What Happens When We Deny People Abortions? | Diana Greene Foster | TED

Summary

This talk explores the impact of unintended pregnancies through the personal narratives of the speaker's grandmothers and the results of the 'Turnaway Study.' It challenges the myth that abortion causes mental health harm, revealing no such harm and instead showing negative outcomes for those denied abortions. The study also highlights the physical health risks and socioeconomic disparities faced by women who carry unwanted pregnancies to term. The speaker advocates for safe, legal abortion access and comprehensive support for pregnant people, emphasizing the importance of personal choice in childbearing for family well-being and life aspirations.

Takeaways

• 👩‍👧 The speaker shares the personal stories of her grandmothers, who faced unwanted pregnancies under different circumstances, highlighting the impact of limited abortion access.
• 📉 Research shows no mental health harm from abortion; instead, women denied abortions experienced higher anxiety, lower self-esteem, and life dissatisfaction initially.
• 👶 Women who were denied abortions faced worse physical health, including higher rates of chronic pain and complications such as hemorrhage, hypertension, and even death.
• 💰 Economic hardships were more prevalent among women who were denied abortions, leading to more debt, lower credit scores, and higher chances of eviction and bankruptcy.
• 📚 Women who received abortions were more likely to set and achieve aspirational goals, like leaving abusive relationships, pursuing education, and having planned pregnancies later.
• 👩‍👧‍👦 Over 95% of women who received abortions said it was the right decision for them, and fewer than 10% of women who gave birth chose adoption, countering assumptions made by Supreme Court justices.
• 🌍 The speaker emphasizes that access to safe and legal abortion is crucial globally and advocates for policies supporting low-income families to reduce the need for abortions due to economic reasons.
• 🚨 The post-Dobbs decision in the U.S. has led to greater hardships for people unable to access abortions, especially for those with limited financial or social resources.
• 🍼 Adoption is not a simple solution, as suggested by some justices. Women who chose adoption were more likely to struggle emotionally compared to those who parented their children.
• 🔑 The overarching message is that control over childbearing decisions is essential for women’s physical, economic, and emotional well-being, allowing them to pursue desired life outcomes.

Q & A

What was the main purpose of the Turnaway Study mentioned in the script?

The Turnaway Study aimed to compare the outcomes for women who received abortions with those who were denied abortions due to arriving too late in their pregnancy, to understand the impacts on their mental health, physical health, and socioeconomic well-being.

What were the key findings of the Turnaway Study regarding mental health?

The study found no mental health harm from abortion. Instead, it observed higher anxiety, lower self-esteem, and lower life satisfaction for those who were denied abortions, but these differences diminished over time.

How did the physical health of women who were denied abortions compare to those who received them?

Women who were denied abortions and carried their pregnancies to term experienced worse physical health, including higher chronic pain, more hypertension, and overall worse physical health compared to those who received abortions.

What socioeconomic differences were observed between women who received abortions and those who were denied?

Women who were denied abortions faced more hardships, including an increase in public assistance, loss of full-time employment, and falling below the federal poverty level. They also had more debt, lower credit scores, and a greater chance of eviction and bankruptcy.

How did the study's findings challenge the assumptions made by Supreme Court Justice Anthony Kennedy in 2007?

The study's findings directly contradicted Justice Kennedy's assumption that abortion causes mental health harm, as it found no such harm and instead showed negative outcomes for those denied abortions.

What was the speaker's personal connection to the issue of unintended pregnancy?

The speaker's grandmothers had unintended pregnancies, with one seeking an illegal abortion and the other giving birth and placing her child for adoption, which influenced the speaker's career path as a demographer and professor studying unintended pregnancy.

What international trend regarding abortion laws does the speaker mention?

The speaker mentioned that the overwhelming international trend is towards liberalizing abortion laws, in contrast to the United States which has been imposing new restrictions.

What support does the speaker suggest is needed for low-income families to prevent unwanted pregnancies for economic reasons?

The speaker suggests that more generous and less punitive supports are needed, such as income supports, extended periods of health care coverage, child care, and parental leave.

How did the speaker's grandmothers' experiences with unintended pregnancy reflect the findings of the Turnaway Study?

The speaker's grandmothers' experiences, one getting an abortion and the other giving birth and experiencing complications, mirrored the study's findings that those who received abortions fared better in various aspects of life compared to those who were denied.

What was the impact of the 2022 Supreme Court Dobbs decision on abortion access in the United States according to the speaker?

The Dobbs decision overturned Roe and ended federal protections for abortion rights, leading to a situation where people experiencing unwanted pregnancies, especially those without resources to travel or access medication, face hardships similar to those documented in the Turnaway Study.

Outlines

00:00

📚 Unintended Pregnancy and Its Impact

The speaker begins by recounting the stories of two women, Sally and Dorothy, who experienced unintended pregnancies in the early 20th century. Despite their different backgrounds, both faced significant challenges due to the illegality of abortion and societal pressures. These personal histories inspired the speaker's career as a demographer and professor, focusing on unintended pregnancies. The speaker addresses the common claim that abortion harms women's mental health, which has been used to justify restrictive abortion laws. They highlight the lack of reliable data on this issue, which led them to initiate the Turnaway Study in 2008. This study aimed to compare the outcomes of women who received abortions with those who were denied due to being past the legal limit. The study found no mental health harm from abortion, but it did reveal worse physical health and socioeconomic outcomes for those denied abortions.

05:00

🏥 The Turnaway Study: Socioeconomic and Mental Health Outcomes

The speaker details the methodology of the Turnaway Study, which involved recruiting two groups of women at 30 abortion facilities across the United States: those who received abortions just under the legal limit and those who were turned away. The study showed that initially, both groups had similar mental health, physical health, and socioeconomic statuses. However, over a five-year follow-up, significant differences emerged. Women who were denied abortions experienced higher anxiety, lower self-esteem, and lower life satisfaction. They also faced worse physical health outcomes, including higher chronic pain and hypertension. Socioeconomically, they experienced more debt, lower credit scores, and a greater risk of eviction and bankruptcy. The study also found that women who received abortions were more likely to achieve their life aspirations compared to those who were denied.

10:00

🌐 Abortion Access and Its Broader Implications

The speaker concludes by emphasizing the importance of access to safe, legal abortion for the well-being of families and individuals. They discuss the international trend towards liberalizing abortion laws, contrasting it with recent restrictive measures in the United States. The speaker calls for more supportive policies for low-income families, such as income supports and extended health care coverage, to prevent economic reasons from driving the decision to end a wanted pregnancy. They also stress the need for information and resources to allow those who choose to end a pregnancy to do so safely. The speaker shares personal stories of their grandmothers to illustrate the long-term impacts of unwanted pregnancies and the importance of reproductive autonomy. They argue that access to abortion is about controlling one's own body, life, and destiny.

Keywords

💡Abortion

Abortion refers to the termination of a pregnancy before the fetus is capable of surviving outside the womb. In the video, the speaker discusses the historical context of abortion being illegal and the personal stories of her grandmothers, one of whom had an illegal abortion and the other who was forced to carry her pregnancy to term due to lack of access. The video emphasizes the importance of safe and legal abortion for women's health and autonomy.

💡Unintended Pregnancy

Unintended pregnancy is a pregnancy that is either mistimed, unwanted, or both. The video uses the speaker's family history and research to highlight the consequences of unintended pregnancies and the impact of abortion restrictions on women's lives. It underscores the need for comprehensive reproductive healthcare to address this issue.

💡Mental Health

Mental health refers to a person's emotional, psychological, and social well-being. The video challenges the myth that abortion causes mental health harm, presenting research findings that show no such harm and instead highlighting the negative mental health outcomes for women who are denied abortions.

💡Socioeconomic Well-being

Socioeconomic well-being encompasses an individual's economic and social conditions, including employment, income, and education. The video discusses how being denied an abortion can lead to long-term socioeconomic hardships for women, such as increased reliance on public assistance and reduced financial stability.

💡Turnaway Study

The Turnaway Study is a research project mentioned in the video that compares the outcomes of women who received abortions with those who were denied due to being past the gestational limit at the clinic. This study is central to the video's argument, providing empirical evidence that abortion does not harm women's mental health and that denial of abortion can lead to adverse physical and socioeconomic outcomes.

💡Supreme Court

The Supreme Court of the United States is the highest court in the federal judiciary and has the power to interpret the Constitution. The video references decisions by Supreme Court Justices that have influenced abortion laws, such as the Dobbs decision which overturned Roe v. Wade, highlighting the impact of legal decisions on women's reproductive rights.

💡Physical Health

Physical health pertains to the state of being free from illness or injury. The video contrasts the physical health outcomes for women who had abortions with those who carried unwanted pregnancies to term, noting that childbirth carries greater health risks than abortion and can lead to chronic health issues.

💡Demographer

A demographer is a professional who studies human populations, including their size, composition, and distribution. The speaker, a demographer and professor, uses demographic research to study the causes and consequences of unintended pregnancy, emphasizing the importance of data in shaping public health policy.

💡Reproductive Rights

Reproductive rights are the rights of individuals to make autonomous decisions regarding reproduction, including the right to access contraception, abortion, and other reproductive healthcare services. The video argues for the importance of reproductive rights in ensuring women's overall well-being and ability to make decisions about their own bodies and lives.

💡Economic Support

Economic support refers to financial assistance provided to individuals or families, often by governments or organizations, to help them meet basic needs or improve their quality of life. The video suggests that more generous economic support for low-income families could reduce the number of unwanted pregnancies and the need for abortion due to economic reasons.

💡Personal Aspirations

Personal aspirations are an individual's goals or ambitions for their future. The video discusses how access to abortion allows women to pursue their personal, educational, and career aspirations, which may be hindered by an unwanted pregnancy or the responsibilities of raising a child.

Highlights

The story of two women, born early in the 20th century, with different backgrounds, experiencing unwanted pregnancies.

Sally, facing the Great Depression, sought an illegal abortion in Puerto Rico due to financial constraints.

Dorothy, shunned by her conservative parents, gave birth and placed her child for adoption after an unwanted pregnancy.

The speaker's motivation to become a demographer and professor, studying the impacts of unintended pregnancy.

The claim that abortion causes mental health harm, used to justify restrictive laws, was questioned.

Supreme Court Justice Anthony Kennedy's 2007 statement on the lack of reliable data on abortion's psychological impact.

The initiation of the Turnaway Study in 2008 to collect data on the outcomes of abortion.

The study design involved comparing women who received abortions with those denied due to gestational limits.

Findings showed no mental health harm from abortion, contrary to previous assumptions.

Women denied abortions experienced higher anxiety, lower self-esteem, and lower life satisfaction initially.

Over time, both groups showed improvements in depression and anxiety symptoms.

Women who carried pregnancies to term faced worse physical health outcomes, including higher chronic pain and hypertension.

Denied abortion women faced socioeconomic hardships, including increased public assistance and poverty levels.

The study revealed that those who received abortions were more likely to achieve their aspirational life plans.

Over 95% of women who received abortions confirmed it was the right decision for them.

Adoption was not a common outcome, with most women choosing to parent after giving birth.

The importance of trusting women's decisions regarding their reproductive health.

The need for more generous support systems for low-income families to prevent unwanted pregnancies due to economic reasons.

The impact of the 2022 Supreme Court Dobbs decision on abortion access and the determination of pregnant people.

The stories of the speaker's grandmothers illustrating the importance of control over childbearing and its impact on life trajectories.

Access to abortion as a fundamental right for controlling one's body, life, and destiny.

Transcripts

I'd like to start by telling you the story

of two women born early in the 20th century.

They lived on different coasts, they had different religious backgrounds

and they were in different stages of life

when each experienced an unwanted pregnancy.

Sally was newly married at the start of the Great Depression.

She and her husband decided

they couldn't afford to start a family yet,

but abortion was illegal in New York City,

and so she traveled to Puerto Rico to get an illegal abortion.

Dorothy had recently graduated from high school

when she became pregnant by a much older golf instructor.

Her conservative parents shunned her

and she had to go away

to a Salvation Army home for unwed mothers,

where she gave birth and placed the child for adoption.

These women were my grandmothers,

and they're part of the reason I became a demographer and professor

studying the causes and consequences of unintended pregnancy.

For years, people have alleged that abortion harms women.

The idea that abortion causes mental health harm in particular

has been used to justify laws that ban abortion

or try and dissuade people from choosing it.

This came to a head in 2007,

when Supreme Court Justice Anthony Kennedy

allowed restrictions on abortion to stand

because, as he said, "While we find no reliable data

to measure the phenomenon,

it seems unexceptionable to conclude

that some women come to regret their choice

to abort the infant life they once created and sustained.

Severe depression and loss of esteem can follow."

"No reliable data"?

Those are words a demographer lives for.

(Laughter)

We began data collection the very next year.

(Applause)

(Cheers)

To study the outcomes for people who get abortions,

you need a comparison group,

ideally people who want an abortion and can't get them,

because they would be in exactly the same circumstances,

but one group gets the abortion and the other group doesn't.

My research team at the University of California,

San Francisco,

went to 30 abortion facilities across the country,

each one selected

because it was distant enough from other clinics

that if someone were too far along in pregnancy for that clinic,

there was very few other places they could go.

At each site, we focused on recruiting two groups of people,

women who were just under the limit and got their abortions,

and women who showed up a little bit too late in pregnancy

and were turned away.

I called it the Turnaway Study,

and the study design was a success.

In analyzing the data,

we see those two groups were the same at the start.

Women who received and women who were denied abortions

had similar mental health, physical health and socioeconomic well-being

at the time they sought an abortion.

We followed almost a thousand women,

calling them every six months for five years,

using scientifically validated questions to measure their physical health,

their mental health and their families' well-being.

And we can see that although they started the same,

those two groups,

their lives diverged in ways that could be directly attributed

to whether they got their abortion or were turned away.

And it didn't work out the way

that Kennedy had "unexceptionably" concluded.

(Laughter)

In fact, we found no mental health harm from abortion.

Instead, we saw higher anxiety, lower self-esteem,

lower life satisfaction for the people who were denied the abortion.

But this difference didn't last.

Over time, the two groups looked the same,

not because both groups were doing poorly in terms of mental health.

In fact, symptoms of depression and anxiety improved

for both groups over time.

But the two groups diverged in other important ways.

We find worse physical health for women

who carried the pregnancy to term

and gave birth.

Consistent with the vast medical literature,

we see that childbirth is associated with greater risks than abortion,

including hemorrhage, eclampsia,

and even death.

And the differences in physical health don't end at the time of childbirth.

For years later, we saw higher chronic pain, more hypertension

and overall worse physical health for women who were denied the abortion

and gave birth.

We also find large socioeconomic differences,

where women who are denied abortions

face more hardships than women who receive abortions.

We find an increase in public assistance,

but it's not enough to make up for a loss of full-time employment.

Women, often raising children alone,

end up falling below the federal poverty level.

Working with economists,

I was able to show that those who received and those who were denied abortions

were similar economically for years before the year of the unwanted pregnancy,

but for years after, we see more debt, lower credit scores

and a greater chance of eviction and bankruptcy

for people who were turned away.

And one other area of difference I'll mention.

We see differences in the chance

that women set and achieve aspirational plans for their future.

This includes things like breaking ties with abusive partners,

finding high quality romantic relationships,

getting advanced educational degrees,

financially supporting their older children

and even differences in the chance of having an intended pregnancy later.

The results of my study consistently show

that when there is a difference,

those who were able to get their wanted abortion

did better than those who weren't.

This may come as a surprise to people

who don't think about why women get abortions.

Women often give many reasons:

housing and financial circumstances,

their relationship with the man involved in the pregnancy,

their need to take care of existing children.

More than half of those seeking abortions nationally

are already parenting at least one child.

All of the areas women were concerned about --

finances, children, relationships, life aspirations --

were the areas in which we see differences.

In the experiences of those denied abortions,

we see all their concerns playing out exactly as they anticipated

when they were deciding whether to have an abortion.

Their concerns were justified.

Over the five years we followed them,

we see that over 95 percent of those who received their abortion

said it was the right decision for them.

Very few of those people who gave birth

decided to place a child for adoption.

Less than 10 percent.

So there's another example

of a Supreme Court justice making an assumption

that turned out to be wrong.

You may remember Amy Coney Barrett,

in deliberating on ending 50 years of abortion rights in our country,

suggested that women could drop their babies off at fire stations.

We find that once people have taken the risk

and made the monumental sacrifice of giving birth to a child,

most people decide to parent that child.

Adoption is not an easy choice.

And in fact, the women who placed children for adoption

were the most likely to say

that they were having difficulty coping with their experience.

It's not news to me that some people think abortion is wrong,

but when someone's in the circumstance where they are pregnant

and they cannot support a child and take care of their existing children

or make a decent life for themself,

they're trying to make a decision

that is right for their life and their family.

As the abortion provider Dr. George Tiller used to say

before his murder in 2009:

Trust women.

(Applause)

Access to safe, legal abortion is important for all of us.

Unintended pregnancy is very common in my family,

in all of our families,

across our country, in red states and blue states,

and across the globe.

I've worked with scientists in Tunisia, Colombia, South Africa,

Bangladesh and Nepal

to study the experiences of people who are pregnant when they aren't ready.

And we see these same concerns about wanting to have children

under the right circumstances.

Access to abortion is universally,

fundamentally important to the well-being of families.

(Applause)

The overwhelming international trend is towards liberalizing abortion laws

and not, like the United States, of imposing new restrictions.

Until the United States rejoins the rest of the world,

there is a lot we can do to support pregnant people,

whether they do or do not want to carry that pregnancy to term.

We need much more generous and less punitive supports

for low-income families,

like income supports,

extended periods of health care coverage,

child care and parental leave,

so nobody decides to end an otherwise wanted pregnancy

for economic reasons alone.

But when someone's in the position where they don't have the circumstances

where they want to raise a child

and they want to end their pregnancy,

they need the information and resources to do so safely.

Since the 2022 Supreme Court Dobbs decision

that overturned Roe

and ended federal protections for abortion rights,

we see that people who are experiencing an unwanted pregnancy are determined.

People have strong motivation

because they understand the consequences of carrying an unwanted pregnancy to term.

People who have the resources to circumvent their state law

by traveling or ordering medication abortion pills online, do.

Now with large swaths of the Southern United States and Midwest

without a single legal abortion clinic,

women who can travel hundreds of miles

to get an abortion out of state.

People without the emotional and financial and social resources to travel --

that includes minors and immigrants

and people whose travel is restricted because of their own health or the law --

will experience all the hardships we've documented in the Turnaway Study.

The importance of control over childbearing

is also shown in the stories of my grandmothers.

My father's mother, Sally,

got her abortion in Puerto Rico and went on with her life,

which included having three children later,

when her financial footing was more secure.

She was warm and funny and a wonderful mom.

My --

(Applause)

My other grandmother, who gave birth,

she experienced severe complications from childbirth,

both physical and emotional.

After placing my mother for adoption,

she struggled to find strong romantic relationships

and she never did get to have more children,

although she desperately wanted to.

My mother found her when I was 12,

and she and I became very close.

She was my nearest relative when I went off to college at UC Berkeley

and she even came to visit me

when I was in graduate school at Princeton.

And I was the one by her side, holding her hand,

when she died many years later.

(Applause)

What I think about her experience is that her life took a detour

when she got pregnant as a teenager

and she never found a way to get back on the track she wanted.

The experiences of my grandmothers are consistent with the Turnaway Study,

and also show us what to expect in this post-Dobbs world.

What we know is that being able

to make one's own decision about childbearing

without government interference

is crucial for the economic well-being of families

and allows people to pursue personal and educational goals,

including having wanted children later.

Access to abortion is about control

over one's body, life and destiny.

Thank you.

(Applause and cheers)