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30% of UK women seeking abortion suffer domestic violence

An article on the findings of new research, published in Obstetrician and Gynaecologist (TOG), the journal of the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists, warns that doctors in the UK should be conscious of the high rates of domestic abuse among women seeking abortions, reports Hilary White, LifeSiteNews.com.

Researchers found that 30 percent of women having a second abortion said they were in an abusive relationship. Women having a third or subsequent abortion were over 2.5 times as likely to report a history of physical or sexual abuse by a male partner. One in three reported they had experienced a lifetime of domestic violence.

The study's lead author, Dr. Gillian Aston of the Florence Nightingale School of Nursing and Midwifery at King's College London, said, "Whereas different groups may disagree about the moral status of the foetus, there must be common ground that violence against pregnant women is intolerable. Doctors and health professionals working in a woman's health sector that provides abortion services are in a prime position to identify and provide support for women experiencing domestic violence."

Jason Waugh, editor-in-chief of TOG, commented, "Given the high prevalence of violence in pregnancy, it is important to ask women seeking both maternity and abortion services about domestic violence. Knowing about domestic violence can help to ensure that women are provided with the support and information that they need.

"These findings highlight the need for health professionals to be aware of, and sensitive to, the possibility of violence in the lives of women seeking abortion. Our society should have zero tolerance for domestic violence."

Researchers have previously revealed a link between sexual abuse of minors by older men and the use of abortion to hide their activities. In recent years, Planned Parenthood in the US has been caught repeatedly concealing cases of statutory rape, with PP workers caught in recordings telling under-age girls they can obtain abortions without parental or state intervention, despite having been impregnated by much older men.

Nevertheless, the report's authors defended legal abortion, calling on the government to further liberalise the UK's laws to make it more available to women in abusive situations. They claimed that women are "protected" by abortion from continuing with unwanted pregnancies and are enabled to escape violent relationships.

Other research by the Elliot Institute, however, also found a link between abortion and abuse and found women seeking abortions listed "lack of support [for child-bearing] from their male partners" as the biggest factor in their decision, along with encouragement to abort from husbands or "partners," demands from them for abortion, threats, and violence.

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TAGS: United Kingdom abortions domestic violence pregnancy pro-life

[07/22/2009]

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