{"id":313311,"date":"2024-06-05T14:44:08","date_gmt":"2024-06-05T19:44:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.liveaction.org\/news\/?p=313311"},"modified":"2024-09-20T16:01:43","modified_gmt":"2024-09-20T21:01:43","slug":"debunked-scientific-american-pro-life-laws","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/archive.liveaction.org\/news\/debunked-scientific-american-pro-life-laws\/","title":{"rendered":"Debunked: Scientific American article falsely claims pro-life laws hurt women"},"content":{"rendered":"
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A recent <\/span>Scientific American article<\/span><\/a> echoes the false idea that pro-life laws harm women and that scientific fact backs this up. However, Scientific American’s arguments rest on shaky ground \u2014 not scientific evidence. The main source of the author\u2019s claims is the flawed data of the Turnaway Study, which has been <\/span>discredited<\/span><\/a> numerous times by Live Action and other reputable organizations.<\/span><\/p>\n

What is the Turnaway Study?<\/b><\/p>\n

Launched in 2008 by Advancing New Standards in Reproductive Health (ANSIRH), a collaborative research group at the University of California San Francisco, the <\/span>Turnaway Study<\/span><\/a> examined the effects of unwanted pregnancy on women. Researchers sought to gather data from nearly 1000 women seeking abortions across 30 facilities in the United States. The study compared the experiences of women who underwent abortions with those who were \u201cturned away\u201d due to being too far along in their pregnancies.<\/span><\/p>\n

The researchers claimed there were no adverse effects on women’s health from abortion, and noted significant consequences of carrying unwanted pregnancies to term, such as economic hardship, increased likelihood of remaining in abusive relationships, and pregnancy-related health issues like preeclampsia. The study concluded that abortion does not harm the health and well-being of women, and has been cited by media outlets as proof of this assertion.<\/span><\/p>\n

However, several glaring issues undermine the credibility of the Turnaway Study. First and foremost, its sample size of 877 women and short duration of just five years raise concerns about the study’s ability to provide comprehensive insights into the long-term consequences of abortion. Moreover, although thousands of women were initially recruited for the study, only 37% ultimately agreed to participate and, by the final year, participation rates had declined to a mere 17%, making it impossible to ascertain the impact of abortion on the majority of women followed by the researchers.<\/span><\/p>\n

The study also failed to account for the quarter of women turned away who sought abortions elsewhere or experienced miscarriages, and it did not differentiate between women undergoing multiple abortions and those having only one. Moreover, the study excluded<\/em> women who had never sought out or undergone an abortion, further skewing the findings.<\/span><\/p>\n

Worst of all, the study’s association with pro-abortion organizations and biases among its researchers raise questions about its objectivity. Diana Greene Foster, the study\u2019s principal investigator, has ties to organizations advocating for abortion, and the study received funding from pro-abortion groups. Additionally, the study’s methodology included hand-picking participants instead of selecting them at random. Many, if not all, of the women participating in the study were strongly pro-abortion.<\/span><\/p>\n

READ: New poll results reaffirm that many \u2018pro-choice\u2019 Americans want significant limits on abortion<\/em><\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

Scientific American interviewed Foster, exposing even more gaps in the study’s findings. <\/span>Thousands of women have been hurt by abortion, and their <\/span>stories<\/span><\/a> are heartbreaking.<\/span><\/p>\n

Link between abortion and depression<\/b><\/p>\n

During the Scientific American interview, Foster explained that the impetus for the Turnaway Study was \u201cthe then common belief that getting an abortion caused depression…” She claimed there is no evidence of a relationship between the two.<\/span><\/p>\n

However, numerous studies support the idea that there is a connection between abortion and mental health issues. For instance:<\/span><\/p>\n