Family & Life

Sunday Business Post Report Highlights Abortion-Mental Damage Link : 26th May 08

Ireland's 'Sunday Business Post' Highlights Report of the Royal College of Psychiatrists on Abortion Trauma and How it Can Damage Women’s Mental and Physical Health

"The Royal College of Psychiatrists has given the pro-life lobby a new impetus by acknowledging that abortion can damage women’s mental health, according to a report in Ireland’s 'Sunday Business Post'.

For decades, the political struggle over abortion has been fought from highly polarised camps: supporters of abortion rights arguing for the rights of the woman, versus opponents of abortion favouring the interests of the foetus. Now, in a sudden and unexpected twist, the anti-abortion movement is moving its attention away from the baby, instead arguing that abortion is never in the best interests of the woman herself.

Women, it argues, are often misled or ill-informed about the risks abortion poses to their physical or emotional health. In this argument the interests of the pregnant woman and the foetus are the same. The strength of this new pro-life argument lies in establishing the existence of a ‘post-abortion syndrome’. In March the British Royal College of Psychiatrists announced a major shift in its position on the psychological impact of abortion. It acknowledged, for the first time, that women could face mental health problems after they had had abortions. The college is now advising that abortions should not be performed on women until they have received counselling on the possible risk the termination poses to their mental health.

The college says the specific issue of whether induced abortion has harmful effects on women’s mental health ‘‘remains to be fully resolved’’ because the ‘‘research evidence base is inconclusive’’.

While emphasising the importance of informed consent in any abortion procedure, it states that ‘‘consent cannot be informed without the provision of adequate and appropriate information regarding the possible risks and benefits to physical and mental health’’.

In the United States, anti-abortion groups such as the conservative Justice Foundation, the National Right to Life Committee and Feminists for Life are increasingly focusing their position on the psychological effect of abortion on women.

The Justice Foundation’s Operation Outcry project prompts women who consider themselves victims of legalised abortion to tell their own stories.

Cindy Collins, director of Operation Outcry International, says the group has brought the project to a number of countries - including Spain, Portugal, the Netherlands, Hungary, Israel and Poland - lobbying politicians including Irish MEP Cathy Sinnott.

According to Collins, the group has collected statements from almost 2,500 women who say that abortion has left them depressed, distraught and emotionally tormented.

‘‘The main message is that abortion hurts women. Basically we want to provide healing and hope to women who are suffering from the trauma of an operation,’’ Collins says. She agrees that the abortion debate has moved on, but dismisses claims that the anti-abortion movement has changed tactics.

‘‘When the abortion debate began we did not know the effect abortions have on women. Now, after 35 years, we know it hurts women and that the lie needs to end,” says Collins.

The anti-abortion movement is now pushing for the enactment of new ‘informed consent’ and mandatory counselling laws, which if brought into law would, according to opponents of the move, create a de facto abortion veto.

The outpouring of feeling on a thread on the popular Irish website Irishhealth.com makes for heart-wrenching reading.

One young woman who had an abortion describes how she wishes it never happened: ‘‘Hi, came across this website last nite for the first time it has given me great comfort to read all your stories. Had my termination last Christmas. Sometimes I think the pain and constant reminders are never going to go away. Having said this I have good days too but every now and then it seems like I am back at Christmas again. It has to be the hardest decision I ever had to make. Only a few close friends know about it and they have been great but sometimes I feel like they couldn’t possibly understand. I don’t talk about it that much as I find it hard to put into words. I have had counselling which I find a great help. Does it get any easier?”

Another writes:’ ‘I myself had an abortion 2 years ago when I was 23 and it’s as raw and emotional for me today as it was June 2005. I found some great advice on this forum at the time. I felt so guilty, so sad, so shocked at what had happened and so confused that I ended up starving myself and developing an eating disorder.” "The Sunday Business Post. May 25. CLICK TO READ MORE.....

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Sunday Business Post Report Highlights Abortion-Mental Damage Link : 26th May 08

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