Commentary by Susan Brinkmann, OCDS

We’ve all heard the sad statistics – that women who have had abortions are six times more likely to commit suicide – but the recent case of a 21 year-old British woman who hung herself after an abortion reveals the true tragedy behind the numbers.

The Daily Mail is reporting on the story of Jade Rees, 21, a single mother who had an abortion after the five-month relationship she had with the child’s father broke down.

Rees’ mother described her as being “upset and distressed” after the abortion, a condition that only worsened when she learned that her ex-partner had begun to date someone new. Her condition worsened considerably after she visited a pub the two used to frequent only to discover that he had asked the landlord to bar her from the place.

Shortly after this, Rees overdosed on prescription and over-the-counter pills twice in 48 hours. Her father took her to a hospital emergency room where she was admitted and kept for two days before being declared fit for discharge. Doctors recommended that she be referred for psychiatric services.

The doctor who treated her, Dr. Easodhavidhya Elangomo, revealed during an inquest that Rees told her about the abortion she had a few weeks earlier and how the split from her boyfriend was very distressing to her.

“Though she was upset, she did not have any ongoing thoughts of suicide or self-harm. She denied any sense of hopelessness, and was adamant she eventually wanted to return to college to complete her A-Levels,” Dr. Elangomo said.

During the visit, Rees spoke lovingly about her little boy, who she clearly adored.

“Though I felt she was no risk to herself or others, due to the two overdoses she had taken so close together, I was concerned by her impulsivity. When her father arrived, he also voiced his concerns about her impulsive nature,” Dr. Elangomo testified. “I referred her to mental health services, and she promised to attend the appointment. I gave her the appointment card in the presence of her father, and he agreed to keep an eye on her.”

Rees had a history of depression and eating disorders and had been taking medication since the age of 14; however, she was taken off the drugs when she became pregnant in 2013. Dr. Elangomo said she was not on antidepressants at the time of their meeting.

It was only a few days later when Rees returned home after attending a bonfire and was “very upset”, according to her parents. Sometime during the night, she hung herself. Her body was discovered by her mother the following morning at around 10:30 a.m. Rees left handwritten notes for her parents and two year-old son explaining the struggle she was enduring since undergoing the abortion. She is said to have died while listening to the Ed Sheeran song, Small Bump, which is a first-person account of a miscarriage.

Her death has been ruled a suicide. Assistant coroner Matthew Cox said: “Due to the circumstances and the contents of her note, I am satisfied that Jade did intend the consequence of her actions.”

Rees’ case of suicide due to abortion regret is not an exception, but the rule. Studies have found that suicide is the leading cause of death in women within a year after an abortion. A large scale study conducted in Finland found that the suicide rate among women who have had abortions within the past year is three times higher compared to women in the general population, and six times higher compared to women who gave birth.

“The potential for depression and other mental health issues at this time needs to be better appreciated,” reports the authors of a 2013 report by the Queensland Maternal and Perinatal Quality Council. “Active follow-up of these women needs to happen.”

Unfortunately, the desire to make abortion seem “safe” and “less dangerous than childbirth” too often means suppressing these studies or writing them off as the product of researchers who are “anti-abortion” or “anti-woman”, thus leaving millions of women like Rees without the care they so desperately need.

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