David C. Reardon, Ph.D., director of the Elliot Institute,
is a biomedical ethicist and a leading expert on the aftereffects of abortion on women, a field in which he has specialized since 1983. He is the author of numerous books and popular and scholarly articles on this topic. His studies have been published in such prestigious medical journals as the the British Medical Journal and the American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology and have proven that abortion compared to childbirth is associated with higher rates of maternal death, subsequent substance abuse, clinical depression, and psychiatric hospitalization.
Articles about Dr. Reardon and his work have appeared in numerous magazines and newspapers, including NEWSWEEK and the NEW YORK TIMES. He 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.
Dr. Reardon's first book Aborted Women, Silent No More,
published in 1987, became the best-selling book on abortion's impact on women
over the course of the next fifteen years. It has been called "the most powerful book ever written on abortion."
His most recent book, Forbidden Grief: The Unspoken Pain of Abortion which he with co-authored with Dr. Theresa Burke, is the most comprehensive review of the impact of abortion on women available. It is a compelling revelation of the secrets post-abortive women tell only their therapists but want everyone to know. Reviewers are already hailing it as "phenomenal" and a "classic."
Dr. Reardon is also the author of Making Abortion Rare: A Healing Strategy for a Divided Nation (Acorn Books, 1996). Pro-life leaders have recommended it as compulsory reading for every pro-lifer who wants to know how abortion can be stopped in a way that is "practical and realistic, but free of moral compromise." Dr. Reardon's three-pronged strategy for ending abortion
by helping women has already been adopted by many pro-life organizations at the local, state, and national levels. It appears certain that the popularity of this new compassionate approach to the abortion conflict will continue to grow and become a permanent part of pro-life activities.
As part of this strategy to end abortions
which hurt women, Dr. Reardon has also authored The Jericho Plan: Breaking Down the Walls That Prevent Post-Abortion Healing. This is a resource book for post-abortion healing. It also serves as a sermon guide that helps ministers and clergy to address the abortion issue in a manner that reduces hostilities and promotes post-abortion healing. Most importantly, The Jericho Plan is helping pastors to overcome the fear of preaching on abortion. It is helping many pastors to break their silence and boldly preach a compassionate message that is truly both pro-life and pro-healing.
In his work, Dr. Reardon has been the chief investigator on several original research projects. One of these was the first long-term follow-up study of a large number of women who had abortions an average of ten years previously. In a subsequent study of 700 randomly selected women, his research has shown that the women who aborted their first pregnancies were five times more likely to engage in subsequent abuse of drugs or alcohol compared to women who carried to term.
In Victims and Victors: Speaking Out About Their Pregnancies, Abortions, and Children Resulting from Sexual Assault with Julie Makimaa and Amy Sobie, he compiled the witness and testimonies of 194 women who became pregnant following sexual assault. The nearly universal opinion of these women demonstrates that abortion is neither helpful nor necessary in cases of rape and incest, and in fact does far greater harm than good to these victims of sexual assault. He is also the editor of the Elliot Institute's quarterly publication, The Post-Abortion Review.
