“Post-Abortion Syndrome” Myth Based on Faulty Science
The myth that women who choose abortion experience subsequent mental health problems has no valid scientific basis, according to a new study published in this month’s Contraception. Through a literature analysis, researchers found that high quality studies reflected no significant difference between the mental health of women who have had abortions and those who have not. The researchers reviewed 21 studies on the relationship between abortion and mental health conducted between January 1989 and August 2008.
“A clear trend emerges … [that] the highest quality studies had findings that were mostly neutral,” and “making policy recommendations such as the enforcement of so-called ‘informed consent’ laws (which often provide misinformation regarding mental health risks of abortion) is unwarranted based on the current state of the evidence,” the researchers concluded.
In August, the American Psychological Association drew similar conclusions after spending two years analyzing more than 150 studies.