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David C. Reardon is the director of the Elliot Institute.

The Elliot Institute

Reardon is the director of the Elliot Institute which, according to its web site, is "engaged in research and educational activities related to the effects of eugenics, abortion, population control, and sexual attitudes and practices on individuals and society at large".

The Elliot Institute has endorsed model legislation regarding informed consent provisions for women considering abortion and bills that would increase the liablity of physicians who provide abortions that are deemed "unsafe or unnecessary". The Elliot Institute is also leading an effort to build a coaliton of groups to advocate for laws that would create a preemptive ban on human genetic engineering.

Academic credentials

Reardon received his Ph.D. from Pacific Western University, an unaccredited school with no classroom or online instruction.

Peer Reviewed Academic Papers Related to Abortion

Reardon has published a number of peer-reviewed studies and literature reviews which have examined the emotional and physical effects of induced abortion. These studies have shown significant 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 pro-choice advocates 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 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.


Political views and pro-life affiliations

Reardon describes his own position as both "pro-life" (believing a human fetus is deserving of protection) and "anti-abortion" (believing abortion hurts women). In a 2002 article in Ethics & Medicine, Reardon argued that in order to be effective, pro-life efforts had to present "a moral vision that consistently demonstrates just as much concern for women as for their unborn children." Reardon therefore encouraged the pro-life movement to embrace and disseminate information stating that abortion was harmful to women, writing:

In some cases, it is unnecessary to convince people of abortion's dangers. It is sufficient simply to raise enough doubts about abortion that they will refuse actively to oppose the proposed anti-abortion initiative.

In the same article, Reardon summarized his view of abortion thus: "Because abortion is evil, we can expect, and can even know, that it will harm those who participate in it. Nothing good comes from evil."

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." Reardon addressed the National Pro-Life Religious Council in 1998, where he discussed emotional reactions to abortion in the context of the disputed entity of "post-abortion syndrome".

Books on abortion

Reardon is also the author of several books on abortion. His first, "Aborted Women, Silent No More" included a testimonies from and a survey of WEBA, a peer support group for women who had a history of abortion and who mostly regretted their abortions and reported grief, guilt, depression and other negative reactions.

His second book, Making Abortion Rare: A Healing Strategy for a Divided Nation, Reardon proposes "a compassionate and comprehensive program of pastoral, political, and educational reform ...that will reduce antagonism, will create a healing environment for those who have been emotionally wounded by abortion, and will draw Americans together through their common concern for women." While seeking to build common ground between people of "good will" on both sides of the debate who truly care about women, the thrust of "Making Abortion Rare" is an appeals to pro-life advocates to adopt a "pro-woman/pro-life" view of the abortion issue. He argues that the harm abortion does to women is equally as important as the harm it does to unborn children and further argues that pro-life goals of limiting or outlawing abortion cannot be acheived without recognition of the "second victim." He also advocates for laws that would expose abortion providers to increased liability for psychological harm associated with abortion and for the failure to screen for statisticaly validated risk factors that can be used to predict which women are most likely to experience negative emotional reactions.

Reardon has also written The Jericho Plan: Breaking Down the Walls Which Prevent Post-Abortion Healing in which is intended to "gives clergy a proven method of preaching on abortion in a sensitive, compassionate and healing way which does not antagonize church members on either side of the issue." In a criticized chapter of the book Reardon provides a sample sermon called "The Devil's Bargain" in which he suggests that pastors should preach:

The devil uses despair, the fear of losing what we have, to make us do things which we would normally reject. No one likes abortion, but if we fear that we will lose more than we can bear without it, many of us will cave in and accept it as an "evil necessity."
But the devil's bargain is a false one. Abortion does not turn back the clock. It is not something a person can have and forget. After an abortion, everything is still changed. After the abortion, Satan, who used despair to drive the woman to choose abortion, now uses despair to destroy the woman in other ways. He becomes the woman's accuser.
So it is that Satan tries to use the same shame, fear, and despair which drive women to abort to keep them from finding the healing compassion of God and their communities. That is Satan's agenda. But what is Christ's? Does Christ desire punishment for those who have had abortions? No. He desires reconciliation. After an abortion, or any sin, Christ offers us hope. He stands with open arms greeting us, saying, "Come to me. I want to share your tears. I want to comfort you. Know that all is forgiven. See, your child is in my arms, waiting for you to join us when your day is completed."

His next book, Victims and Victors: Speaking Out About Their Pregnancies, Abortions, and Children Resulting from Sexual Assault reports on a survey of approximately 200 women who experienced pregnancies from rape or incest, including women who carried to term and women who had abortions. In describing the results, Reardon wrote "Most women who aborted did so only because they felt it was their only choice, and more than 80 percent said it was a choice they deeply regretted. Many felt that abortion only compounded their emotional trauma and allowed others to ignore their need for compassion and support."

Academic criticisms

See also post-abortion syndrome

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 the results of one of Reardon's studies of 194,694 Medi-Cal patients finding significantly higher psychiatric admission rates after abortion is "inconsistent with a number of well-designed earlier studies" which did not find higher rates of psychological problems after abortion. She also argues that by comparing women who had abortions to women who delivered pregnancies Reardon's methodology in this study 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. She also asserts that the findings reported by Reardon may be easily misinterpreted by the public: "On the basis of correlations such as the one reported here, abortion-rights opponents assert that scientific evidence indicates that abortion causes psychological harm. Because they are not experts in scientific reasoning, most people are unable to evaluate the validity of these claims. Statistics such as those reported by Reardon and colleagues thus run a high risk of being used in ways that misinform and mislead the public."

Dr. David Grimes, a researcher and obstetrician, has testified in court hearings that Reardon's findings conflict with the majority opinion of abortion providers and does not support a link between abortion and any adverse physical or psychological effects.

Reardon has generally responded to these criticisms with the counter-charge that his critics arguments and motives are tainted by pro-choice biases.

Criticism in the press

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 "Christian conservatives have gone a long way towards creating their own scientific counter-establishment". He also notes that Reardon's findings conflict with those of the American Psychological Association, which has rejected the "the notion that abortion regularly causes severe or clinical mental problems", and with the conclusions which Surgeon General C. Everett Koop delivered by letter to President Reagan in 1988. Koop stated 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 writes:

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?’

Boston Globe

Boston Globe reporter Michael Kranish has described Reardon as a pro-life advocate who "wants Congress to impose strict barriers to abortion."Kranish describes Reardon as both an advocate and a researcher. He writes:

This dual role of advocate/researcher is becoming more common, especially as advocacy groups realize they can sway more opinions by asserting that their research is based on science, rather than simply on personal belief. Reardon, like many people who play this dual role, insists he can objectively look at the data without being influenced by his personal viewpoint.

"A lot of science is advocacy-driven," Reardon said. "The presumption, which scientists try to foster, is they are totally objective. We are all human. The beauty of science is that you present facts."

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 on human genetic engineering.

See also

References

  1. Science in support of a cause: the new research, by Michael Kranish. Published in the Boston Globe on July 31 2005; accessed November 27 2007.
  2. Elliot Institute Website "About Our Coalition"
  3. Elliot Institute Website "Politics"
  4. Elliot Institute homepage
  5. ^ Mooney, Chris. (October 1, 2004). "Research and Destroy". Washington Monthly. Retrieved February 11, 2007.
  6. PBS NOW transcript, show #329, aired on PBS on July 20 2007; accessed November 27 2007. In the transcript, PBS senior correspondent Maria Hinojosa describes Reardon: "With a PhD from an unaccredited online institution, he's turned out dozens of studies that supposedly prove abortion is dangerous to women's mental health."
  7. Authoritative databases of accredited US institutions exist at the Council for Higher Education Accreditation (CHEA database) and the United States Department of Education (USDE accreditation database); neither lists PWU as of November 2007. Several states specifically list Pacific Western University as an unaccredited institution, including:
  8. 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.
  9. 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.
  10. 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.
  11. Abortion and Substance Abuse Link Often Overlooked www.afterabortion.info
  12. 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.
  13. 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.
  14. 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.
  15. 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.
  16. 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.
  17. David C. Reardon. Making Abortion Rare: A Healing Strategy for a Divided Nation (1996) Acorn Books.
  18. ^ Reardon DC (2002). "A defense of the neglected rhetorical strategy (NRS)". Ethics Med. 18 (2): 23–32. PMID 14700036.
  19. Elliot Institute Website Retrieved November 19, 2007
  20. Real Audio from the National Pro-Life Religious Council website Retrieved November 19, 2007
  21. "Pastors Gather to Meet Challenge of Pro-Life Ministry." Publication: National Right to Life News
  22. David C. Reardon. Making Abortion Rare: A Healing Strategy for a Divided Nation (1996) Acorn Books.>
  23. David Reardon. The Jericho Plan: Breaking Down the Walls Which Prevent Post-Abortion Healing
  24. PBS NOW transcript, show #329. Aired on PBS on July 20 2007; accessed November 27 2007.
  25. Sample Sermon, "The Devil's Bargain", Chapter 5 of The Jericho Plan: Breaking Down the Walls Which Prevent Post-Abortion Healing. posted at www.afterabortion.info and excerpted for posting with permission.
  26. Abortion perils debated. (2003). Canadian Medical Association Journal, 169 (2).
  27. "Reardon Response to Russo and Schmeige Misleads by Omission and Commission" by Brenda N Major, Ph.D.
  28. "Debates about our design are beside the point: The Reardon and Cougle findings are invalid and cannot be reproduced with properly coded data."BMJ Rapid Response by Nancy F. Russo, Ph.D. and Sarah J. Schmiege, Ph.D.
  29. "Depression and unwanted first pregnancy: Methodological issues, additional findings" by Nancy F. Russo, Ph.D. and Sarah J. Schmiege, Ph.D.
  30. Bazelon, Emily. Is There a Post-Abortion Syndrome? The New York Times Magazine.
  31. Reardon DC, Cougle JR, Rue VM, Shuping MW, Coleman PK, Ney PG. http://www.cmaj.ca/cgi/content/abstract/168/10/1253?ijkey=479a406447b1b7181321ec50cb03d6554c9c8ead&keytype2=tf_ipsecsha Psychiatric admissions of low-income women following abortion and childbirth.] CMAJ 2003;168(10):1253-6.
  32. ^ Major B. Psychological implications of abortion — highly charged and rife with misleading research (editorial) CMAJ 2003;168(10):1257-8.Canadian Medical Association Journal, 169 (2).
  33. Grimes DA, Creinin MD (2004). "Induced abortion: an overview for internists". Ann. Intern. Med. 140 (8): 620–6. PMID 15096333. Key summary points of article state that "Abortion does not lead to an increased risk for breast cancer or other late psychiatric or medical sequelae." On p. 624, the authors state: "The alleged 'postabortion trauma syndrome' does not exist."
  34. Transcript of Proceedings Planned Parenthood v. Ashcroft
  35. Risk of Psychiatric Hospitalization Rises After Abortion www.afterabortion.info
  36. Chris Mooney"Research and Destroy" Washington Monthly, October 2004
  37. Chris Mooney (sidebar) Bucking the Gipper, October 2004
  38. Bazelon, Emily. The New York Times Magazine. Is There a Post-Abortion Syndrome?
  39. Ibid
  40. Bazelon, Emily. The New York Times Magazine. Is There a Post-Abortion Syndrome?
  41. Science in support of a cause: the new research, by Michael Kranish. Published in the Boston Globe on July 31 2005; accessed November 27 2007.
  42. Ertelt, Steven. (January 15, 2004). "New Report on Lorena Bobbitt Case Focuses on Forced Abortion." Lifenews.com. Retrieved February 11, 2007.
  43. Their Deepest Wound: An Analysis The PostAbortion Review 4(2-3) Spring & Summer 1996.
  44. www.elliotinstitute.org

Bibliography

Books by Reardon

  • 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 Authored or Co-Authored by Reardon

  • 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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