PIP: The detrimental effects of being unwanted at birth on the psychological and social development of children are confirmed in this Czechoslovakian study. 220 children of women who had twice had applications for abortion denied in the early 1960s were followed from birth through adolescence, and compared in their development to comparable children whose mothers had not applied for abortion. The study showed that after 16-18 years of family life, in comparison to the controls, the "unwanted" children had poorer and deteriorating school performance, and were rated by their mothers and teachers as less conscientious, more unstable and less sociable. They were more likely to drop out of school prematurely and to take relatively low status jobs. The boys in the study group suffered more than the girls, and frequently rated themselves as being neglected or rejected by their mothers.