According to Marcotte, the “anti-choicers” persistently invoke the argument that “abortion causes mental health problems for women.” This, says Marcotte, is not only a “whiff of bullying” but is unsupported by evidence.
Repeated studies, which have been blessed by the American Psychological Association, have shown there is no causal link between abortion and mental illness. Despite the disinterested assessment of the experts, though, anti-choicers have continued to push this claim.
To demonstrate the past rebuttals of the link between abortion and mental health problems, Marcotte provides a link to a summarization of the American Psychological Association (APA)’s Executive Summary of the APA Task Force on Mental Health and Abortion.
The best scientific evidence published indicates that among adult women who have an unplanned pregnancy the relative risk of mental health problems is no greater if they have a single elective first-trimester abortion than if they deliver that pregnancy.
