The debate around the legalisation of abortion has been heavily influenced by moral, ethical and religious arguments. Anti-abortion activists claim to be “pro-life” as they constantly fight for the unborn and underdeveloped foetus. They do so with complete disregard for the life of the woman that is facing the emotional cyclone of an unwanted pregnancy. A pregnancy that could have been the cause of rape or that could end the women’s life if not terminated. One argument against the legalisation of abortion is that women who have abortions will suffer from mental health issues after the termination. This myth has been proven wrong by countless studies and researchers and the American Psychological Association (APA) concluded that “having an abortion does not increase a woman’s risk for depression, anxiety or post-traumatic stress disorder”.

The “post-abortion traumatic stress syndrome” (aka “post-abortion syndrome”) that has been fabricated by anti-abortion activists is not recognised by the APA or the American Psychiatric Association. Many past studies that claimed that women who undergo abortions are at a high risk of developing depression, anxiety disorders, post-traumatic stress disorder or any other mental illness, failed to eliminate the bias that is the pre-disposition of mental illness. This means that the majority of women who were developing mental illnesses post-abortion had suffered from mental health issues pre-abortion. Therefore, it was unclear whether the mental illnesses developed after the abortions were due to the trauma of an unwanted pregnancy triggering a relapse in mental illness or as a by-product of abortion.

Hence after these unreliable and mediocre results, researchers conducted studies including women who did not have pre-dispositions to mental illness. The studies revealed that women who have an abortion are at no greater risk of developing a mental illness than women who are denied abortions (Janys and Siflinger, 2019). It is plausible that some women may experience emotional pain and sadness shortly after an abortion. However, these emotions are not unique to women who have had an abortion, as this is also common for women who have had to give up a baby for adoption or raise an unplanned child under adverse conditions. Most women report feeling a sense of relief after having an abortion. This can be understood as an unwanted pregnancy takes a massive toll on a woman’s mental health, especially when she has no financial or social support.

Women experience more anxiety symptoms when they are denied abortions rather than when they receive abortions (Foster el al., 2015). This is because many will continue to search for terminations options, with some having to travel to other countries to have abortions. Many experience elevated levels of anxiety and depressive symptoms during this journey, as having to travel outside of the country for an abortion can be very costly and thus causes a financial strain on the women who could already be in a distressing situation. Countless women, who seek abortions, feel ashamed and lonely before getting an abortion as the ban on abortions causes those who seek to terminate their pregnancies feel like “criminals”. Studies such as that conducted by Charles et al. (2008), have shown that women who were facing unwanted pregnancies in countries that banned abortions, felt as though they lacked the social support required to make an informed decision regarding the termination of their pregnancy. Thus, they turned to other methods of termination such as self-harm and adverse home remedies.

Unintended pregnancies affect a woman’s mental health later in life as research has shown that women that were denied abortions in their 20s reported higher levels of depression in their 30s. An unwanted pregnancy leaves a social and economic burden on the women and increases the chances of anxiety or depression during her life. Additionally, women may seek to have an abortion due to “mistiming” rather than not wanting to bear children. In fact, women who have had to raise a child after they thought they were done with child-bearing can face a decline in general health. Caretaking children is a substantial role to have to take on and this can cause unwanted mental health issues if the role is forced upon a woman. Furthermore, an unintended pregnancy can leave a negative effect on the quality of the parent-child relationship, leading to neglect in parental responsibility and the child’s upbringing.

There have been various researchers that studied the mental health of the unwanted children that resulted from women unable to access abortions. The most well-known study is that of H. P. David titled The Prague Study, were 220 children from the Czech Republic were followed up for 32 to 35 years after birth. The study focused on the unwanted child’s mental health throughout the years. During young adulthood those born from unwanted pregnancies showed less job satisfaction, less healthy and pleasurable relationships, more mental health problems and an overall poorer quality of life compared to those born from a wanted pregnancy. The study showed that being born from an unwanted pregnancy increases the chance of mental health issues and seeking psychiatric treatment. Those born from an unwanted pregnancy showed higher levels of depression, anxiety, emotional instability and overall life dissatisfaction. As one can see abortion bans not only impact the mental health of the women facing the unwanted pregnancy but also that of the unwanted child that was brought into the world under adverse and mentally-detrimental conditions.

The illegalisation of abortion does not prevent abortions but only forces women to turn to unsafe and potentially life-threatening termination techniques. Unsafe abortions that occur in a hazardous environment, without the supervision of a skilled medical practitioner, amount to an estimated 68,000 female deaths per year, along with 5 million women facing permanent or temporary disabilities per year. Studies have shown that the mental, financial and social distress that abortion bans cause on women is much greater than any emotional adversity that one may face after an abortion. Abortion bans only pose as a treat for safe healthcare for women.

 

Daniela Pace is a newly graduated mental health nurse from the University of Malta