Abortion

Abortion not seen linked with depression

US researchers said: In a study its found an abortion causes psychological distress or a post-abortion syndrome and efforts to show it does occur appear to be politically motivated. The study was made on 150,000 women and found the high-quality studies showed no significant differences in long-term mental health between women who choose to abort a pregnancy and others. Dr. Robert Blum, who led the study published in the journal Contraception, said in a statement: the best research does not support the existence of a 'post-abortion syndrome' similar to post-traumatic stress disorder."

An estimated 1.29 million American women get elective abortions each year, according to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. An estimated 25 million women globally have legal abortions every year. Abortion is a hot-button political issue, with many voters and members of the US Congress as well as state lawmakers seeking to ban it. They analyzed those that included valid mental health measures and factored in pre-existing mental health status and potentially confusing factors.

The best quality studies indicate no significant differences in long-term mental health between women in the United States who choose to terminate a pregnancy. The most flawed methodology consistently found negative mental health consequences of abortion," they added. "Scientists are
still conducting research to answer politically motivated questions."