Report in Association Research Bulletin Details Abortion's Harmful Effects on Relationships.(Report)

Far from being merely a decision between "a woman and her doctor," abortion can have serious consequences for the relationship between a woman and her husband or boyfriend.

"The cloak of silence surrounding abortion has left couples, some of whom may very well be at an increased risk for experiencing relationship difficulties, struggling alone to understand and respond to relationship challenges in the aftermath of abortion," according to a report by Dr. Priscilla K. Coleman in the winter 2007 Research Bulletin of the Association for Interdisciplinary Research in Values and Social Change.

Coleman, associate professor of human development and family studies at Bowling Green State University, reviewed scientific literature on abortion and its aftermath to find data on relationships. Although few studies have focused specifically on this issue, Coleman was able to draw some conclusions based on the existing evidence.

"At this stage in the development of the literature," she writes, "the prognosis for relationship problems post-abortion seems quite probable if one or both partners view abortion as the taking of a human life, would have preferred to avoid the abortion, developed an emotional connection to the fetus, experience negative emotions such as grief, guilt, and anger in association with the abortion, and/or suffer from adverse mental health effects of the abortion."

Abortion either adds to previous problems between the man and the woman, or creates new conflicts. Coleman writes that in several studies, "post-abortion partner communication problems have been identified ..., and an increased risk for separation or divorce following an abortion has been reported."

It has even been found to lead to domestic violence, Coleman reports. Although "minimal research attention has focused on abortion as a predictor of domestic violence," she writes, "a few studies have shown an association between a history of abortion and ...