Munk-Olsen, Laursen, T. M., Pedersen, C. B., Lidegaard, O., & Mortensen, P. B. (2011). Induced first-trimester abortion and risk of mental disorder. The New England Journal of Medicine, 364 (4), 332-339.
This po
pulation-based study provides strong evidence that rates of inpatient or outpatient contact at psychiatric facilities do not increase from the 9 months before an abortion to the 12 months after one, while these same rates during the 9 months before childbirth appear to increase in the 12 months after childbirth. As the authors point out, these findings do not support the claim that abortion harms women’s mental health. At the same time, rates of psychiatric contact appear to be higher both before and after the abortion compared to before and after childbirth, suggesting women who have abortions have life circumstances before their abortion that differ from women who have childbirths and that these life circumstances are associated with mental health problems. While this study was not able to provide insight as to what these life circumstances may be, other research has shown that women who have had abortions are more likely to have histories of sexual and physical violence experience—both associated with mental health problems—compared with women who have not had abortions. Consequently, policy and practice should focus on addressing gender-based violence, rather than abortion, as a cause of mental health problems. Addressing this problem not only may promote mental well-being but also may prevent unintended pregnancies.
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