Nearly 70% of women who have abortions report feeling regret or that their decision conflicted with their core values, highlighting a widespread disconnect between choice and true desire. This unsettling reality calls for a deeper look at the emotional and social pressures influencing these decisions. Justice demands that women receive the support and resources they need to make fully informed, empowered choices aligned with their values.
Today, let’s take a deeper look at the idea of a woman’s Right to Support—not just as a concept, but as a matter of justice. And to do that, we’ll return to the 2023 research report titled “The Effects of Abortion Decision Rightness and Decision Type on Women’s Satisfaction and Mental Health.”
You can read the full report here: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/37303450/
As a quick refresher, the study surveyed 1,000 women, 226 of whom had personal experience with abortion. Researchers asked these women whether:
-
- They wanted the abortion,
- They accepted the abortion but found it inconsistent with their values and preferences,
- They did not want the abortion or felt coerced into it.
Here’s how the responses broke down:
-
- Abortion wanted: 33%
- Abortion accepted but inconsistent with values/preferences: 43%
- Abortion unwanted or coerced: 24%
In yesterday’s article (https://brettattebery.com/are-american-women-being-coerced-into-doing-something-they-dont-want-to-do/), we explored the 24% of women who reported that their abortion was unwanted or coerced.
Today, let’s shift our focus to the 43%—nearly half—who said they accepted the abortion, but that it conflicted with their values and preferences.
While these women didn’t state outright that their abortion was unwanted, like the 24% did, doesn’t it still strike you as significant—if not alarming—that nearly half of the women expressed some level of discomfort or dissatisfaction with the decision?
There’s no celebration in this group. No bold claim of empowerment. What comes through instead is a quiet, sobering sense of resignation.
They’re essentially saying, Yes, I had the abortion. But if I’m honest, it’s not what I really wanted. It didn’t align with who I am or what I believe.
So why would someone go through with something that conflicts with their deepest values?
If we’re honest, most of us have made choices like that at some point. I know I have.
And when I reflect on those moments, one emotion often lies at the root: fear.
Fear of consequences. Fear of judgment. Fear of losing control, or being left without options.
I’ll write more about the role fear plays in abortion decisions in future articles.
But for now, let’s pause and consider the profound insight we’ve uncovered across these last two pieces.
Assuming these research findings reasonably reflect what’s still true today, 67%—two-thirds—of women who undergo abortions are doing something they don’t fully want to do.
Let me put that in business terms: imagine an industry where 67% of the customers walk away with what amounts to buyer’s remorse.
What kind of business survives when two out of every three people regret their purchase?
Yet here we are, in a world where that’s exactly what the abortion industry seems to be offering. And still, they promote it as “healthcare” and as a form of compassionate support for women.
The reality on the ground doesn’t match the advertising.
That said, in fairness, we do have to acknowledge that 33% of women in the survey said they did want their abortion. For them, the experience aligns with their expectations—what we might call “buyer’s satisfaction.”
We’ll turn our attention to that group in tomorrow’s article.
But today, let’s sit with this: nearly 7 out of 10 women aren’t finding real alignment between their choices and their core values. And if justice means giving people what is due to them, we must ask: what would it look like to give these women the support they clearly need?
More to come…
Regards,
Brett Attebery