If you’re considering having an abortion, you may be concerned about experiencing regret after your medical or surgical procedure. Abortion regret studies can help us uncover common reasons why some people may regret an abortion, while others do not.
It’s difficult to answer the question ‘will I regret my abortion?’ before you have one. But looking at the lived experiences and collated data of women who have received an abortion might help you understand how you’ll feel about your decision in the short and long term.
What percentage of people regret having an abortion?
Let’s take a look at some of the results from The Turnaway Study of nearly 1000 women who sought abortions in the USA, to shed some light on how many women regret having an abortion.
- 95% of women who received an abortion believed it was the right decision for them over five years after the procedure.
- 84% reported either positive emotions or no particular emotion at all about the abortion five years after the procedure.
- Relief remained the most commonly felt emotion five years post abortion.
- 25% of women had primarily negative emotions (e.g. sadness, guilt, anger) in the first week after abortion, yet 95% still felt it was the right decision.
- 70% said that they would feel stigmatised if people knew they’d had an abortion.
These abortion regret statistics tell us three very important things:
- Long term feelings of regret are uncommon in women who choose to have an abortion.
- While people might experience heightened negative emotions immediately after an abortion such as sadness or anger, these feelings can coexist with those of relief and confidence that the right decision has been made.
- Negative feelings of regret, grief and anger can be the result of external societal factors such as the social stigma surrounding abortion, rather than the abortion procedure itself.
Abortion regret: what factors contribute to it?
Feelings of regret after having an abortion can be brought on by many different things.
- Lack of support: having an abortion and receiving little physical and mental support from health professionals and loved ones before and after the procedure can make things much more difficult, especially if the person has no one to talk to about how they’re feeling.
- Fear of societal stigma: if a person lives in a society or community where abortion is viewed negatively, they may experience alienation or disapproval should others find out about the abortion.
- Cultural values and religious beliefs: many people’s values and beliefs do not align with an abortion, but they decide to go through with it because of external pressures such as health reasons or financial and housing situations.
- Pressure or coercion from others: people may feel increased regret when the decision to have an abortion was not solely theirs.
- Socioeconomic situation: even if the pregnancy is wanted, people may feel an abortion is their only way forward due to factors such as financial difficulties, housing instability, immigration status and the fear of child protection involvement.
- Inability to fall pregnant again later in life: some women may be unable to fall pregnant again (for reasons unconnected to the abortion procedure), when the timing is right and pregnancy is wanted.
Many of these reasons for abortion regret share a commonality: that the person felt the decision to have an abortion was somewhat out of their control.
So, will I regret having an abortion?
If having an abortion is your decision, if it aligns with your values and you feel supported throughout the process, it is unlikely you’ll experience regret. But keep in mind that every person is different. It’s worth exploring the factors above in relation to your own personal circumstances to determine how having an abortion may make you feel in the short and long term.
Abortion regret and abortion grief: are they two separate things?
It’s important to remember that feelings of sadness may occur after an abortion, but these can live alongside the belief you’ve made the right decision for your future. Emotions are not black and white. You may be certain an abortion was the best outcome, but still experience grief. This can be particularly relevant to situations where a wanted pregnancy was terminated due to health reasons, or because it wasn’t the right moment in your life to have a baby. Feelings of sadness do not necessarily result in feelings of regret.
Pre-abortion and post-abortion support: why it matters
Lack of abortion support is one of the most-cited reasons behind abortion regret. Talking to a non-judgmental and unbiased support person can help you understand your emotions pre and post abortion. This will assist you in deciding if having an abortion is right for you and helps to minimise the likelihood of feelings of regret emerging post abortion. You can call our free and confidential helpline on 1800 177 725 for information and support.
