This is a record-based study…
"This study was an attempt to document suicides taking place within a year after the end of pregnancy. A review of registry data covering all deaths of Finnish women of childbearing age in the years 1987 to 1994 yielded 73 suicides associated with pregnancy…Suicide was most likely in the first 2 postpartum months. The risk was highest for women of 35 to 39 years of age…As in the general population, more than 80 percent of abortions followed by suicide were elected for social reasons.
"Women committing suicide were more likely than their counterparts in the general population to be single (19 percent vs. 6 percent) and divorced (7 percent vs. 1 percent)…
"The suicide rate associated with birth was 5.9 percent; the rates associated with miscarriage and induced abortion in the population study were 18.1 percent and 34 percent, respectively. …The data suggest that miscarriage is not as important a risk factor as induced abortion, but is clearly more important than birth (Brit Medical Jour 1996; 313:1431).
"Among women who committed suicide after an abortion, the lower social classes were over-represented. Suicide, mental disease, life events, social class, and social support interact in very complex ways.
"The present findings clearly show, however, that women having an abortion are at increased risk of committing suicide…We need to heighten our awareness that depression can and does occur after spontaneous or induced abortion, fetal or neonatal death, or normal pregnancy…
"In the United States…in 1991, suicide was the fourth leading cause of death among all women in the 15 to 24 years age group and the sixth leading cause of death among all women in the 25 to 44 years group."
[National Ctr of Health Statistics. Health, U.S. 1993. Hyattsville, MD: Public Health Service, 1994]. [M.Gissler, E.Hemminki & J. Lonnqvist, Unit of Statistics, Registers and Information Systems and Health Service Research Unit, National Research and Dev't Centre for Welfare and Health, Helsinki; Nat Public Health Inst, Dept. of Mental Health, Helsinki, Finland; British Medical Journal 1996; 313:1431-1434; Ethics, Medico-Legal Issues, and Public Policy, Obstetrical and Gynecological Survey]
DEATHS, INCLUDING SUICIDE, ASSOCIATED WITH PREGNANCY OUTCOME — same research, described in an alternate way:
[Not due to immediate complications of the delivery or abortion procedure] These studies are all based on computerized medical records, i.e., they depend on written records rather than potentially erroneous patient interview material.
Researchers examined records of all women ages 15 to 49 who died in Finland from 1987 to 1994; included in the study those who died within 1 year of their last pregnancy event: 281 deaths.
Of these 281 women dying within 1 year of pregnancy event (ie, liveborn delivery, stillborn, miscarriage, or induced abortion), 27% died by suicide, 20% died due to "accident," 5% died by homicide, 45% died due to "natural cause," 3%"violent-unclear cause-either accident, suicide, or homicide.." These are compared to non-pregnant age matched women. For purposes of meaningful comparison, maternal deaths are expressed as # of deaths/100,000, and are compared to similar age women who are not pregnant.
In the year following their last pregnancy event, All-Cause Maternal Mortality data shows:
• No pregnancy 54/100,000
• Birth 27 deaths/100,000
• Miscarriage 48/100,000
• Induced Abortion 101 deaths/100,000
In the year following their last pregnancy event, Maternal Suicide data shows:
• No pregnancy 11.3/100,000
• Birth 5.9/100,000
• Miscarriage 15/100,000
• Induced Abortion 34.7/100,000
Timing of Suicides after abortion show a peak at about the baby's expected due date.
The "take home" message is that women in Finland who chose abortion are 6 times more likely to commit suicide in the following year than women who chose to deliver their baby.
In the year following their last pregnancy event, death from "Accident" data shows:
• Giving birth is protective: death rate is 1/2 the rate of non-pregnant women.
• Those who aborted had twice the "non-pregnant" accidental death rate, and 4 times the death rate of those who gave birth.
In the year following their last pregnancy event, death from "Homicide" data shows:
• Giving birth is protective: death rate about 1/3 the "non-pregnant" rate.
• Those who aborted were about 10 times more likely to die by homicide than those who gave birth, and were more than 4 times more likely to die by homicide than the general population.
In the year following their last pregnancy event, death from "Natural Causes" data shows:
• Women capable of becoming pregnant are generally healthier than women who cannot or do not become pregnant.
• Pregnant women who abort are 60% more likely to die within one year from natural causes than women who deliver.
The "take home" message is that women in Finland who chose abortion are 1.6 times more likely to die of natural causes within the year than are women who chose to deliver their baby.
The other “take home” message is worth repeating: women in Finland who chose abortion are 6 times more likely to commit suicide in the following year than women who chose to deliver their baby.
References:
Gissler, M, et.al., "Pregnancy associated deaths in Finland 1987-1994”, Acta Obsetricia et Gynecologica Scandinavica 76:651-657 (1997)
Gissler, M., et.al, "Suicides after pregnancy in Finland: 1987-1994: register linkage study”. British Medical Journal 313:1431-34, (1996)
Summarized in The Post-Abortion Review, Vol 8, No. 2, April-June 2000, from Elliot Institute, PO Box 7348, Springfield, IL 62791
These studies are based on computerized medical records, i.e., they depend on written records rather than potentially erroneous patient interview material:
Examines records of all women ages 15 to 49 who died in Finland from 1987 to 1994, includes in the study those who died within 1 year of their last pregnancy event: 281 deaths. Of these 281 women dying within 1 year of pregnancy event (ie, liveborn delivery, stillborn, miscarriage, or induced abortion), 27% died by suicide, 20% died due to “accident,” 5% died by homicide, 45% died due to “natural cause,” 3% ”violent-unclear cause—either accident, suicide, or homicide..” These are compared to non-pregnant age matched women. For purposes of meaningful comparison, maternal deaths are expressed as # of deaths/100,000, and are compared to similar age women who are not pregnant.
OTHER STUDIES
SUICIDE ATTEMPTS ASSOCIATED WITH INDUCED ABORTION – One of the best kept secrets in the abortion industry is the significant increase in suicide in the one year following the abortion.
In MN, teens attempted suicide rate was 10 times higher than their control peers in the 6 months after an abortion.
In Finland, from Government records, aborted women had a suicide rate 6 times higher than the women who delivered.
Below is a synopsis of the 2 articles showing this information:
Reference: Garfinkle, B., et. al., "Stress, Depression, and Suicide: A study of Adolescents in Minnesota" (Minneapolis: Univ Minnesota Extension Service, 1986):
Teens are generally at a higher risk for both suicide and abortion. In a survey of teenaged girls, researchers at U of MN found that the rate of attempted suicide in the six months prior to the study increased 10 fold-from 0.4% for girls who had not aborted to 4% for teens who had aborted in the previous six months.
Reference: Morgan, C., et. al., "Mental health may deteriorate as a direct effect of induced abortion," letter section, Brit. Med. Journal 314:902, 22 Mar 97:
Researchers at South Glomorgan Health Authority in Great Britain found that after abortions, there were 8.9 suicide attempts per 1000, compared to 1.9 suicide attempts per 1000 among those who gave birth, a RR of 4.5.