Here is my Results section from the Lab report Assignment as well as a .pdf file of our presentation.

In exploring the psychological health of women who did or did not get abortions, there seemed to be trends in all the cases. Looking at the results of the Turnaway Study, a Prospective Longitudinal Cohort study, a personal anecdote as well as a longitudinal Study.  There seems to be many commonalities between the studies.

            The Turnaway study done by ASNIHR yielded results that may be somewhat shocking to some, simply because many common claims that people make about women’s mental health being ruined by abortion are not supported by the evidence. In fact, it was quite the opposite result. Women who were denied abortions tended to suffer far more than those who weren’t. These women were more likely to experience health issues included with the pregnancy, including eclampsia and death. They were also were more likely to stay in relationships with abusive partners and suffer from anxiety, loss of self-esteem and an overwhelming dissatisfaction with their life. They became less likely to have aspirational plans for the years following (Foster).

            In another study done by JAMA Psychiatry the results followed the trend of the previous study. Out of 1132 eligible participants those who got abortions earlier experienced fewer negative symptoms than those who got abortions later or didn’t get abortions at all. Women who were denied abortions, similarly to the last study, tended to be more depressed, more anxious and they tended to have a lower self-esteem. Many women who were denied abortions, felt unsatisfied.

             In another Longitudinal Study on the Decision Rightness and Emotional Responses to Abortion in the United States. The results bore once some similarities to the ones discussed preciously. Women who decided to terminate a pregnancy felt it was the right thing to do. However, it was found that it is more difficult for women to terminate their pregnancies if they were planned. But most of the women in the study in the end felt that the termination was the right thing for them to have done and were satisfied.

            A Huffpost article by Dina Zirlott is a piece that goes well with these studies. It’s titled “I Wish I’d Had A ‘Late-Term Abortion’ Instead of Having My Daughter”. Zirlott explains how her child after a year of supporting her, and being a product of an unwanted pregnancy, tragically passed away. She speaks about how negatively she felt after having an abortion and felt that, if she had terminated the pregnancy, she would’ve been more content and able to relieve herself from the psychological trauma she went through.

            In analyzing the collected data from the several studies, it becomes clear to see that there are trends consistent with being denied an abortion and being able to. According to the evidence and contrary to a popular belief, women who were denied abortions overall were less healthy psychologically. They are more depressed and unsatisfied with their lives, while women who were able to get their abortions were the opposite.