Psychological Responses of Women After First-Trimester Abortion

Abstract

UNWANTED pregnancy and abortion are important public health concerns. Since the Supreme Court's landmark 1973 decision in Roe v Wade,¹ approximately 1.5 million legal abortions have been performed each year in the United States. Approximately 1 (21%) of 5 American women of childbearing age has had a legal abortion.^2-4 Despite the prevalence of elective abortion, controversy exists about the mental health risks associated with this procedure.^5-7 Some claim that severe psychological distress following abortion is common, and that women who have abortions are prone to experience postabortion syndrome—posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) similar to that experienced by some combat veterans and victims of natural disasters, rape, and child abuse.^8-11 Most reviews of empirical research, however, conclude that freely chosen legal abortion, particularly in the first trimester of pregnancy, does not pose a substantial mental health risk.^7,12-16