Donna Harrison, M.D.
Associate ScholarDr. Donna Harrison is a physician, board-certified in obstetrics and gynecology for 30 years. She is currently serving as Director of Research for the American Association of Pro-Life Obstetricians and Gynecologists, the largest non-sectarian pro-life physician organization in the world, with over 7,000 members across the United States, and associate members on every continent.
Dr. Harrison’s research interests include selective progesterone receptor modulators, endometrial contraception, maternal mortality, and abortion mortality and morbidity. She has authored peer reviewed papers on maternal mortality, mifepristone mortality and morbidity, the approval of mifepristone and ulipristal (Ella) as well as other topics concerning endometrial contraception. Dr. Harrison is a Continuing Medical Education Speaker in the United States and internationally on topics of Medical Abortion with Mifepristone and Misoprostol, Adverse Events associated with Mifepristone and Misoprostol, Emergency Contraception with Ulipristal, Maternal Mortality, and Abortion Morbidity.
She is an Adjunct Professor at Trinity International University in Deerfield, IL, teaching post graduate seminars at the annual Center for Bio Ethics and Human Dignity summer workshops. She is Associate Editor of the peer reviewed medical journal “Issues in Law and Medicine.”
Dr. Harrison is married to Dr. Mark Harrison, M.D., and is the mother of 5 children and 5 grandchildren.
Research Authored
Comparative Acuity of Emergency Department Visits Following Pregnancy Outcomes Among Medicaid Eligible Women, 2004-2015
Consistent with national trends for ED visits, both the number and acuity of ED visits following pregnancy outcomes are increasing. ED visit acuity following chemical abortion is persistently and significantly higher than for surgical abortion or live birth.
A Cohort Study of Mental Health Services Utilization Following a First Pregnancy Abortion or Birth
A first pregnancy abortion, compared to a birth, is associated with significantly higher subsequent mental health services utilization following the first pregnancy outcome. The risk attributable to abortion is notably higher for inpatient than outpatient mental health services.
The Enduring Association of a First Pregnancy Abortion with Subsequent Pregnancy Outcomes: A Longitudinal Cohort Study
Multiple abortions are consistently associated with adverse health consequences. Prior abortion is a known risk factor for another abortion. Objective: To determine the persistence of the association of a first-pregnancy abortion with the likelihood of subsequent pregnancy outcomes.
A Post Hoc Exploratory Analysis: Induced Abortion Complications Mistaken for Miscarriage in the Emergency Room are a Risk Factor for Hospitalization
Previous research indicates that an increasing number of women who go to an emergency room for complications following an induced abortion are treated for a miscarriage, meaning their abortion is miscoded or concealed.
Overlooked Dangers of Mifepristone, the FDA’s Reduced REMS, and Self-Managed Abortion Policies: Unwanted Abortions, Unnecessary Abortions, Unsafe Abortions
The failure of abortion providers to support and undertake prospective longitudinal studies of a nationally representative sample of women contributes to our belief that the ideological biases of abortion providers have led to a combination of disinterest, willful ignorance, or even a conspiracy to hide the widespread dangers of unwanted and contraindicated abortions.
A Longitudinal Cohort Study of Emergency Room Utilization Following Mifepristone Chemical and Surgical Abortions, 1999–2015
Existing research on postabortion emergency room visits is sparse and limited by methods which underestimate the incidence of adverse events following abortion. Postabortion emergency room (ER) use since Food and Drug Administration approval of chemical abortion in 2000 can identify trends in the relative morbidity burden of chemical versus surgical procedures.
Deaths and Severe Adverse Events after the use of Mifepristone as an Abortifacient from September 2000 to February 2019
Objectives: Primary: Analyze the Adverse Events (AEs) reported to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) after use of mifepristone as an abortifacient. Secondary: Analyze maternal intent after ongoing pregnancy and investigate hemorrhage after mifepristone alone.
Estimating the Period Prevalence of Mothers Who Have Abortions: A Population Based Study of Inclusive Pregnancy Outcomes
The prevalence of induced abortion among women with children has been estimated indirectly by projections derived from survey research. However, an empirically derived, population-based conclusion on this question is absent from the published literature.
Estimating the Period Prevalence of Publicly Funded Abortion to Space Live Births, 1999 to 2014
Although a majority of women who have an abortion report having 1 or more children, there is no published research on the number of abortions which occur between live births, after a first child but before the last. The objectives of this research, therefore, were to estimate the period prevalence of an induced abortion separating live births in a population of Medicaid eligible enrollees and to identify the characteristics of enrollees significantly associated with the use of abortion to enable child spacing.
Pregnancy Outcome Patterns of Medicaid-Eligible Women, 1999-2014: A National Prospective Longitudinal Study
The objective of this study was to describe the characteristic patterns of subsequent pregnancy outcomes evolving from each of three initiating outcome events (birth, induced abortion, natural fetal loss) occurring in a Medicaid population fully insured for all reproductive health services.