Before and after legalization in the '70s and '80s, there were many studies done. Few have been repeated in the past decade. Rather, studies in the '90s have moved to new areas such as In-Vitro, chemical abortions, fetal reduction, chorionic villi and genetic testing, ultrasound, laparoscopic surgery, etc. There was a significant increase in low birth weight, a 3 to 4 times increase in neonatal deaths, and an increase in fetal malformations. J. of Epid.
Sterility is the most feared long-term complication of induced abortion.
This can result from scarring due to infection caused by the abortion. It can also result from the surgical procedure itself. If the suction curette scrapes and cuts too deeply across the tube opening, these can scar shut, and she is sterile. 83, Aug. 1976, pp. In New Perspectives on Human Abortion, edited by S. Lembrych.