Psychiatrists warn abortions can lead to mental illness

The Royal College of Psychiatrists in Britain warns that women may risk mental health breakdowns if they undergo abortions. They say women should be given proper counseling about an abortion's possible link to their mental health.

Initially, many people believed that the risk to mental health of continuing with an unwanted pregnancy outweighs the risks of living with the possible regrets of having an abortion. More than 90 per cent of the 200,000 abortions in Britain every year are believed to be carried out because doctors and patients believe that continuing with the pregnancy would cause greater mental strain. But doctors from the Royal College of Psychiatrists have found the opposite: women suffer more mental health breakdowns when they abort than when they go through with an unwanted pregnancy. The British Ministers of Parliament will vote on a proposal to reduce the upper limit for abortions “for social reasons” from 24 weeks to 20 weeks. A poll showed many British women (59 per cent) prefer such reduction and 29 per cent of the women want to keep the same limit to 24 weeks. The MPs also want women to have a “cooling off” period before they undergo abortions and want to provide counseling similar to the Royal College of Psychiatrists’ recommendations. Nadine Dorries, a Conservative MP campaigning for this statutory cooling-off period, supported the findings from the Royal College of Psychiatrists. She told Times Online:

For doctors to process a woman’s request for an abortion without providing the support, information and help women need at this time of crisis I regard almost as a form of abuse.”

Several studies have been published on abortions and their connections to mental health problems. One study published in the Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry in 2006 concluded that abortions of young women might be associated with risks of mental health problems. The Royal College of Psychiatrists wants hospitals to provide abortion information leaflets that include details of the risks of depression so patients are well-prepared. You can read their full statement here (PDF document). Dr Peter Saunders, general secretary of the Christian Medical Fellowship, said: “How can a doctor now justify an abortion [on mental health grounds] if psychiatrists are questioning whether there is any clear evidence that continuing with the pregnancy leads to mental health problems.” Recently, this depression problem was highlighted in the case of Emma Beck, 30, a talented London artist, who committed suicide after aborting her twins. She left a suicide note that said:

“Living is hell for me. I should never have had an abortion. I see now I would have been a good mum. I want to be with my babies; they need me, no one else does.” Women have a right to abort babies, but I do hope they get proper counseling before and after they do so. In my opinion, they can either use more birth control measures or give their babies to foster parents instead of aborting. Do you agree with the recent findings?