Abortion
Abortion, the medical or surgical termination of a pregnancy, is one of the oldest, most common and most controversial medical procedures. One controversy centers on whether abortion harms women psychologically.
Adapted from the Report of the APA Task Force on Mental Health and Abortion
Research on Mental Health and Abortion
- Mental Health and Abortion
This research review found no evidence that a single abortion harms a woman’s mental health. It also found that women who report distress post-abortion typically have other risk factors for mental health problems, such as substance abuse, poverty or exposure to domestic violence. The evidence regarding the relative mental health risks associated with multiple abortions is less clear; the report recommends further study in this area.
Getting Help
News
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From town halls to Twitter: The long, rocky road to destigmatizing abortion
March 3, 2010, Newsweek
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APA Task Force Finds Single Abortion Not a Threat to Women's Mental Health
August 12, 2008
Monitor on Psychology Articles
- Science vs. ideology
June 2008
- Web site puts out information on reproductive health
February 2003