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David Reardon

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David C Reardon, is the director of The Elliot Institute, a pro-life and anti-stem cell research foundation. Reardon is a biomedical ethicist specializing in research and education related to the effects of abortion on women. He claims to have received a Ph.D. from the unaccredited correspondence school, Pacific Western University which was forced to close by the state of California.

According to the Elliot Institute website, Reardon "is a frequent guest on Christian radio and Christian television talk shows and has been a frequently invited speaker state and national conventions for crisis pregnancy centers and pro-life organizations" and "Dr. Reardon's three-pronged strategy for ending abortion by helping women has already been adopted by many pro-life organizations at the local, state, and national levels. It appears certain that the popularity of this new compassionate approach to the abortion conflict will continue to grow and become a permanent part of pro-life activities." David Reardon has also addressed the National Right to Life Committee convention in 1998, where he advocated the need to minister to women who have had, and that abortion leads to " Post Traumatic Stress Disorder."

Reardon's Peer Reviewed Studies

Reardon has published numerous peer reviewed studies regarding emotional and physical complications associated with induced abortion. These studies have shown statistical associations between a history of abortion and elevated risks of death, psychiatric hospitalization, suicide, substance abuse, depression, anxiety, sleep disorders, and other sequalae.

A principle thesis of Reardon's work is that the medical issues associated with abortion can and should be analyzed separately from the political and moral controversies surrounding this medical procedure. In short, he argues that in each case where an abortion might be considered the attending physician has an obligation to develop an informed medical opinion regarding the question "Is an abortion likely to produce more benefit or more harm for this particular patient?" This theme is most thoroughly explored in Reardon's review article entitled The duty to screen: clinical, legal and ethical implications of predictive risk factors of post-abortion maladjustment In this paper Reardon argues that advocates of abortion have consistently presumed that the benefits of abortion are self evident, but, he argues, there is actually a remarkable absence of any research that has statistically validated any of the mental, physical, or social benefits claimed benefits for abortion. He argues that this lack of knowledge of when, if ever, abortion contributes to women's health must also be weighed in the context of studies which demonstrate that certain groups of women, perhaps even the majority of abortion patients, have "risk factors" that have been proven to be associated with an increased likelihood of suffering one or more negative effects.

Academic Criticisms

Critics of Reardon include Barbara Major of the Department of Psychology at the University of California, Santa Barbara, and Nancy Russo, a psychology professor at Arizona State University.

Barbara Major argues that Reardon's interpretation of his research results, and the conclusions he draws from those results, are mostly informed by pro-life bias and not a search for truth. Major also argued Reardon's methodology of comparing women who have had an abortion to women who completed their pregnancies normally is flawed, asserting that a more appropriate comparison would be to women who wished to abort their pregnancy but chose not to or were not allowed to do so. She explains that a higher incidence of psychological problems among women who have abortions is likely to be explained by higher rates of pre-existing psychological problems among women inclined to have abortions. Another argument raised by Major and others is that evidence of a statistical correlation between abortion and negative effects is not the same as proving causation.

Reardon has generally responded to these criticisms with the counter-charge that his critics arguments and motives are themselves tainted by pro-choice biases. In response to Major's commentary regarding his study of psychiatric hospitalization following abortion, Reardon asserts that Major's critique fails to inform readers of her own studies which confirmed that a small portion of women having abortion suffer post-traumatic stress disorder coinciding with their abortions.

In response to the controversy and challenges presented by Reardon's research, a group of New Zealand researchers undertook a study published in 2006 to test Major's argument that psychological differences between women with a history of abortions and those with no history of abortion can be best explained by more pre-existing psychological disorders among the types of women most likely to undergo an abortion. The team, led by Professor David Fergusson, examined data collected from a longitudinal study of 500 New Zealand women between the age of 15 and 25 years of age. The study found an association between women who had abortions and elevated rates of suicidal behaviors, depression, substance abuse, anxiety, and other mental problems. Moreover, after attempting to explain these differences by examining demographic variables and measures of mental health prior to the women's first pregnancies, they concluded that the difference in subsequent mental health could not be easily explained by causes other than exposure to abortion. In the conclusions section of their paper Fergusson's team criticized the American Psychological Association (APA) for its one sided reviews of abortion complications. The New Zealand study also cites Reardon four times, using his conclusions to draw similar conclusions of their own. However, the authors of the New Zealand study are careful to not draw a causal relationship between abortion and depression or stress.


Criticism in American Newspapers

The Washington Monthly

In a Washington Monthly article titled, "Research and Destroy" author Chris Mooney profiles Reardon as an example of what he describes as a "Christian conservatives have gone a long way towards creating their own scientific counter-establishment." In his article, Mooney writes that Reardon earned his Ph.D. from an "unaccredited correspondence school." He also argues that Reardon's studies, most of which have been published since 2000, are out of line with (1) the American Psychological Association, which has rejected the "the notion that abortion regularly causes severe or clinical mental problems" and (2) the conclusions of Surgeon General C. Everett Koop's delivered by letter to President Reagan in 1988 in which Koop states that "scientific studies do not provide conclusive data about the health effects of abortion on women."

The New York Times Magazine

In a front page story for New York Times Magazine describing the growing movement of post-abortion counseling ministries around the United States, Emily Bazelon, a senior editor at Slate, asserts that Reardon is the "Moses" of the post-abortion movement's efforts to promote the idea that "abortion harms women and that this should be a weapon in the anti-abortion arsenal." She writes that Reardon has claimed the anti-abortion movement will "never win over a majority... by asserting the sancitity of fetal life. Those in the ambivalent middle 'have hardened their hearts to the unborn ‘fetus’' and are 'focused totally on the woman.' And so the anti-abortion movement must do the same." She also quotes Reardon's book, Aborted Women, where he claims, "Even if pro-abortionists got five paragraphs explaining that abortion is safe and we got only one line saying it’s dangerous, the seed of doubt is planted."

Bazelon, a cousin of NOW founder Betty Friedan and co-defender of abortion rights, writes that the issues raised by Reardon may pose a new threat to abortion rights:

"For anti-abortion activists, this strategy offers distinct advantages. It challenges the connection between access to abortion and women’s rights — if women are suffering because of their abortions, then how could making the procedure readily available leave women better off? It replaces mute pictures of dead fetuses with the voices of women who narrate their stories in raw detail and who claim they can move legislators to tears. And it trades condemnation for pity and forgiveness. “Pro-lifers who say, ‘I don’t understand how anyone could have an abortion,’ are blind to how hurtful this statement can be,” Reardon writes on his Web site. “A more humble pro-life attitude would be to say, ‘Who am I to throw stones at others?’

Other Criticisms

Some commentators have characterized Reardon as "controversial" because a case review by Reardon suggesting that abortion associated post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)was a contributing factor behind Lorena Bobbitt's act of severing her husband's penis with a kitchen knife, in 1993. Reardon asserts that the attack, which occurred almost exactly three years after the abortion, reflected aspects of an "anniversary reaction" associated to the abortion. To support this theory, Reardon notes that Lorena testified that she had flashbacks to the abortion moments before the attack when she was in the kitchen and retrieving the knive. Court records indicate she was also treated for psychosomatic cramping and other symptoms days before the attack which Reardon also asserts may be related to post-abortion anniversary reactions.

Other critics infer that Reardon's views are biased by pro-life considerations because the Elliot Institute (of which Reardon is the Director) has advocated for a preemptive ban against "human engineering", meaning the genetic manipulation or alteration of human beings favored by some eugenicists and transhumanists.

See also

References

  1. Elliot Institute Website "ELLIOT WHO?"
  2. Elliot Institute Website "Politics"
  3. Elliot Institute website "Our Initiative: Stem Cell Research Ballot Initiative"
  4. "Research and Destroy" by Chris Mooney
  5. "David C. Reardon, Biographical Sketch. (2000). Afterabortion.org. Retrieved February 11, 2007.
  6. New York Times, "California Trying to Close Worthless-Diploma Schools"
  7. Bazelon, Emily. The New York Times. Is There a Post-Abortion Syndrome?
  8. Mooney, Chris. (October 1, 2004). "Research and Destroy". Washington Monthly. Retrieved February 11, 2007.
  9. Elliot Institute Website Retrieved November 19, 2007
  10. (audio National Pro-Life Religious Council Retrieved November 19, 2007
  11. "Pastors Gather to Meet Challenge of Pro-Life Ministry." Publication: National Right to Life News
  12. See Bibliography in this article. You can also go to "http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/" and search on "Reardon DC""" for an updated list of journal articles
  13. Deaths associated with pregnancy outcome: a record linkage study of low income women. Reardon DC, Ney PG, Scheuren FJ,, Cougle JR, Coleman, PK, Strahan T. Southern Medical Journal. 2002. 95(8):834-41.
  14. Psychiatric Admissions of Low-income Women Following Abortion and Childbirth Reardon DC, Cougle JR, Rue VM, Shuping MW, Coleman PK, Ney PG. Canadian Medical Association Journal. CMAJ 2003; 168(10):1253-7.
  15. Deaths associated with abortion compared to childbirth: a review of new and old data and the medical and legal implications. Reardon DC, Strahan TW, Thorp JM, Shuping MW. The Journal of Contemporary Health Law & Policy. 2004; 20(2):279-327.
  16. Abortion and Substance Abuse Link Often Overlooked www.afterabortion.info
  17. Depression associated with abortion and childbirth: a long-term analysis of the NLSY cohort. Cougle JR, Reardon DC, Coleman PK. Med Sci Monit. 2003 Apr;9(4):CR105-12.
  18. Generalized anxiety following unintended pregnancies resolved through childbirth and abortion: a cohort study of the 1995 national survey of family growth. Cougle JR, Reardon DC, Coleman PK, Journal of Anxiety Disorders, 2005 19(1):137-142.
  19. Relative Treatment Rates for Sleep Disorders and Sleep Disturbances Following Abortion and Childbirth: A Prospective Record Based-Study. DC Reardon and PK Coleman. Sleep 2006; 29(1):105-106.
  20. Induced abortion and traumatic stress: A preliminary comparison of American and Russian women. Rue VM, Coleman PK, Rue JJ, Reardon DC. Med Sci Monit, 2004 10(10): SR5-16.
  21. The duty to screen: clinical, legal and ethical implications of predictive risk factors of post-abortion maladjustment. Reardon DC. J Contemp Health Law Policy. 2003 Winter;20(1):33-114.
  22. Bazelon, Emily. The New York Times. Is There a Post-Abortion Syndrome?
  23. ^ Abortion perils debated. (2003). Canadian Medical Association Journal, 169 (2).
  24. Risk of Psychiatric Hospitalization Rises After Abortion www.afterabortion.info
  25. Abortion researcher confounded by study, and Abortion increases mental health risk: study
  26. David M. Fergusson, L. John Horwood, and Elizabeth M. Ridder, Abortion in young women and subsequent mental health Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry 47(1): 16-24, 2006.
  27. Warren Throckmorton "Abortion and mental health" The Washington Times, January 21, 2006. Now available at Author's site.
  28. David M. Fergusson, L. John Horwood, and Elizabeth M. Ridder, Abortion in young women and subsequent mental health Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry 47(1): 16-24, 2006.
  29. Chris Mooney"Research and Destroy" Washington Monthly, October 2004
  30. Chris Mooney (sidebar) Bucking the Gipper, October 2004
  31. Bazelon, Emily. The New York Times Magazine. Is There a Post-Abortion Syndrome?
  32. Ibid
  33. http://www.slate.com/id/2135515/fr/rss/
  34. Bazelon, Emily. The New York Times Magazine. Is There a Post-Abortion Syndrome?
  35. Ertelt, Steven. (January 15, 2004). "New Report on Lorena Bobbitt Case Focuses on Forced Abortion." Lifenews.com. Retrieved February 11, 2007.
  36. Their Deepest Wound: An Analysis The PostAbortion Review 4(2-3) Spring & Summer 1996.
  37. www.elliotinstitute.org

Bibliography

Books

  • Aborted Women, Silent No More (1987)
  • Making Abortion Rare: A Healing Strategy for a Divided Nation (1996)
  • The Jericho Plan: Breaking Down the Walls Which Prevent Post-Abortion Healing (1996)
  • Victims and Victors: Speaking Out About Their Pregnancies, Abortions, and Children Resulting from Sexual Assault (with Julie Makimaa and Amy Sobie - 2000)
  • Forbidden Grief: The Unspoken Pain of Abortion (with Theresa Burke - 2002)

Peer Reviewed Journal Articles

  • Women's Preferences for Information and Complication Seriousness Ratings Related to Elective Medical Procedures. Coleman PK, Reardon DC, Lee MB. Journal of Medical Ethics. 2006 Aug;32(8):435-8.
  • Relative Treatment Rates for Sleep Disorders and Sleep Disturbances Following Abortion and Childbirth: A Prospective Record Based-Study. DC Reardon, PK Coleman. Sleep 2006; 29(1):105-106.
  • Substance use among pregnant women in the context of previous reproductive loss and desire for current pregnancy. Coleman PK, Reardon DC, Cougle JR. British Journal of Health Psychology 2005; 10:255-268.
  • The psychology of abortion: a review and suggestions for future research. Coleman PK, Reardon DC, Strahan T, Cougle JR. Psychology and Health 2005; 20(2):237-271.
  • Generalized anxiety following unintended pregnancies resolved through childbirth and abortion: a cohort study of the 1995 national survey of family growth. Cougle JR, Reardon DC, Coleman PK, Journal of Anxiety Disorders, 2005 19(1):137-142.
  • Induced abortion and traumatic stress: A preliminary comparison of American and Russian women. Rue VM, Coleman PK, Rue JJ, Reardon DC. Med Sci Monit, 2004 10(10): SR5-16.
  • Risk factors for legal induced abortion-related mortality in the United States. Obstet Gynecol. 2004 104(3):635.
  • Pregnancy-associated mortality after birth. Reardon DC, Coleman PK. American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology, 2004 191(40):1506-1507.
  • Deaths associated with abortion compared to childbirth: a review of new and old data and the medical and legal implications. Reardon DC, Strahan TW, Thorp JM, Shuping MW. The Journal of Contemporary Health Law & Policy. 2004; 20(2):279-327.
  • Substance use associated with unintended pregnancy outcomes in the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth. Reardon DC, Coleman PK, Cougle JR. Am. J. Drug and Alcohol Abuse. 2004; 26(1):369 - 383.
  • Abortion decisions and the duty to screen: clinical, ethical, and legal implications of predictive risk factors of post-abortion maladjustment. Reardon DC. J Contemp Health Law Policy. 2003 Winter;20(1):33-114.
  • A history of Induced Abortion in Relation to Substance Use During Pregnancies Carried to Term - Letters Reply. Coleman PK, Reardon DC, Rue VM, Cougle JR. American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology 2003;189(2):618.
  • Psychiatric Admissions of Low-income Women Following Abortion and Childbirth Reardon DC, Cougle JR, Rue VM, Shuping MW, Coleman PK, Ney PG. Canadian Medical Association Journal. 2003; 168(10):1253-7.
  • Depression associated with abortion and childbirth: a long-term analysis of the NLSY cohort. Cougle JR, Reardon DC, Coleman PK. Med Sci Monit. 2003 Apr;9(4):CR105-12.
  • Jonathan Shepherd, David C Reardon, Peter Davies, and Graham V Vimpani, Violence as a public health problem: Report misses association of violence with pregnancy, BMJ, Jan 2003; 326: 104.
  • History of Induced Abortion in Relation to Substance Use During Pregnancies Carried to Term. Coleman PK, Reardon DC, Rue VM, Cougle JR. American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology 2002;187(5):1673-8.
  • The quality of caregiving environment and child development outcomes associated with maternal history of abortion using the NLSY data. Coleman PK, Reardon DC, Cougle JR. J Child Psychology and Psychiatry. 2002; 43(6):743- 757.
  • Deaths associated with pregnancy outcome: a record linkage study of low income women. Reardon DC, Ney PG, Scheuren FJ,, Cougle JR, Coleman, PK, Strahan T. Southern Medical Journal. 2002. 95(8):834-41.
  • Depression and unintended pregnancy in young women: Authors Reply. Reardon DC, Cougle JR. British Medical Journal. 2002; 324:1097.
  • Depression and unintended pregnancy in the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth: a cohort study. Reardon DC, Cougle JR. British Medical Journal. 324:151-2 (2002).
  • State-funded abortions vs. deliveries: A comparison of outpatient mental health claims over five years. Coleman PK, Reardon DC, Rue VM, Cougle JR. Am J Orthopsychiatry. 2002; 72(1):141-152.
  • Science, philosophy, religion, and use of embryonic stem cells. Lancet, 2002:359:2036-7.
  • Suicide rates in China. Reardon DC, Bertolote JM, Phillips MR. Lancet 2002; 359:2274-5.
  • Suicide associated with pregnancy outcome: a record linkage study of low income women. Reardon DC, Ney PG, Scheuren FJ,, Cougle JR, Coleman, PK. New research poster session at the 2002 American Psychiatric Association Conference, Philadelphia.
  • Abortion and Subsequent Substance Abuse, Reardon DC, Ney P. Am. J. Drug and Alcohol Abuse 26(1):63-80 (2000)
  • Differential Impact of Abortion on Adolescents and Adults, Franz W, Reardon DC, Adolescence, 1992.
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