David Reardon

David C. Reardon is the director of the Elliot Institute and an advocate in favor of strict barriers to abortion.^[1]

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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".^[2]

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".^[3] The Elliot Institute is also leading an effort to build a coalition of groups to advocate for laws that would create a preemptive ban on human genetic engineering.^[4]

In 2006 the Elliot Institute launched a petition initiative in Missouri titled "Regulation of Human-Animal Crossbreeds, Cloning, Transhumansim, and Human Engineering Is Reserved to the People."^[5] The initiative was promoted via the website www.ElliotInstitute.org which mimicked ("cloned") the look of the Missouri Coalition for Lifesaving Cures' website which was at the same time promoting theThe Missouri Stem Cell Research and Cures Initiative. The Missouri Coalition for Lifesaving Cures sued the Elliot Institute in federal court for alleged copyright and trademark violations and an emergency injunction was granted which resulted in the temporary shut down of www.ElliotInstitute.org.^[6][7][8]

Academic Credentials

Reardon has twenty-five publications in peer reviewed medical journals, including over a dozen statistically validated empiracle studies published in the British Medical Journal (BMJ), Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Southern Medical Journal (SMJ), American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology (AJOG), Obstetrics and Gynecology, Canadian Medical Association Journal (CMAJ), Journal of Anxiety Disorders, American Journal of Orthopsychiatry, Medical Science Monitor, American Journal of Drug and Alcohol Abuse, Sleep, and the Journal of Medical Ethics.^[9]

Chris Mooney, the author of The Republican War on Science reports that Reardon received his Ph.D. from Pacific Western University which he describes as "an unaccredited correspondence school offering no classroom instruction."^[10]

Studies and books on abortion

Reardon has written a number of journal articles and books on what he asserts are the harmful sequelae of abortion. In 1985, Reardon surveyed members of a group called Women Exploited by Abortion, and found high rates of nervous breakdowns, substance abuse, and suicide attempts. Reardon described this finding as proof of a link between abortion and psychological harm. However, his findings were dismissed as non-generalizable by expert panels in the medical community, due to the selection bias introduced by surveying only women from a pro-life organization who already felt "exploited" by their abortion.^[11]

Subsequently, Reardon has published several peer-reviewed studies on the physical and psychological effects of abortion. Reardon's studies have consistently found a significant statistical associations between a history of abortion and elevated risks of death,^[12] psychiatric hospitalization,^[13] suicide,^[14] depression,^[15] anxiety,^[16] sleep disorders,^[17] and other sequalae.^[18]

Reardon's books include Aborted Women, Silent No More, Making Abortion Rare, and The Jericho Plan: Breaking Down the Walls Which Prevent Post-Abortion Healing, the last of which is intended to instruct clergy.^[19] In one chapter of the book, Reardon provides a sample sermon called "The Devil's Bargain" in which he suggests that pastors should preach the following:

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.^[20][21]

He is also the lead author of 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."

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).^[22] 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."^[23] 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.^[23]

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."^[24] 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".^{[25] [26]}

Academic criticisms

See also: post-abortion syndrome

Critics of Reardon include Brenda Major of the Department of Psychology at the University of California, Santa Barbara and Nancy Russo, a psychology professor at Arizona State University.^{[27][28][29][30][31]}

Brenda Major argues that the results of Reardon's studies are "inconsistent with a number of well-designed earlier studies" which did not find higher rates of psychological problems after abortion.^[32] She also argues that by comparing women who had abortions to women who delivered pregnancies Reardon's methodology in this study is flawed, and 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.^[32] 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.^[32] 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." ^[32]

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 [who] have gone a long way towards creating their own scientific counter-establishment."^[33] 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 to President Reagan in 1988. Koop stated that "scientific studies do not provide conclusive data about the health effects of abortion on women."^[34]

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. The article argues that Reardon is the "Moses" of efforts to promote the idea that abortion harms women. She writes that Reardon has claimed the anti-abortion movement will "never win over a majority... by asserting the sanctity 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."^[35]

The article goes on to say:

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?’

When researchers attack his findings, Reardon writes to the journals’ letters pages. “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,” he wrote in his book. ^[36]

Boston Globe

Reardon has been described in the Boston Globe as someone who "wants Congress to impose strict barriers to abortion." The Boston Globe also published the following:

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. [David] Reardon, like many people who play this dual role, insists he can objectively look at the data without being influenced by his personal viewpoint.^[37]

Other criticisms

Some commentators^{[citation needed]} 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.^[38] 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.^[39]

Other critics^{[citation needed]} 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.^[40]

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.

References