Refused access to abortion may affect mental health

By Kate Bass, B.Sc.Dec 16 2016

A study published this week in JAMA Psychiatry reports that restricting a woman's access to having an abortion once she has decided that is what she wants can have detrimental effects on her psychological well-being.

Although there is no evidence indicating that abortion can be detrimental to a woman's mental health, US legislation regarding abortion is based on this assumption. Nine US states currently stipulate that women wishing to have an abortion must undergo psychological and emotional counselling. Abortion may be denied on the basis of these sessions.

The Turnaway Study, conducted by the University of California, assessed the psychological well-being of women who requested an abortion. A total of 956 women from 30 abortion facilities in 21 US states were followed for 5 years after either undergoing or being denied an abortion.

The women studied included 452 women who received an abortion because their pregnancy was within the facility's gestational limit, 273 women who received a first-trimester abortion, and 231 women who were denied an abortion because their pregnancy was up to three weeks past the facility's gestational limit. Of the women who were denied an abortion, 161 subsequently gave birth and 70 either miscarried or had an abortion elsewhere.

Interviews with the participating women were held a week after they requested an abortion and every 6 months thereafter for 5 years.

These interviews showed that women who were denied an abortion suffered more psychological distress than those women who received the abortion as requested. The women who did not undergo the abortion they wanted reported more anxiety symptoms, lower self-esteem and lower life satisfaction than those women who underwent an abortion. Levels of depression were similar for both groups of women.

However, by 6‑12 months after the abortion request the levels of anxiety, self-esteem and life satisfaction had normalized and were similar for all women.

The researchers conclude:

Thus, there is no evidence to justify laws that require women seeking abortion to be forewarned about negative psychological responses. Women considering abortion are best served by being provided with the most accurate, scientific information available to help them make their pregnancy decisions".

The findings of this study thus indicated that being denied a wanted abortion may be more psychologically damaging than undergoing an abortion, suggesting that policies restricting women's access to abortion should not be based on the risk of detrimental effects on their mental health.