Word: koop
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...have discovered a form of delayed stress, similar to that experienced by some Viet Nam vets, that can result in severe depression years after an abortion. Last week both claims were undercut by the release of a report on the effects of abortion by Surgeon General C. Everett Koop and by the conclusions of a panel of the American Psychological Association...
...draft report was prepared by Koop in 1987 at the request of President Ronald Reagan to examine the physical and psychological dangers of abortion. In January, the avidly pro-life Koop announced that he could not issue the report because the scientific data were flawed and inconclusive. Subpoenaed by a House subcommittee that oversees some health budgets, the Surgeon General's report concluded that "abortion imposes a relatively low physical risk" for women. Acknowledging his strong "pro-life bias," Koop testified that any public-health problem associated with abortion is "minimal...
...question of the emotional repercussions of an abortion, Koop was more circumspect. Although pro-life advocates say the condition created by abortions can cause serious psychological problems as long as ten years afterward, the Surgeon General explained that in reviewing more than 250 studies, he had found "major methodological flaws" and could not draw any definite conclusions about the so-called post-abortion syndrome. "There is no doubt that some people have severe psychological effects after abortion," Koop said, "but anecdotes do not make good scientific material...
...decision was based in part on the court's conviction that legal abortion is a safe option. Since then, pro-life forces have chipped away at the decision's medical premises. "These are extremely important conclusions," said Democratic Congressman Ted Weiss of New York, who organized the hearings. Conceded Koop: "It's very difficult to separate abortion the moral issue from abortion the public-health issue...
...such operations see them as the only safe alternative to often fatal clandestine methods, symbolized by the coat-hanger emblems on many pro-choice posters. The view that abortion at least does not harm women got a boost last week from a surprising source: Surgeon General C. Everett Koop, who, after a year of study, found no proof that women obtaining legal abortions suffered a greater incidence of physical or psychological harm than women who brought their pregnancies to term...