Does Post-Abortion Syndrome Exist?

Look up "Post-Abortion Syndrome" and a myriad of search results will appear. Many seeming authentic and genuinely concerned about women who terminate their pregnancies.

Look a little further however, and one will see these websites are largely pro-life with religious backing.

What is Post-Abortion Syndrome (or PAS)?

One website, which will remain unnamed, describes PAS as "a form of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder" and the result of "an event...so traumatic that sufferers are unable to resume their life where they left off."

PAS apparently has severe symptoms such as depression, thoughts of suicide, re-experiencing the abortion and anxiety over future fertility.

Is This Accepted by the Medical Profession?

In a study conducted by the American Psychological Association (APA) recently, it was found that there is no credible evidence to suggest that a single elective abortion of an unwanted pregnancy, in and of itself, causes mental health problems in adult women.

Nancy Felipe Russo, regents professor in psychology at Arizona State University, says that many of the pro-life movement's claims are unfounded.

"Anti-abortion advocates allege that post-abortion syndrome is a type of post-traumatic stress disorder [PTSD], though no scientific basis exists for applying a PTSD framework to understanding women's emotional responses to a voluntarily obtained legal abortion," she added.

A study conducted by Dr Brenda Major and colleagues at the University of California at Santa Barbara found that only 1% of women who had an abortion experienced symptoms consistent with PTSD. This compares to a prevalence rate of 10.75% for women aged 15 to 35 in the general population.

What Are The Risk Factors Associated With Mental Health Problems Post-Abortion?

The above-mentioned report by the APA found that some factors which increase the probability of a woman suffering mental health problems following an abortion included poverty, a history of emotional problems and prior unwanted pregnancies.

It also found that women who were pressured to terminate their pregnancy or felt a need to keep their abortion secret from family and friends were also at higher risk of psychological problems.

Another factor that links to this is the social stigma that exists regarding abortion. Women may experience feelings of sadness following a termination because this is the response they have been conditioned to have. Motherhood is often promoted as a virtue in our society. This is more on an ideological level however, as mothers are rarely valued or supported materially outside of this.

Therefore, women may feel sad or guilty because they've "failed" to fulfill their gender role or because they've been "selfish" in putting their own needs first (a highly "unfeminine" trait). This is further reinforced by the opposition of most religions to abortion.

The Good Outweighs The Negatives

Dr Major says that her research showed that most women did not regret their decision to have an abortion.

"Most women were satisfied with their decision, and believed that they had benefited more than they had been harmed," she added.

Results from Dr Major's study show that generally, the best predictor of mental health problems after an abortion, is the existence of such problems before-hand.

It was found that the women who participated in the study had a 20% rate of depression and this is the same as the prevalence rate nationally for women aged 15 to 35. Therefore, mental health could not be said to decline post-abortion.

Vicki Saporta, the executive director of the National Abortion Federation, says that many scientific studies have disproved the existence of Post-Abortion Syndrome.

"This is an invention of those who oppose choice," she concluded.

Pro-choice

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