From Zenit:
One of the study’s most striking findings is that approximately 40 percent of women who experienced a pregnancy loss reported that their most intense negative emotions were still present, on average, twenty years later. This persistence of distress was not limited to any single type of loss, but it was especially pronounced among women whose abortions were experienced as morally conflicting, unwanted, or coerced. Unlike earlier research that treated abortion as a uniform experience, this study took a more nuanced approach. Women were asked to describe how their abortion aligned with their own values and preferences at the time. Four distinct groups emerged: those who freely desired the abortion, those who accepted it despite an internal conflict with their values, those who did not want it, and those who felt forced into the decision. The emotional outcomes varied dramatically across these categories.