David Reardon

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Dr. David C Reardon,director of The Elliot Institute, is a biomedical ethicist specializing in research and education related to the effects of abortion on women.^[1] Reardon has published numerous peer reviewed studies regarding emotional and physical complications associated with induced abortion.^[2] These studies have shown statistical associations between a history of abortion and elevated risks of death^[3], psychiatric hospitalization^[4], suicide^[5], substance abuse^[6], depression^[7], anxiety^[8], sleep disorders^[9], and other sequalae^[10].

A principle thesis of Reardon's work is that the medical issues associated with abortion can and should be analyzed separately from the political and moral controversies surrounding this medical procedure. In short, he argues that in each case where an abortion might be considered the attending physician has an obligation to develop an informed medical opinion regarding the question "Is an abortion likely to produce more benefit or more harm for this particular patient?" This theme is most thoroughly explored in Reardon's review article entitled The duty to screen: clinical, legal and ethical implications of predictive risk factors of post-abortion maladjustment ^[11] In this paper Reardon argues that advocates of abortion have consistently presumed that the benefits of abortion are self evident, but, he argues, there is actually a remarkable absence of any research that has statistically validated any of the mental, physical, or social benefits claimed benefits for abortion. He argues that this lack of knowledge of when, if ever, abortion contributes to women's health must also be weighed in the context of studies which demonstrate that certain groups of women, perhaps even the majority of abortion patients, have "risk factors" that have been proven to be associated with an increased likelihood of suffering one or more negative effects.

Critics of Reardon's work, such as Barbara Major of the University of Santa Barbara department of psychology, have argued that Reardon's interpretation of his research results are tainted by a pro-life bias.^[12] Major has also argued his methodology of comparing women who have had an abortion to women who completed their pregnancies normally is misleading, asserting that a more appropriate comparison would be to women who wished to abort their pregnancy but chose not to or were not allowed to do so.^[13] Another important argument raised by Major and others is that evidence of a statistical association between abortion and negative effects is not the same as proving the causal connection. In other words, the negative effects may be incidental to a history of abortion, not caused abortion itself.

Reardon has generally responded to these criticisms with the counter-charge that his critics arguments and motives are themselves tainted by their own pro-choice biases. In response to Major's commentary regarding his study of psychiatric hospitalization following abortion, Reardon asserts that Major's critique is so one-sided that she fails to inform readers of her own studies which have actually confirmed that at least a small portion of women having abortion suffer post-traumatic stress disorder attributable to their abortions.^[14]

In response to the controversy and challenges presented by Reardon's research, a group of New Zealand researchers recently undertook an effort to prove that abortion is generally beneficial to women's mental health.^[15] The team, led by the self-described pro-choice atheist David Fergusson, examined data they had collected from a longitudinal study of 500 women from birth to 25 years of age. After analyzing their data, however, they actually confirmed the trend of Reardon's findings finding that abortion was indeed associated with elevated rates of suicidal behaviors, depression, substance abuse, anxiety, and other mental problems. Moreover, after attempting to explain these differences by examining a large number of other demographic variables and measures of mental health prior to the women's first pregnancies, they concluded that the difference in subsequent mental health could not be easily explained by causes other than exposure to abortion. ^[16] The findings were so startling that in the conclusions of their paper Fergusson's team scolded the American Psychological Association (APA) for its one sided reviews of abortion complications and specifically for the APA's failure to cite and discuss the findings of researchers like Reardon. Following media coverage of this criticism, the APA withdrew a position paper on abortion from their website ^[17] and an APA spokesperson stated that Fergusson's research would have no effect on the APA's official stand on abortion because: "To pro-choice advocates, mental health effects are not relevant to the legal context of arguments to restrict access to abortion." ^[18]

One of the more controversial hypotheses put forward by Reardon is his assertion that post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) ... precipitated by a coerced abortion three days before their first wedding anniversary" was the underlying cause for Lorena Bobbitt's act of severing her husband's penis with a kitchen knife, in 1993. ^[19] He describes the event as an "anniversary reaction" to the abortion which occurred almost exactly three years prior to the attack. To support this theory, Reardon notes that Lorena testified that she had flash backs to the abortion moments before the attack and had "anniversary reaction" cramping and other symptoms.^[20]

Reardon's academic credentials have been questioned by the report that he earned his Ph.D. in biomedical ethics from Pacific Western University,^[21] which, though a state licensed university, is not accredited by the Council for Higher Education Accreditation.

[edit] Bibliography

Books

• Aborted Women, Silent No More (1987)
• Making Abortion Rare: A Healing Strategy for a Divided Nation (1996)
• The Jericho Plan: Breaking Down the Walls Which Prevent Post-Abortion Healing (1996)
• Victims and Victors: Speaking Out About Their Pregnancies, Abortions, and Children Resulting from Sexual Assault (with Julie Makimaa and Amy Sobie - 2000)
• Forbidden Grief: The Unspoken Pain of Abortion (with Theresa Burke - 2002)

Peer Reviewed Journal Articles

• Women's Preferences for Information and Complication Seriousness Ratings Related to Elective Medical Procedures. Coleman PK, Reardon DC, Lee MB. Journal of Medical Ethics. 2006 Aug;32(8):435-8.
• Relative Treatment Rates for Sleep Disorders and Sleep Disturbances Following Abortion and Childbirth: A Prospective Record Based-Study. DC Reardon, PK Coleman. Sleep 2006; 29(1):105-106.
• Substance use among pregnant women in the context of previous reproductive loss and desire for current pregnancy. Coleman PK, Reardon DC, Cougle JR. British Journal of Health Psychology 2005; 10:255-268.
• The psychology of abortion: a review and suggestions for future research. Coleman PK, Reardon DC, Strahan T, Cougle JR. Psychology and Health 2005; 20(2):237-271.
• Generalized anxiety following unintended pregnancies resolved through childbirth and abortion: a cohort study of the 1995 national survey of family growth. Cougle JR, Reardon DC, Coleman PK, Journal of Anxiety Disorders, 2005 19(1):137-142.
• Induced abortion and traumatic stress: A preliminary comparison of American and Russian women. Rue VM, Coleman PK, Rue JJ, Reardon DC. Med Sci Monit, 2004 10(10): SR5-16.
• Risk factors for legal induced abortion-related mortality in the United States. Obstet Gynecol. 2004 104(3):635.
• Pregnancy-associated mortality after birth. Reardon DC, Coleman PK. American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology, 2004 191(40):1506-1507.
• Deaths associated with abortion compared to childbirth: a review of new and old data and the medical and legal implications. Reardon DC, Strahan TW, Thorp JM, Shuping MW. The Journal of Contemporary Health Law & Policy. 2004; 20(2):279-327.
• Substance use associated with unintended pregnancy outcomes in the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth. Reardon DC, Coleman PK, Cougle JR. Am. J. Drug and Alcohol Abuse. 2004; 26(1):369 - 383.
• Abortion decisions and the duty to screen: clinical, ethical, and legal implications of predictive risk factors of post-abortion maladjustment. Reardon DC. J Contemp Health Law Policy. 2003 Winter;20(1):33-114.
• A history of Induced Abortion in Relation to Substance Use During Pregnancies Carried to Term - Letters Reply. Coleman PK, Reardon DC, Rue VM, Cougle JR. American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology 2003;189(2):618.
• Psychiatric Admissions of Low-income Women Following Abortion and Childbirth Reardon DC, Cougle JR, Rue VM, Shuping MW, Coleman PK, Ney PG. Canadian Medical Association Journal. 2003; 168(10):1253-7.
• Depression associated with abortion and childbirth: a long-term analysis of the NLSY cohort. Cougle JR, Reardon DC, Coleman PK. Med Sci Monit. 2003 Apr;9(4):CR105-12.
• Jonathan Shepherd, David C Reardon, Peter Davies, and Graham V Vimpani, Violence as a public health problem: Report misses association of violence with pregnancy, BMJ, Jan 2003; 326: 104.
• History of Induced Abortion in Relation to Substance Use During Pregnancies Carried to Term. Coleman PK, Reardon DC, Rue VM, Cougle JR. American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology 2002;187(5):1673-8.
• The quality of caregiving environment and child development outcomes associated with maternal history of abortion using the NLSY data. Coleman PK, Reardon DC, Cougle JR. J Child Psychology and Psychiatry. 2002; 43(6):743- 757.
• Deaths associated with pregnancy outcome: a record linkage study of low income women. Reardon DC, Ney PG, Scheuren FJ,, Cougle JR, Coleman, PK, Strahan T. Southern Medical Journal. 2002. 95(8):834-41.
• Depression and unintended pregnancy in young women: Authors Reply. Reardon DC, Cougle JR. British Medical Journal. 2002; 324:1097.
• Depression and unintended pregnancy in the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth: a cohort study. Reardon DC, Cougle JR. British Medical Journal. 324:151-2 (2002).
• State-funded abortions vs. deliveries: A comparison of outpatient mental health claims over five years. Coleman PK, Reardon DC, Rue VM, Cougle JR. Am J Orthopsychiatry. 2002; 72(1):141-152.
• Science, philosophy, religion, and use of embryonic stem cells. Lancet, 2002:359:2036-7.
• Suicide rates in China. Reardon DC, Bertolote JM, Phillips MR. Lancet 2002; 359:2274-5.
• Suicide associated with pregnancy outcome: a record linkage study of low income women. Reardon DC, Ney PG, Scheuren FJ,, Cougle JR, Coleman, PK. New research poster session at the 2002 American Psychiatric Association Conference, Philadelphia.
• Abortion and Subsequent Substance Abuse, Reardon DC, Ney P. Am. J. Drug and Alcohol Abuse 26(1):63-80 (2000)
• Differential Impact of Abortion on Adolescents and Adults, Franz W, Reardon DC, Adolescence, 1992.

[edit] See also

• Post-abortion syndrome

[edit] References