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Social SciencesNinety-five percent of women who have had abortions do not regret the decision to terminate their pregnancies, according to a study published last week in the multidisciplinary academic journal PLOS ONE. (time.com)

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[–]Rearranger_Grad Student | Chemical Engineering 1677ポイント1678ポイント  (184子コメント)

Have there been an analogous study on the amount of people who regret having kids?

[–]galileosmiddlefinger 420ポイント421ポイント  (49子コメント)

Not really an analogous study that I'm aware of. There is quite a lot of research documenting that people who voluntarily chose to not have children are often quite happy and fulfilled. There is also a lot of research demonstrating that having children has some negative effects on people, especially concerning relationship quality with one's partner, and especially when children are young and the parents conform to traditional gender norms. However, I don't know of any studies that have directly targeted the idea of being unhappy or regretful about having children...you would have to make some indirect inferences based on the other things that people regret losing (money, career opportunities, relationship time, personal development) in exchange for having a family.

[–]wren_in_the_machine 117ポイント118ポイント  (18子コメント)

You'd also have to take into account that those who choose to have an abortion are probably more likely to regret having kids if they're forced to (both because they're in circumstances that make them want an abortion, and because being forced to have kids you don't want is probably in and of itself traumatic).

One way to tackle this is with a regression discontinuity design. That's the approach Diana Foster at UCSF takes. The basic result is that almost no one will say that they regret having their child once it arrives -- you can imagine how psychologically costly that might be! -- but that women forced to bear children do suffer adverse consequences of various sorts.

[–]galileosmiddlefinger 42ポイント43ポイント  (3子コメント)

Interesting link. The focal article under discussion in this thread actually excludes the most interesting group in the study, which are people who sought abortion but were turned away. You obviously can't include them in a study about abortion regret, but the data from the "turned away" group is really interesting if you look at the references and follow to other studies published from this dataset.

[–]wren_in_the_machine 24ポイント25ポイント  (0子コメント)

Yes. And that's definitely the right group to follow to understand the causing effects of allowing or denying abortion access. (Just as you can't understand the effects of divorce by studying happy marriages in which the spouses don't want to get divorced: the population of interest has to be the people who are on the divorce-or-don't margin.)

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      [–]su5 34ポイント35ポイント  (5子コメント)

      This is interesting and I would love to read more, have any sources for us?

      [–]galileosmiddlefinger 141ポイント142ポイント  (4子コメント)

      Tons of research here, but I'll link a few things as examples.

      The childfree literature is mostly focused on heterosexual women rather than the experiences of heterosexual men, gay men, or lesbians, but Blackstone & Stewart 2012 is an accessible intro.

      Doss et al. 2009 is a good, longitudinal study that does a nice job of tackling the inconsistencies in the literature that focuses on how having children impacts relationship quality.

      Lots of studies have documented career and income costs by focusing on work-family conflict. These costs tend to be much steeper for women than for men. Kirchmeyer 2006 is a good example, but this is a gigantic literature.

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        [–]2A_is_the_best_APhD | Marine Science|Remote Sensing 12ポイント13ポイント  (4子コメント)

        There is no data on that subject, only noise. Ask me today: yes. Ask me tomorrow: no. I think both are true at all times during parenthood, just some days one answer is a little more true than others.

        [–]The_Brat_Prince 14ポイント15ポイント  (3子コメント)

        Yes, and it's not really black and white either. For example there are a lot of people who would tell you that they don't regret having their kids, just that they regret not waiting longer to do it.

        [–]thedugong 5ポイント6ポイント  (0子コメント)

        I think it is just a case of the grass is always greener.

        It is impossible for an individual to experience more than their own experience so any attempt to assess their happiness based on whether they have kids or not is a little fallacious, and certainly just a guess. They either have kids or they do not. They are either happy or they are not.

        Ultimately, how do they know they would be happier with/without kids?

        I wouldn't trade my son for the world - cliche, but I strongly believe I would die for him. However, if we had not had kids I/we would have still found fun things to do.

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            [–]Jive_Bob 631ポイント632ポイント  (83子コメント)

            What percent were actually willing to admit they had one and take part in such a survey? Those who are more apt to take part in such a study are also probably more likely to be at peace with their decision as opposed to those who want no part in such a study.

            [–]icamefromamonkey 273ポイント274ポイント  (44子コメント)

            I wrote this response to another highly-voted comment that asked a similar question and (for some reason) got nuked (entire thread disappeared):

            My understanding is that women were recruited prospectively: 37.5% of women who were eligible to enroll before having the abortion procedure agreed to participate. Retention rate, on the other hand, might be connected to regret, but it was rather high:

            Among the Near-Limit and First-Trimester Abortion groups, 92% completed six-month interviews, and 69% were retained at three years; 93% completed at least one follow-up interview.

            Were the 62% of eligible women who chose not to participate before having an abortion intense regretters? Were the 31% of participants who dropped out before 3 years intense regretters? In the most extreme case, either is possible, and then the 95% figure would dampen a bit.

            A more likely scenario is that the non-participants and drop-out participants are slightly biased in one way or another relative to the respondents. There are simple and well-known methods to mitigate this problem (e.g., Call up some of the non-participants and drop-outs, offer them a much larger reward to respond, use their data to infer what the bias was, and re-weight all of your results accordingly... This can be applied recursively until you run out of money or time.). The problem is that this study was run on a pre-existing dataset, so the researchers don't have much opportunity to address those problems.

            So, overall, I'd say the results here are very suggestive with some methodological weaknesses that are typical to survey research but hardly damning.

            / not a survey statistician, but a statistician in other sciences

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              [–]helmMS | Physics | Quantum Optics 128ポイント129ポイント  (4子コメント)

              The study is fully available online: http://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0128832

              [–]mndrix 115ポイント116ポイント  (47子コメント)

              Is there good baseline data on regret? 95% without regret seems high, but confirmation bias probably puts the baseline around 80-90% for any randomly selected, major life decision.

              [–]nixonrichard 167ポイント168ポイント  (43子コメント)

              The mods just nuked the entire thread about the 37% response rate to the survey, and I have no idea why, because it was a very technical discussion of the shortcomings of surveys for this type of study.

              Other studies have shown close to 40% have regrets 8 weeks after abortion which is why the high non-regret rate of this study elicits such scrutiny.

              The study even takes it a step further and extrapolates 99% non-regret after longer than 3 years has elapsed.

              Edit: mods claim the thread was nuked because people were raising doubts about the 37% self-reporting rate, which they say shouldn't concern anyone (apparently it's bad enough for them to delete the thread).

              This is VERY troubling, not the least of which because the mods are completely wrong about this. From the paper cited in the report itself:

              http://i.imgur.com/aHibvIq.png

              Median response rate for these types of studies is 74-81%. 37% is EXTREMELY low and SHOULD raise concerns. The paper used the 20% from the chart above to say that basically their reporting rates weren't too bad because others were worse, but they chose the absolute worst case example to make that comparison, which is very troubling and not very useful at all for a meaningful comparison.

              I don't know why the mods think it is their jobs to delete these sorts of discussions though. If the users of /r/science (who are scientists themselves) are concerned about an area of rigor of a study, it's not the place of the mods to supplant their opinion for the opinion of the community.

              The mods aren't stopping the spread of misinformation, they're stopping actual concern and scholarly communication. There's no need for that.

              [–]jr_flood 10ポイント11ポイント  (1子コメント)

              Ninety-five percent of women who have had abortions responded to this survey do not regret the decision to terminate their pregnancies

              [–]Danyboii 5ポイント6ポイント  (10子コメント)

              Did they break a rule or something?

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                  [–]rva23221 30ポイント31ポイント  (3子コメント)

                  Well, I was not of the people asked. My partner and I used birth control faithfully, and unfortunately it failed. And since my family's side has a heredity disease that my Grandmother, her two children and ALL of my siblings have; I would not wish this disease/disorder [D/D] upon ANYONE, I went through the procedure. And no, I do not regret my decision. My two siblings that proceeded to have children, the children have been diagnosed with the D/D.

                  [–]Rosebunse 10ポイント11ポイント  (0子コメント)

                  I'm so sorry to hear about that. Personally, I think you made the right choice. I always said that if I knew my child would be born with something like that, I would want to abort. I just can't see telling my kid that they're only going to live to be 30 or something, and that they'll suffer those last few years, and that if they have children, then they'll likely have the disease.

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                    [–]maowsers93 42ポイント43ポイント  (1子コメント)

                    For those asking, there was one study done on "turnaways" which are the women who are denied abortions. About 65% of them regretted not being able ot get an abortion shortly after being denied the procedure.

                    Also, the women who were forced to carry their pregnancies were much more likely to be on public assistance after the birth.

                    http://io9.com/5958187/what-happens-to-women-denied-abortions-this-is-the-first-scientific-study-to-find-out

                    [–]mmmellowyellow 355ポイント356ポイント  (55子コメント)

                    People in general (men included) typically regret a number of things and actions in their lives. I'm not surprised however, of the results in this study. Having an abortion is not normally something you do during some drunken night, or on a whim when you're bored. Most women carefully think these things through, and weigh their options with or without their partner. The procedures also aren't taken lightly--the doctors and nurses give you as much information and help that you need. The only disappointing thing is when I hear about clinics that either require 24hr+ wait between going to a clinic and getting an abortion, or when counsellors try to convince women that "most people regret having an abortion", or how in many countries and communities, abortion is not available or some abortion medication is still illegal.

                    These life-long important decisions should not be left up to our politicians, governments, or churches to decide.

                    Edit: Because I'm in /r/science, fixed some wording to remove my broad statements. "Most women carefully think these things through"

                    [–]o0Bex0o 22ポイント23ポイント  (3子コメント)

                    The people who thought they'd regret having an abortion probably went ahead and carried the fetus to term.

                    [–]mualphatautau 111ポイント112ポイント  (11子コメント)

                    I'm not surprised with these results either. I've had an abortion. I know that there has been that tiny "What-if" that has popped into my mind from time to time, but there are ZERO regrets.

                    The women that go to an abortion clinic already know that there's a reason why they can't/don't want to have a baby. So it seems crazy that there are ways that dissuade women from going through with it because of the chance that they might "regret" it -- especially when women have already crossed that threshold, made the decision to go to the doctor, etc. If it's a little uncomfortable for me to visit Planned Parenthood just cause it's a Planned Parenthood, I can't imagine how agonizing it might be for a woman who seriously contemplated their pregnancy, finally made it to the clinic, only to find reasons to further second guess the decision.

                    The idea of regretting an abortion perplexes me. I know I am biased, but I imagine those that regret their decisions have to do with emotional reasons - that she killed something that was inside of her, that she could have had a baby to take care of, etc. This might sound flippant, but hypothetically if one regrets having an abortion, why not just try to get pregnant again?

                    Yeah, the "regret" argument is silly imo. We all regret things in life but it doesn't mean that that road not taken would have been the correct one, the best one, or the happiest one.

                    [–]mmmellowyellow 38ポイント39ポイント  (2子コメント)

                    We all regret things in life but it doesn't mean that that road not taken would have been the correct one, the best one, or the happiest one.

                    This is a very good point, and I think you explained it better than I did in my original post, haha! The grass is always greener I suppose, and sometimes when we feel down we might have those "what if" moments when we think about what our lives might be like had we not gone through with the abortion.

                    I also had an abortion, and have zero regrets. I consider myself lucky because I didn't really have any social or family pressures to keep the child. My mom has always been pro-choice, and has talked about it since before I was even sexually active, so I know that she would have had my back. I didn't tell anyone I did it at the time...looking back I'm not really sure why, but I've always been an independent person and wanted to just do it and not have to explain my reasonings to anyone. I'm sure if I told my mom now she would be ok with it (mental note: tell my mom!). Like you, I've also had those moments when I realize "hey, if I didn't get an abortion I would have a child right now", and I wonder what my life would be like. Some of my friends have had children recently as well, and I am so happy to see them. If I had a baby my life probably wouldn't be "terrible" or anything, but I still don't regret it.

                    Thanks for sharing your story! <3

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                        [–]PainMatrix 161ポイント162ポイント  (64子コメント)

                        There was a nicely done study in 2012 looking at over 5,000 women in an abortion clinic (so yes, there is potentially a bit of a sample bias). Essentially, 87% of the women were highly confident of the decision going in. Interestingly, they found that being younger, black, and less educated lowered the degree of confidence. Not surprisingly, having a supportive partner or parent increased confidence.

                        [–]otatop 56ポイント57ポイント  (8子コメント)

                        EDIT: To clarify, the quoted text was a reply to PainMatrix's post that was then deleted.

                        The original (reply) comment was deleted, but I'll still reply to (and quote) it

                        potentially? Ask a person if they enjoy Sushi as they walk into all-you-can-eat Sushi bar. I'd guess the number would be pretty high too. I think this study focuses less on regret or confidence but what kind of patterns in people at clinics

                        Because getting an abortion is exactly like eating food. A better analogy would be asking patients at a dentist's office whether or not they like going to the dentist. Neither scenario has people there because they're super excited for it, they're there because they require a medical procedure.

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                          [–]Callous1970 699ポイント700ポイント  (186子コメント)

                          I wonder how biased the sample was. Would women who deeply regretted it want to talk about it for some study?

                          [–]S4ngin 67ポイント68ポイント  (7子コメント)

                          It reminds me of some shyness study I once read about. They put out an ad asking for people who were shy to do a study. Would someone who is seriously shy decide it would be a great idea to go meet strangers so their data woule be accurate?

                          [–]RainbowTuba 203ポイント204ポイント  (91子コメント)

                          I would like to know more about this as well.

                          Putting up flyers for the study at clubs in NYC will get you much different responses than flyers placed at the diner by the mega church in Mississippi.

                          [–]galileosmiddlefinger 301ポイント302ポイント  (37子コメント)

                          Participants were recruited at clinics by medical staff, not from random public settings like clubs or churches.

                          [–]Callous1970 80ポイント81ポイント  (48子コメント)

                          That's why I asked. I think that women with strong religous backgrounds that still had an abortion would never even admit it for a scientific survey, and would also likely be the ones to regret it afterwards.

                          [–]murR0Y 114ポイント115ポイント  (28子コメント)

                          I do think that's a valid point, but I think there are many women who would absolutely talk about it in the hope that it would advance the anti-abortion agenda, something many view as much larger and more important than themselves. I also think that women are more empathetic toward each other in general, and more likely to tell their story so that others won't make the same choice (which they felt was the wrong one).

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                                [–]AgentDoggett 36ポイント37ポイント  (12子コメント)

                                The much more taboo question would be to ask how many women regret NOT having an abortion? I would imagine there's no way for people to speak honestly about regretting having kids, but I also can't imagine that those people don't exist.

                                [–]AndyNihilate 13ポイント14ポイント  (0子コメント)

                                Absolutely. I've never told anyone this (and would NEVER say it out loud), but I do regret having kids.

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                                  [–]portrait_fusion 14ポイント15ポイント  (1子コメント)

                                  I always imagined that in-fact choosing to have an abortion isn't an easy decision to make and that if said decision was actually made, that the result wouldn't include a high percentage of regret because of previous foresight and thought on the matter.

                                  [–]lofi76 7ポイント8ポイント  (0子コメント)

                                  No surprise. I've never known a woman to make this decision lightly!!!

                                  [–]InclusivePhitness 28ポイント29ポイント  (10子コメント)

                                  Curious to know what the INVERSE study would look like i.e. How many people who thought about (define this however you want) abortion and didn't go through with it and ended up regretting.

                                  Difficult study but theoretically would be interesting.

                                  [–]MoreDblRainbows 19ポイント20ポイント  (7子コメント)

                                  Who would admit to regretting having their own child? Even if they did

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                                    [–][deleted] 48ポイント49ポイント  (18子コメント)

                                    they should do a study on how many women regret not having an abortion

                                    [–]AndyNihilate 14ポイント15ポイント  (1子コメント)

                                    Mom of 2 here. I commented on a similar post about this above, but I do regret having kids. I would never, ever say it out loud (hence the reason I'm typing it), but there you go.

                                    [–][deleted] 9ポイント10ポイント  (0子コメント)

                                    thanks for the input, I knew at least one mother regretted it. As painful (or not) as it is to say it's the truth

                                    [–][deleted] 3ポイント4ポイント  (0子コメント)

                                    I would be very interested in hearing this. I would almost expect for that to have about as high levels of support? Interesting, probably makes these types of studies not super useful

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                                      [–]AnonymousBBQ 77ポイント78ポイント  (16子コメント)

                                      I'm not glad I had to make that choice, but I don't regret it. A child would have devastated our finances, and probably our relationship. Plus, two years later I was diagnosed with cancer. I couldn't imagine having to raise a toddler while I was dealing with that. I could barely muster the strength to put on pants, and my husband went through enough caring for just me. A little one would not have been a good addition to that scenario. If we became pregnant now, with secure finances and a clean bill of health, sure, I'd be happy. I think every baby deserves to be planned.

                                      [–]fucking_unicorn 20ポイント21ポイント  (5子コメント)

                                      Every woman I know who has had one (an abortion) has felt that it was the best choice for them and the baby since they would not be able to properly provide, nurture or support a child. I'm not a random phone survey.... I'm a trusted friend and these are the honest thoughts and feelings shared with me. One friend regretted it, but only for a short while and a few months later wrote me and thanked me for helping take her to the clinic and stuff stating it was the best thing she could have done looking back.

                                      [–]tia_darcy 3ポイント4ポイント  (2子コメント)

                                      Would also be interesting to know how many women who didnt have an abortion later wished they had. That study would definitely have to be anonymous to get accurate answers I think.

                                      [–]MpVpRb 6ポイント7ポイント  (1子コメント)

                                      Seems reasonable to me

                                      A pregnancy is a potential child, easy to lose without much distress

                                      An actual child, loved over many years, is different

                                      [–]Scrimshank22 5ポイント6ポイント  (2子コメント)

                                      Now we need to find out what percentage of women wish they had an abortion.

                                      [–]texaspsychosisMPH | Epidemiology | MS | Psychology 5ポイント6ポイント  (1子コメント)

                                      As /u/maowsers93 stated:

                                      For those asking, there was one study done on "turnaways" which are the women who are denied abortions. About 65% of them regretted not being able ot get an abortion shortly after being denied the procedure. Also, the women who were forced to carry their pregnancies were much more likely to be on public assistance after the birth. http://io9.com/5958187/what-happens-to-women-denied-abortions-this-is-the-first-scientific-study-to-find-out

                                      [–]TheDude415 8ポイント9ポイント  (0子コメント)

                                      Gee, it's almost as if the women didn't want to have the children because they knew they couldn't afford to care for them.....

                                      [–]blackbeard97 44ポイント45ポイント  (3子コメント)

                                      I think that women who do abort firstly will have thought long and hard before they went through with it so are less likely to regret. So it's not that surprising. They wouldn't do it unless they knew that there was little to know doubt in there mind about whether aborting is right thing to do for them.

                                      [–]Zanderax 28ポイント29ポイント  (30子コメント)

                                      Nobody actually wants abortions, prevention is better than the cure. If everyone only got pregnant when they wanted everyone would be happy.

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