Renee Lafleur's Literature Review: Abortion's Impact on Society

This literature review, authored by Renee Lafleur, examines the multifaceted effects of abortion on society. It delves into the mental health consequences for women, citing studies that explore the link between abortion and mental disorders, as well as the impact of unwanted births. The review further investigates the economic implications, presenting contrasting viewpoints on whether abortion hinders or stimulates economic growth, considering factors like consumerism and crime rates. The study population for the research is Fort Simpson, a village in Canada. The study will involve women who have carried out at least one abortion in their lifetime and data will be collected using questionnaires and interviews. The research explores ethical considerations and employs statistical analysis to assess the relationship between abortion, mental health, and socioeconomic factors. The conclusion highlights the complex and often disputed nature of abortion's impact, encouraging further research into specific aspects like cost-benefit analysis and the detailed effects on mental health and the economy.

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The Effects of Abortion on Society
Renee Lafleur
Literature Review
3355414
August 11th, 2019

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Introduction
Over the past decades, abortion has always been a topic of discussion in society. The
topic has raised serious discussions involving human rights activists, medical practitioners
among others. These discussions have to lead to the introduction of several laws on abortion.
(Schwartz,1972). The main purpose of this study is to critically examine the effects of abortion
in society. The research will collect data from various stakeholders who include the community,
medical practitioners, the lawmakers among others.
Research Questions
1. How does abortion affect the mental condition of the victim?
2. Does abortion have any economic and social impact on society?
Hypothesis
1. Abortion is related to mental disorders of the victims.
2. High rates of abortion in society affects the consumption rates in the community.
Literature Review
Introduction
According to the University of Ottawa, there are about 31 abortions per 100 live births:
roughly 330,000 live births and 100,000 abortions each year (Facts and Figures on Abortion in
Canada). In 2003, 103,768 abortions were recorded in Canada, about 15.2 per thousand women
(Facts and Figures on Abortion in Canada). The legality and morality of abortions are often
disputed by pro-life activists, however, from a functionalist point of view, it can be hypothesized
that abortions serve a need within society.
Functionalism can be described as a paradigm which views society as being comprised of
different yet related parts, working together to serve a purpose for the whole organism. (Ali,

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Intro to Sociology). Much like a machine, using wires, springs, and gears to perform properly.
From a functionalist perspective, legal abortion meets a need within society. It can be argued that
legalized abortion creates options, jobs, and economic stimulation.
This literature review will explore whether the abortion has a positive or negative impact
on society, by examining the effect of abortion on mental health, as well as the effect of abortion
on the economy.
Abortion and Mental Health
Pro-life activists claim that abortion has a detrimental effect on women’s mental health.
David M. Fergusson, the professor of psychology at the University of Otago in Christchurch,
New Zealand, concludes that women who had had abortions had rates of mental disorder that
were about 30% higher.
His paper, Abortion and Mental Health Disorders: Evidence from a 30-year Longitudinal
Study, shows that women who have had an abortion between ages 15-30, are more likely to
experience depression, anxiety, suicidal ideation, alcoholism, drug addiction, among other
mental health problems.
Exposure to induced abortion was consistently associated with increased rates of mental
disorders. These trends reflected the fact that those exposed to abortion between ages 15-30 had
overall rates of mental health that were 1.54 times higher than those who were not (Fergusson,
Abortion and Mental Health Disorders).
However, one of the surveys conducted by the National Longitudinal Surveys of Labor
Market Experience (NLS) with the Center for Human Resources Research (CHRR) at Ohio State
University suggests that mental health is improved when women have access to safe abortion.

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It was reported that in 1987, women who had one abortion had higher self-esteem than
women who reported no abortion (Abortion and Mental Health: Studies based on the National
Longitudinal Study of Youth (NLSY)). Women who had unwanted births had the lowest levels
of well-being, and were also more likely to have repeat abortions than other women.
In summation, mental health can be negatively impacted by both women having
abortions, as well as women having unwanted births. The data shows that there are repercussions
on women’s mental health if abortion is performed, or there if there is an unwanted birth.
Abortion and Economic Growth
Whether or not abortion should be legal is often disputed based on whether or not it is
right to end a pregnancy for moral life reasons. However, the question of what happened to the
economy when the children who would have been born, are not, and thus are taken out of
society, is not a question often raised. “Since 1978, there have been 280-300,000 abortions in
New Zealand. As the cumulative numbers of abortion rise, the yearly impact on the economy
will increase” (Impact of Abortion on Society).
In the 22 years leading up to 1999, there were an estimated 200 000 abortions in New
Zealand. This means that there would be fewer consumers of products such as diapers, toys,
children’s shoes, clothes and books, as well as things like Happy Meals. Fewer children could
also result in less need in professional sectors such as teaching and daycare. This reduction in
consumerism also poses a problem for New Zealand’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP). GDP
measures the sum of a country’s labour force as an average output per worker. The decline in
consumers could potentially mean a decline in economic growth potential.

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In contrast, the book Freakonomics written and published in the United States has a
different opinion. In a chapter titled “Where Have All the Criminals Gone?” Steven D. Levitt
outlines the economic impact of the legalization of abortion in 1973.
describes the women who would be most likely to take advantage of legal abortion: “Very often
she was unmarried or in her teens or poor, and sometimes all three”. He then poses the question
“What sort of future might her child have had?”.
One study has shown that the typical child who went unborn in the earliest years of
legalized abortion would have been 50% more likely than average to live in poverty; he would
also of been 60% more likely to grow up with just one parent. Two factors that are the strongest
predictors that a child would have a criminal future (Levitt, 138). Between the years 1988 and
1994, violent crime in the early legalizing states fell 13% compared to other states. Between
1994 and 1997, their murder rates fell 23% more than those of other states, and since 1985, states
with high abortion rates have experienced a roughly 30% drop in crime rates relative to low
abortion states (Levitt, 141).
To summarize, abortion has the ability to greatly impact the economy. Though it has the
potential to negative, and growth restricting. It also has the potential to positively affect the
economy, and promote growth and overall well-being.
Conclusion
To conclude, through the research topic of the effects of abortion on society, it is
demonstrated that abortion does, in fact, have a large impact on numerous factors in society.
First, with regards to the mental health of women, it is shown that there are negative
ramifications in circumstances in which abortions are performed, as well as in situations which
there is an unwanted birth. Finally, the impact of abortion on economic growth can be disputed

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as a negative impact, or as a positive impact. When consumers are taken out of the economy, the
GDP of that country can be negatively affected. However, in contrast, abortion can have a hugely
positive impact on the crime rate within an economy. Furthermore; the impact of abortion on
society can be disputed as both a negative impact, as well as a positive impact. Should the reader
wish to further their insight on this topic, the reader should research whether the costs of abortion
are worth the benefits. Additionally, the reader could research more in-depth the impact of
abortion on mental health, as well as the impact of abortion on the economy.
Study Population
The study will be conducted in Fort Simpson, a village in Canada with a population of
1238 people. However, the study will only involve people women who have carried out t least
one abortion in their lifetime. Secondly, the study will also engage various hospitals and
divisions where the secondary data on abortion will be obtained.
Sampling
Due to factors such as limited resource and time, the study will not cover the entire
village. Instead, a sample will be taken from the total number of women who have carried at
least one abortion in their lifetime. This will not only save on the cost of running the study but
also help the researcher to complete the study within the stipulated time.
Sample size determination will be done using a formula recommended by Cooper and Schindler
(2003)
n= N
1+N e2
n= 1238
1+1238 ¿ 0. 222
n= 1 238
1+5 9 . 9

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n=20
Where,
N = Study population
n = sample size
e = Level of Precision
A simple random method will be used to select and recruit the respondents of the study
who are the women who have undergone at least a single abortion in their lifetime. Secondary
data will be taken from all the clinics and other medical facilities in the area. The data will
contain the total number of women who have carried out abortion in the area and the main reason
for doing the same. To add on that, the heads of the relevant department in the medical facilities
will also be taken as respondent as they contribute to economic planning in the society. A simple
random method will be appropriate in this study not only because it's easy to execute but also
because it enables the researcher to save time.
Before the actual study id conducted, a pilot study will be carried out to give the
researcher a rough idea of how the study will look like. To add to that, the researcher will also be
able to identify some challenges that they might encounter while carrying out the main study.
This will help the researcher to come up with some countermeasures to avoid the predicted
challenges.
Methods and Data Collection
Although it may sound like an easy task, data collection is one of the most challenging
activities in any study. While collecting data either from the filed or from then secondary
sources, it important for the researcher to be extra careful to increase the precision of the study.
Primary data in the study will be collected using questionnaires and interviews. Questionnaires

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will be designed and given to the women who have carried out abortion over the last five years.
The departmental leaders of the medical facilities will be interviewed by the researcher and their
views on abortion recorded by the researcher. The questionnaire and the interview questions will
be written in English since it’s the common language in the village. The primary data collected
will be recorded in the questionnaire where responses will be assigned some codes. Later the
data will be transferred to the spreadsheet and later imported to SPSS for statistical analysis.
Experiments
The study has to main objectives; to find out the relationship between mental disorder
and abortion among women who have carried out abortion over the last 5 years and to access the
effects of abortion on the social and economic life. To identify the relationship between abortion
and mentor disorder, the number of respondents suffering from a mental disorder or any other
related illness will be determined. A simple regression will be carried out using the Statistical
Package for Social Scientists (SPSS). To find out how the rate of abortion affects the
consumption patterns in the society, secondary data on the predicted consumptions in the society
will be extracted from various economic journals discussing the same. The changes in
consumption of various goods and services as predicted s years ago will be determined. After
these changes have been determined, the researcher will analyze how the total number of
abortions in the community is related to the changes in the economic situation of the village.
Ethical Issues
Like any other research, the study will have various ethical issues that the researcher needs to
carefully consider when executing the research. To begin with, the researcher should observe
honesty and integrity during the entire process of carrying out the study. The information should
be used as provided by the respondent without omitting or adding additional information.

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Secondly, the data collected by the researcher should be strictly confidential and should only be
used only for statistical analysis purposes. Furthermore, information from one respondent should
not be disclosed to another respondent. When collecting data, the researcher should assure the
respondents that the information will no be shared to anyone. This will play an important role in
making sure that the respondents provide accurate information without fear. Finally, when
collecting secondary data from various journal publications, the researcher will carefully cite the
authors of the said journals to avoid plagiarism. Furthermore, all the information in the literature
review will be cited accordingly. The results of the analysis will be reported as they per the
output of SPSS without adding or skipping any output. This will enhance the authenticity and
credibility of the study.
References
Abortion and mental health disorders: Evidence from a 30-year longitudinal study | The British
Journal of Psychiatry. (n.d.). Retrieved August 11th, 2019, from
http://bjp.rcpsych.org/content/193/6/444.full
Facts & Figures: Abortion. (n.d.). Retrieved August 11th, 2019, from
http://www.med.uottawa.ca/sim/data/Abortion_e.htm
Impact of Abortion on Society. (n.d.). Retrieved August 11th, 2019, from

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http://www.life.org.nz/abortion/abortionkeyissues/impact-on-society-abortion/
Intro to Sociology. (n.d.). Retrieved August 11th, 2019, from
http://yassirali.weebly.com/intro-to-sociology.html
Levitt, S. D., & Dubner, S. J. (2005). Freakonomics: A rogue economist explores the hidden side
of everything. New York: William Morrow.
Psychological Issues - Abortion and Mental Health: Studies based on the National Longitudinal
Study (NLSY). (n.d.). Retrieved August 11th, 2019, from
http://www.prochoiceforum.org.uk/psy_research5.php.
Schwartz, R. A. (1972). The social effects of legal abortion. American journal of public
health, 62(10), 1331-1335.