Resolving Post-Abortion Health Issues Using Available Statistical Data *
The myth of “safe” abortion continues despite a large and growing body of research linking induced abortion to preterm birth, breast cancer, depressive disorders, and other sequelae. 1 After forty years of legally induced abortion, some comprehensive data sets exist in several countries. European data from several countries including England, Wales, Scotland, and the Scandinavian nations is more comprehensive than that available in the United States. There is a full count of legal induced abortions along with age and other demographic details. To investigate effectively the medical and social impact of abortion on a population, the demographic pattern and profile of modern abortion provides useful information in situations in which the methods of Bradford Hill are difficult to apply. Demographic grouping of women with higher rates of abortion, such as black American women, who have a threefold higher abortion rate than Caucasian American women, facilitates inferences from correlation analysis in ecological studies. Consideration of the sequence of abortion in parity history allows investigation of specific disorders such as breast cancer, which is linked most strongly to termination of nulliparous pregnancies. While a large amount of research has established the linkage between induced abortion and subsequent preterm birth, potential exists for more precise delineation of the interaction between known risk factors.