer-reviewed
article published in Perspectives on Sexual & Reproductive Health, also found certain levels and
trends of ages of women who obtain abortions. By collecting data from national statistical offices
and nationally representative surveys of more than forty countries where legal abortion is
generally available, age specific abortion rates and percentages were computed. Trends since
1996 and 2003 were also examined. The articles data shows that in most countries, the highest
abortion rates and proportions were among women aged 20-29 (Bankole, Eilers, Sedgh & Singh,
2013). Also, adolescents accounted for a smaller share of abortions than their share of the
population in the majority of countries with available data (Bankole, Eilers, Sedgh & Singh,

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2013). Although adolescents accounted for a smaller share of abortions, the proportion of
abortions obtained by adolescents was higher in North America than in Europe overall (Bankole,
Eilers, Sedgh & Singh, 2013). This article infers that certain age groups of women have higher
levels of obtaining abortions than others, such as women aged 20-29 and adolescents.
The Abortion Conversation We Need to Have, an online news article published in the
Huffington Post, claims that a variety of women have been choosing abortion since its
beginnings. This is shown when the author, Katha Pollitt, claims that ending a pregnancy is a
common event in the reproductive lives of all women, from modern Americans to women from
ancient Egypt and medieval Catholic Europe (Pollitt, 2014). She explains that abortion takes
place in Canada, Greece, France, Nicaragua, the Philippines, and many other countries (Pollitt,
2014). Pollitt mentions that Contrary to the popular stereotype of abortion-seeking women as
promiscuous teenagers or child hating professionals, around six in ten women who have an
abortion are already mothers (Pollitt, 2014). This shows that women with various characteristics
obtain abortions, not just teenagers or women who do not yet have children. This article infers
that there is not a certain group of women who have higher levels of obtaining abortions than
others, rather a variety of women obtain abortions regardless of their age or background.
Conclusion
There are many issues on the topic of abortion that spark great controversy and debate
among policy makers and the general public. The recent controversy surrounding abortion has
led to a nation-wide debate on whether abortion should be legal, and what restrictions should or
should not be placed on those seeking an abortion and their providers. Although most of the
general public has formed an opinion on the issue, it is of great importance to gain a better
understanding of abortion topics from various perspectives, such as those discussed by the

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literatures reviewed in this paper. Gaining accurate information from credible resources on topics
like the long-term effects of abortion, factors that cause women to obtain abortions, and the
groups of women who obtain abortions, will contribute to a better understanding of the issue and
thus, increase the knowledge needed for reasonable decision making.

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References

Bankole, A., Eilers, M., Sledgh, G., Singh, S. (2013). Legal abortion levels and trends by
womens age at termination. Perspectives on sexual & reproductive health, 45 (1), 13-22.
Bankole, A. Haas, T., Singh, S. (1998). Reasons why women have induced abortions: evidence
from 27 countries. International Family Planning Perspectives, 24 (3), n.p.
Biggs, A. M., Foster, D. G., Harris, L. F., Roberts, S. C. M., Rocca, C. H. (2014). Perceived
stress and emotional social support among women who are denied or receive abortions in
the United States: a prospective cohort study. BMC Womens Health, 14, (1), 1-20.
Guttmacher Institute (n.d.). Characteristics of U.S. women having abortions. Guttmacher
Institute. Retrieved November 3, 2014. From http://www.guttmacher.org/in-theknow/characteristics.html
Martin, C. (2014, August 4). The devastating reality of Post Abortion Stress Syndrome. National
Right to life News Today. Retrieved from
http://www.nationalrighttolifenews.org/news/2014/08/the-devastating-reality-of-postabortion-stress-syndrome/#more-36113
OBOS Abortion Contributors (2014, March 28). U.S. Abortion History. Our Bodies Ourselves.
Retrieved November 3, 2014. From http://www.ourbodiesourselves.org/health-info/u-sabortion-history/
Pollitt, K. (2014, October 16). The Abortion Conversation We Need to Have. Huffington Post.
Retrieved October 26, 2014. From http://www.huffingtonpost.com/katha-pollitt/abortionconversation-katha-pollitt-pro_b_5989136.html
Rowland, S. (2011). Misinformation on Abortion. European Journal of Contraception &
Reproductive Health Care, 16 (4), 233-240.

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Schultz, G. (n.d.). The real reason women choose abortion. Action Life. Retrieved November 3,
2014. From http://www.actionlife.org/index.php/life-issues/abortion/item/124-the-realreason-women-choose-abortion