Science has found another reason to discourage pregnant mothers from killing their innocent unborn children: A recent study showed that abortion during the late teen and early adult years raises a woman's risk of mental health problems.
A research conducted by sociology professor Donald Paul Sullins from The Catholic University of America also revealed that abortion may be attributed to almost one in 10 cases of women's mental disorders.
"Evidence from the United States confirms previous findings from Norway and New Zealand that, unlike other pregnancy outcomes, abortion is consistently associated with a moderate increase in risk of mental health disorders during late adolescence and early adulthood," Sullins stated in his study, as quoted by The Catholic News Agency.
The research particularly found out that a women who underwent abortion procedures are 45 percent more vulnerable to mental health diseases. This compares to only a 24-percent risk of mental disorder among women who experienced involuntary pregnancy loss.
"One-eleventh of the prevalence of mental disorders examined over the period were attributable to abortion," read the study, which was based on a survey of 8,005 women with average ages of 15, 22 and 28.
The researcher, whose study was published in the peer-reviewed Sage Open Medicine journal, further said that the link to abortion and negative health effects is not a myth at all.
"In medical schools across the country, students are taught that there are no long-term consequences of abortion, and that abortion is a safe procedure. However, these statements are misleading at best," he said.
He also suggested that the government collate data on abortion in a more organised fashion. Currently, states across the United States do not have a common abortion recording system, with some states not even required to report killings of innocent unborn babies.
