Elliot Institute
2009-11-01
Aug. 4, 2009 — A new British study has found that women having repeat abortions were more likely to be in an abusive relationship.
The study, published in The Obstetrician and Gynaecologist, the journal of the Royal College of Ob-Gyns., found that 30 percent of women having a second abortion reported being in an abusive relationship and that the number increased for women having three or more abortions. One in three women in the study said they had experienced sexual and physical abuse throughout their lives.
The research follows a U.S. study published last December showing that women who had abortions were more likely to report a history of sexual abuse and to have experienced stressful events in adulthood, such as miscarriage, physical violence or being in a life-threatening accident. The U.S. researchers noted that women who experience domestic violence are more likely to abort compared to women who are not in violent situations.