Abortion in America: An Interview with Dr. Diana Foster, Director of the Turnaway Study

This appeared in The Millennial Source

As legal battles over abortion in the United States continue to be waged on both the state and federal level, researchers are addressing a seemingly more straightforward question: Is abortion safe?

The opposing sides of the abortion divide often debate this question from an ideological point of view, but considerable research has been conducted regarding this matter.

The Turnaway Study: Background

In a groundbreaking study published in 2016, a research team led by Dr. Diana Foster examined “the effects of unintended pregnancy on women’s lives.” The Turnaway Study featured interviews with 956 women from 30 health facilities around the United States. The women were recruited from January 2008 to December 2010 and interviews were conducted every six months until January 2016.

The original five-year longitudinal study focused on the mental and physical health of the women in the study. It also compared the socioeconomic effects on women who had an abortion versus those who were forced to carry an unwanted fetus to term.