French study: abortion puts future babies at risk

Paris, France, May 16, 2005 / 22:00 pm

According to a new study released by a group of French scientists, having an abortion may nearly double the risk of birth complications in future pregnancies.

Dr Caroline Moreau, leader of the research team and an epidemiologist at the Hôpital de Bicêtre in Paris, said that the study showed conclusively--for the first time—that there is a link between abortion and pre-term births later on.

The study, which appeared in the British Journal of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, observed 2,837 births and found that women who had had an abortion were 1.7 times more likely to have a premature birth later on—usually at less than 28 weeks gestation.

Many babies born this early either die soon after birth or suffer severe disabilities.

The group demonstrated in fact, that high blood pressure was the only cause of premature birth for the women in the study not linked to abortion.

London’s daily, The Telegraph cited Jack Scarisbrick, chairman of the campaign group Life, who said that, ''We have been saying for years that surgical abortion inevitably increases the risk of later problems. It seems that the abortion procedure carries with it risks that women will know nothing about until they become pregnant with a 'wanted' child later on."

Added Dr Moreau in The Telegraph: "Clearly there is a link. The results suggest that induced abortion can damage the cervix in some way that makes a premature birth more likely in subsequent pregnancies."