The U.S. has a very high preterm birth rate of nearly 12%. Preterm births are the number one cause of neonatal death and disease.

This study offers an overwhelming case that prior induced abortions boost a woman's risk of a preterm delivery www.jpands.org/jpands0802.htm

"ABSTRACT. At least 49 studies have demonstrated a statistically significant increase in premature births (PB) or low birth weight (LBW) risk in women with prior induced abortions (IAs).

This paper will focus on the risk of early premature births (EPBs) (< 32 weeks gestation) and extremely early premature births (XPBs) (< 28
weeks gestation). Large studies have reported a doubling of EPB risk from two prior IAs.

Women who had 4 or more IAs experienced, on average, nine times the risk of XPB, an increase of 800 percent.

These results suggest that women contemplating IA (induced abortion) should be informed of this potential risk to subsequent pregnancies, and that physicians should be aware of the potential liability and possible need for intensified prenatal care.

Brent Rooney is the research director of the Reduce Preterm Risk Coalition; Byron C. Calhoun is a doctor of maternal-fetal medicine. ["Induced Abortion and Risk of Later Premature Births", Brent Rooney and Byron C. Calhoun, M.D.; Journal of American Physicians & Surgeons 2003;8(2):46-49, Summer; Assoc of Amer Physicians & Surgeons (AAPS).Vancouver, Canada, prolifeinfo.org; Pro-Life Infonet; 9Jun03]