Psychological harms of abortion restrictions—here's what research shows will happen in post-Roe America

"I'm struggling a bit this morning," a client of mine stated at the start of our session the morning of June 24, 2022. "I just heard on the news about thedecision to overturnRoe v. Wade. There was so much for me to process I had to turn it off."

While this client did not havepersonal experiencewith elective abortion, she had a complicated reproductive history that included a recent pregnancy in which she was unsure if the baby would survive. In our session that day, she recognized how privileged she was to have had a medical team that communicated with her about all available options and potential outcomes for her and the baby. Most importantly, she acknowledged the significance of having a say in the decisions about her reproductive care.

Our session came hours after the fall of Roe, which overturned 50 years of abortion rights. I spent time in that session, and many others that week, with clients talking through the "what-ifs."

As a therapist and scholarspecializing in the mental health of people during theperinatal period, the time frame during pregnancy and postpartum, I've witnessed firsthand the psychological impacts of reproductive traumas across pregnancy and after childbirth. This gives me insights into how new restrictions onreproductive health carefrom overturning Roe are inextricably linked to psychological well-being.

Research supports the need for abortion access

Before Roe was overturned, research already demonstrated the importance of access to safe abortions. The landmarkTurnaway Study进行,从2008年到2013年,检查效果s of receiving versus being denied a wanted abortion by studyinghealth outcomesof nearly 1,000 women seeking abortions at 30 facilities across the U.S.

Results from that study demonstrated that people weremore likely to experience elevated psychological issues, such as anxiety and depression, when denied an abortion compared with people who received one. The study also demonstrated individuals who were denied an abortion were more likely to experiencelong-term economic hardship and intimate partner violence.

Other research has also shown anincreased risk of suicidefor individuals not able to legally terminate an unwanted pregnancy.

此外,研究显示大多数women who have an abortion feel they made the right decision. Over 95% of women in a2020 studyreported that abortion was the right decision when looking back over five years, withprevious researchalso supporting these findings. Yet some states continue to put mandatory waiting periods and counseling into place based on unfounded assumptions that people will regret their decision and have negative psychological consequences.

How abortion bans affect mental health

The perinatal period places people at an increased riskfor the onsetandrelapseof mental health disorders. The increased restrictions on receiving abortion care coupled with provenrisk factorsfor perinatal mood and anxiety disorders could increase people's risks for psychological suffering.

With the overturning of Roe, experts expect that half of U.S. stateswill ban abortion health carein the coming months. While this is an ever-evolving landscape, as of late August 2022, 10 states have full abortion bans and five states have banned abortion after six weeks of pregnancy.

A 2019 study projected there would be anapproximately 13% reduction in U.S. abortionsin the immediate aftermath of a Roe reversal because of new state restrictions and increased travel distances to get to facilities in states permitting abortions. This equates to between 93,546 and 143,561 women being prevented from having a wanted abortion in the first year post-Roe.

Current statistics suggest that围产期精神卫生疾病影响1 5我们menthroughout pregnancy and postpartum and upwards of34% report a traumatic birth. Risk factors such as negative emotions surrounding childbirth and a perceived lack of controlincrease the likelihood for experiencing birth trauma. These risk factors are consistent with what a person would face when seeking a wanted abortion and being denied access to reproductive health care.

More risk for those who are already vulnerable

Some sectors of the U.S. population are disproportionately more vulnerable to developing perinatal mood and anxiety disorders than others. Roughly1 in 3 women of colorand up to60% of low-income womenexperience mental health concerns during pregnancy or in the year after childbirth. Historically,Black and Hispanic womenalso have disproportionately higher abortion rates than white women, as dolow-income women.

In asurvey of more than 1,000 abortion patientswho were asked about their reasons for having abortions, 48% ofwomenindicated they did not want to be asingle parentor that they were having relationship problems. These aretwo more proven factorsassociated with risk for perinatal mood and anxiety disorders.

Not only are there increased mental health risks for parents of color and those who are economically disadvantaged, single or experiencing relationship distress, but there are also concerning disparities among these groups in rates forstarting and staying in treatment during the perinatal period.

As abortion services become increasingly restricted across the U.S., there arelesser anticipated impacts on reproductive health carethat will also have immense psychological effects. For example, parents who would have otherwise terminated the pregnancy because of severe birth defects or fatal medical issues detected in the fetus will no longer have this option in some states.

There is already a dearth of resources and support for families of children with disabilities and complex developmental and medical needs,despite the known higher riskfor parental stress and relational difficulties between partners. At this point it is not clear whethernecessary expansion for supportswill occur as the needs increase.

Accessing supports post-Roe

In states with abortion bans, there will bedramatic disparitiesin people's ability to access abortions. For accurate and up-to-date information on safe and legal abortion care, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services provides information aboutAmericans' rights to reproductive health care and resources.

With time, the short- and long-term psychological impacts of the post-Roe era will unfold. What is certain now is that mentalhealthproviders should be preparing themselves to respond to themental healthneeds of individuals deniedabortioncare as a result of the Supreme Court's decision to overturn Roe v. Wade.

This article is republished fromThe Conversationunder a Creative Commons license. Read theoriginal article.