Shredding The Myths about Abortion’s “Benefits” to Women

Myth #6 (of 15), another Q&A from Planned Parenthood’s webpage, “Choosing Abortion - Questions And Answers:”

[LINKS TO ALL 15 ARTICLES FOUND HERE]

6. “What about future pregnancies? Will an early abortion affect my ability to have a child in the future? No. Safe, uncomplicated, legal abortion should not affect fertility.”

The 3 studies just mentioned yesterday are proof that abortion can affect fertility, but here’s 7 more: from 1980 through 2002, studies published in journals such as Obstetrics and Gynecology and Pediatrics have shown that, if a woman has chlamydia when she has an abortion, she has a 22% to 23.4% chance she’ll develop Pelvic Inflammatory Disease (PID) within 4 weeks, and that between 20% to 27% of women planning an abortion have such an infection.

One Australian study (google on it to view the HTML version if you can't view the PDF file) found that 18.5% to 21% of women coming to this hospital for suction abortions had at least one of these STDs: chlamydia, gonorrhea, bacterial vaginosis or Trichomonas vaginalis. The link describing this study had this to say:

“The suction termination of pregnancy (TOP) is one of the most commonly performed gynaecological procedures in Australia…The procedure carries a risk of PID which is associated with both short and long term morbidity including tubal factor infertilty.”

That study was even

“terminated early due to the high prevalence of relevant conditions...After 73 women had been screened [out of a planned 222], …testing revealed that 21%...of the women had at least one condition that is associated with post abortal PID.”

There were just too many women at high risk for coming down with “post abortal PID” to continue the study. By having a control group that would NOT be pre-screened, the researchers wrote,

“It was considered unethical to continue the study since many women would be disadvantaged by not being screened [in advance for STDs].”

So they just stopped it at that hospital and automatically begain screening and treating with antibiotics all women coming for abortions if they tested positive for those STDs!

A 1982 study of women in Denmark concluded that after any elective form of abortion, 22% of the women who had prior chlamydia developed PID, but even in women without chlamydia, 2% developed PID after the abortion.

PID is potentially life threatening, can increase our risk of ectopic pregnancy and can damage fertility. One of the links for one of these studies writes,

“PID which goes untreated, may still result in infertility and chronic pain.”

So what does it all mean? It means that each year in the U.S. alone, between 280,000 and 378,000 women have chlamydia when they have their abortions (1.4 million times 20% to 27%), and between 64,000 and 87,000 a year ( about 22-23% of those numbers) will develop PID shortly thereafter, thus damaging or destroying their future fertility. That’s about 5% to 6% of all women having induced abortions each year.

“Safe, uncomplicated, legal abortion” most certainly can and does “affect the ability to have a child in the future” for at least 5% to 6% of all women. In the U.S., Denmark, Sweden, Australia—it matters not, apparently.

• T. Radberg, et al., "Chlamydia Trachomatis in Relation to Infections Following First Trimester Abortions," Acta Obstricia Gynoecological (Supp. 93), 54:478 (1980);
• L. Westergaard, "Significance of Cervical Chlamydia Trachomatis Infection in Post-abortal Pelvic Inflammatory Disease," Obstetrics and Gynecology, 60(3):322-325, (1982);
• Moller BR, Ahrons S, Laurin J, Mardh P. “Pelvic Infection after Elective Abortion Associated with Chlamydia Trachomatis”, Obstetrics and Gynecology, 59:21-213, (1982);
• M. Chacko, et al., "Chlamydia Trachomatosis Infection in Sexually Active Adolescents: Prevalence and Risk Factors," Pediatrics, 73(6), (1984);
• M. Barbacci, et al., "Post-Abortal Endometritis and Isolation of Chlamydia Trachomatis," Obstetrics and Gynecology, 68(5):668-690, (1986);
• S. Duthrie, et al., "Morbidity After Termination of Pregnancy in First-Trimester," Genitourinary Medicine, 63(3):182-187, (1987);
• Steve Baguley, Jan Savage, AIDS/STD Program, CDC Darwin, Henry Cho, Head, Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology,Royal Darwin Hospital, Sarah Huffman,Infectious Diseases Physician, AIDS/STD Program, CDC Darwin. “Genital Chlamydia Trachomatis, Neisseria gonorrhoeae,Trichomans vaginalis and bacterial vaginosis in women having a suction pregnancy in Darwin” (google on it and then view the HTML version if you can't view the PDF file), published in the Northern Territory Disease Control Bulletin, Vol. 9 No. 3, Sept. 2002.

Myth #7 to be shredded tomorrow. I’m posting one a day every day from Oct. 19 through Election Day. Prior myths shredded can be found as follows:
#1, #2, #3, #4, #5.

(If anyone wishes to receive an emailed MSWORD document of the talk in its entirety, please just email me (see above right corner of blog).