Loading...
Some states require pre-procedure counseling about possible adverse psychological effects of receiving an abortion. To learn more, researchers conducted a 5-year, prospective, multisite, interview study.
Study participants were 413 women receiving elective abortions ≤2 weeks before the procedure's allowed gestation limit (end of second trimester; “near-limit” abortion), 254 women who received a first-trimester abortion, 210 women who were “turned away” — denied abortion because of the gestation limit (160 gave birth; 50 miscarried or had abortions elsewhere). Telephone interviews used truncated instruments measuring anxiety, depression, self-esteem, and life satisfaction 1 week after having or being denied abortions and semiannually thereaft…