What Happens When We Deny People Abortions? | Diana Greene Foster | TED
TLDRThis script narrates the impact of unintended pregnancies on two women from the 20th century, leading the speaker to a career in demography. The speaker refutes the claim that abortion harms women's mental health with the 'Turnaway Study,' showing no such harm and instead highlighting the physical, socioeconomic, and aspirational benefits of abortion access. The script calls for trust in women's decisions and support for safe, legal abortion.
Takeaways
- 👵 The speaker's grandmothers' experiences with unintended pregnancies shaped their career path as a demographer and professor.
- 🚫 Abortion was illegal or inaccessible for both grandmothers, leading to different outcomes for each, which influenced the speaker's research focus.
- 🔍 The speaker's research aimed to debunk the myth that abortion causes mental health harm, using a comparative study design.
- 🏥 The 'Turnaway Study' compared women who received abortions with those denied them, finding no mental health harm from abortion.
- 📉 Women denied abortions experienced higher anxiety, lower self-esteem, and lower life satisfaction, but these differences diminished over time.
- 🤰 Women who carried pregnancies to term and gave birth faced worse physical health outcomes compared to those who had abortions.
- 💔 Socioeconomic hardships were more prevalent among women denied abortions, including increased reliance on public assistance and poverty.
- 🏆 Women who received abortions were more likely to achieve their life aspirations compared to those who were denied.
- 🏡 Over 95% of women who received abortions felt it was the right decision, highlighting the importance of personal choice.
- 🌎 International trends lean towards liberalizing abortion laws, contrasting with recent restrictive measures in the United States.
- 🛡 Access to safe, legal abortion is crucial for the well-being of families and individuals, allowing for control over one's life and destiny.
Q & A
What was the historical context of Sally's decision to get an abortion?
-Sally was newly married at the start of the Great Depression, and she and her husband decided they couldn't afford to start a family yet. Abortion was illegal in New York City, leading her to travel to Puerto Rico for an illegal abortion.
Why was Dorothy sent to a Salvation Army home for unwed mothers?
-Dorothy became pregnant by a much older golf instructor after graduating from high school. Her conservative parents shunned her, and she had to go away to the Salvation Army home where she gave birth and placed the child for adoption.
What motivated the speaker to become a demographer and professor?
-The speaker's grandmothers' experiences with unintended pregnancies and the societal and legal challenges they faced were part of the reason the speaker pursued a career studying the causes and consequences of unintended pregnancy.
What was the basis for Supreme Court Justice Anthony Kennedy's stance on abortion in 2007?
-Justice Kennedy allowed restrictions on abortion to stand because he believed that some women might come to regret their choice to abort, leading to severe depression and loss of esteem, despite the lack of reliable data to measure this phenomenon.
What was the purpose of the Turnaway Study conducted by the speaker's research team?
-The Turnaway Study aimed to compare the outcomes for women who received abortions with those who were denied abortions, to understand the impacts of abortion access on mental health, physical health, and socioeconomic well-being.
How did the Turnaway Study ensure comparability between the two groups of women studied?
-The study focused on recruiting two groups of women: those who were just under the legal limit for abortion and received it, and those who arrived too late and were turned away, ensuring both groups were in similar circumstances.
What were the key findings regarding mental health outcomes in the Turnaway Study?
-The study found no mental health harm from abortion. Instead, it observed higher anxiety, lower self-esteem, and lower life satisfaction among those who were denied abortions, although these differences diminished over time.
What physical health differences were found between women who had abortions and those who carried pregnancies to term?
-The study found worse physical health for women who carried pregnancies to term and gave birth, including higher chronic pain, more hypertension, and overall worse physical health compared to those who had abortions.
What socioeconomic impacts did the Turnaway Study identify for women denied abortions?
-Women denied abortions faced more hardships, including increased reliance on public assistance, loss of full-time employment, falling below the federal poverty level, and higher risks of eviction and bankruptcy.
How did the study's findings relate to women's aspirations and future plans?
-The study found that women who received abortions were more likely to achieve their aspirational plans, such as breaking ties with abusive partners, pursuing higher education, and having intended pregnancies later, compared to those denied abortions.
What was the speaker's conclusion on the importance of access to safe, legal abortion?
-The speaker concluded that access to safe, legal abortion is crucial for the economic well-being of families and allows individuals to pursue personal and educational goals, including having wanted children later in life.
What was the speaker's perspective on the international trend regarding abortion laws?
-The speaker noted that the overwhelming international trend is towards liberalizing abortion laws, in contrast to the United States, which has been imposing new restrictions.
What are some of the supports the speaker suggests for low-income families to prevent unwanted pregnancies for economic reasons?
-The speaker suggests more generous and less punitive supports such as income supports, extended health care coverage, child care, and parental leave to help low-income families and prevent unwanted pregnancies due to economic reasons.
How did the speaker's grandmothers' experiences with unintended pregnancies shape the speaker's views on abortion?
-The speaker's grandmothers' experiences, one having an abortion and the other giving birth and facing severe complications, demonstrated the importance of having control over one's body, life, and destiny, reinforcing the speaker's belief in the right to safe, legal abortion.
What was the impact of the 2022 Supreme Court Dobbs decision on abortion rights in the United States?
-The Dobbs decision overturned Roe v. Wade, ending federal protections for abortion rights and leading to a patchwork of state laws with large areas of the Southern United States and Midwest lacking legal abortion clinics.
Outlines
📚 Unintended Pregnancy and its Impact: A Personal and Research Perspective
The speaker introduces the topic by sharing personal family stories of two grandmothers who faced unintended pregnancies in the early 20th century, leading to different outcomes due to the legal status of abortion at the time. The speaker's motivation to become a demographer and professor stems from these experiences. The narrative then shifts to address the controversial claim that abortion causes mental health harm, a notion that has been used to justify restrictive abortion laws. The speaker highlights the lack of reliable data to support this claim and introduces the 'Turnaway Study', a research project initiated to collect data on the outcomes of women who received abortions versus those who were denied, aiming to provide empirical evidence on the subject.
🔍 The Turnaway Study: Comparing Abortion Recipients and Denials
This paragraph delves into the methodology and findings of the 'Turnaway Study', conducted across 30 abortion facilities in the United States. The study focused on two groups of women: those who received abortions just under the legal limit and those who were turned away due to being past the limit. Initially, both groups were similar in terms of mental health, physical health, and socioeconomic status. However, over a five-year follow-up period, significant divergences emerged. Women who were denied abortions experienced higher anxiety, lower self-esteem, and lower life satisfaction, although these differences diminished over time. More strikingly, the study revealed worse physical health outcomes for women who carried their pregnancies to term, including increased risks associated with childbirth and long-term health issues. Socioeconomic disparities also emerged, with women denied abortions facing greater hardships, such as increased reliance on public assistance, loss of full-time employment, and a higher likelihood of falling below the poverty line.
🌐 Global Implications and the Post-Dobbs Reality
The final paragraph discusses the broader implications of the study's findings and the current state of abortion rights, particularly in the context of the United States' departure from the global trend of liberalizing abortion laws. The speaker emphasizes the importance of supporting pregnant individuals, regardless of their decision to carry a pregnancy to term, and calls for more generous and less punitive social supports for low-income families. The paragraph also addresses the consequences of the 2022 Dobbs decision by the Supreme Court, which overturned federal protections for abortion rights, and highlights the determination of people experiencing unwanted pregnancies to seek solutions within the constraints of their state laws. The speaker concludes by reflecting on personal family narratives and the significance of individual autonomy in childbearing decisions for economic well-being and the pursuit of personal and educational goals.
Mindmap
Keywords
💡Abortion
💡Unintended Pregnancy
💡Mental Health
💡Socioeconomic Well-being
💡Turnaway Study
💡Depression
💡Economic Reasons
💡Childbirth
💡Aspirational Plans
💡Supreme Court Justice
💡Dobbs Decision
Highlights
Two women, born in the early 20th century, experienced unwanted pregnancies with different outcomes, inspiring the speaker's career in demography.
Sally traveled to Puerto Rico for an illegal abortion during the Great Depression due to financial concerns.
Dorothy, shunned by her conservative parents, gave birth and placed her child for adoption at a Salvation Army home.
The speaker's research aims to study the causes and consequences of unintended pregnancy, challenging the myth of abortion causing mental health harm.
Supreme Court Justice Anthony Kennedy's 2007 statement on the potential mental health harm of abortion led to the initiation of data collection by the speaker's team.
The Turnaway Study compared women who received abortions with those denied, showing no mental health harm from abortion.
Denied abortion women experienced higher anxiety, lower self-esteem, and lower life satisfaction initially.
Over time, mental health improved for both groups, but physical health worsened for those who gave birth.
Childbirth is associated with greater risks than abortion, including hemorrhage and death.
Women denied abortion faced more socioeconomic hardships, including increased public assistance and poverty levels.
Abortion access is crucial for women to achieve their life aspirations, such as education and financial stability.
Over 95% of women who received abortions felt it was the right decision, contrasting with the minority who chose adoption.
Amy Coney Barrett's suggestion that women could drop babies at fire stations overlooks the complexities of adoption.
The international trend leans towards liberalizing abortion laws, in contrast to the U.S.'s new restrictions.
Support for pregnant people includes income support, health care, child care, and parental leave to prevent unwanted pregnancy terminations for economic reasons.
The Dobbs decision's impact on abortion rights has led to resourceful individuals seeking abortions despite state laws.
The speaker's grandmothers' experiences underscore the importance of reproductive autonomy and its impact on life trajectories.
Access to safe, legal abortion is fundamental for family well-being and personal goals, including having wanted children later.
Transcripts
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