Fact or fiction? Do a lot of women regret their abortions?

There are many reasons as to why a woman might want or need to terminate a pregnancy.

Similarly, there are many feelings that a woman may experience after she has decided to have an abortion - no one experience is the same and nobody can ever definitively say how another person will react to any significant life event. But do the majority of women who have an abortion regret their decision? Research has proven that they do not. A US study published in 2015 showed that 95 percent of women who had an abortion did not regret their decision. 670 women from different backgrounds were surveyed about the termination of their pregnancies. An "overwhelming majority" of these women expressed that they thought they had made the correct choice “both in the short-term and over three years." Similarly, another study published in 2016 showed that 97 percent of Irish women who had used abortion pills had not regretted their decision. Research conducted by the HSE’s Crisis Pregnancy Programme in 2010 also showed that 87 percent of women in Ireland who terminated a pregnancy said it was "the right outcome." Rather than regret, the most common feeling women say they experience after having an abortion is relief. The 2016 research including Irish women who used abortion pills showed that the most common feeling experienced (70 percent) was relief. The second most common feeling was satisfaction (36 percent) and the third was happiness (26.8 percent). 94 percent of women surveyed also expressed gratitude for being able to avail of the abortion pills online. Those who procure an abortion in Ireland through abortion pills or other means where there is not a real and substantial risk to the life of the mother currently risk up to 14 years imprisonment. A small number of women, however, do regret their abortions. In these cases, post-abortion support including counselling should be available to these women. Post-abortion support is already provided in Ireland by the Irish Family Planning Association (IFPA) and the HSE free-of-charge. In the event of a repeal of the eighth amendment, this post-abortion care will still be available. Counselling would be provided when a woman presents to her doctor looking to procure an abortion. There would also be a 72-hour period of reflection before the termination is permitted. A repeal of the eighth amendment would see the legalisation of abortion without specific indication before 12 weeks. You can follow the rest of the 'Fact or Fiction?' series here.