Letters to the Editor
-
Maybe I misunderstand
but when a guy gets a girl pregnant, he is on the hook.
Somehow, with 14 means of birth control PLUS the mouth to say 'no', women STILL get pregnant by getting 'knocked up' anyway?
Maybe the hard truth is that getting knocked up with a baby you don't want isn't an easy problem to escape
This above phrase, in light of all the options women have, makes no sense.
Or are women granting themselves more choice and leeway in this regard than they are willing to grant the fathers of the kids?
-
An idea for another useful study
I think that someone should study the mental state of those tormented souls who verbally abuse young women as they enter clinics where abortions are performed. What really brings that level of viciousness out in a person?
-
Hmm
While the mental health risks of legal abortions without counseling seem to be debatable and worthy of further stud....at least, I hope, we can all agree that the physical (and mental) health risks of illegal abortions are beyond debate, as we have plenty of years of empirical evidence from which to draw.
-
@Mr. Smith
When god's on your side, you're actually not being vicious....I was about to pose the question: why would anyone who was alive when abortion was illegal actually want to reinstate the ban? And then I started thinking, once god and religion enter the equation, there's really no room for rationality.
-
So it all makes you crazy.
This article sounds like an excellent advertisement for safe, available birth control and accurate sex education not taught by people who believe in virgin births.
No, an unintended pregnancy is never a good thing and doesn't allow for any easy choices. But the operative word here is unitended. Brightstar in the post below is just blaming the victim.
-
No,
but stigmatization, judgment, guilt, and internalization of associated distorted and maladaptive beliefs can.
Where do those come from?
-
This study's results do -not- support an abortion ban
I don't think we necessarily have to throw this study out simply because they didn't control for other conditions and life experiences that could cause mental health issues. Clearly, some (maybe many) women suffer mental health issues after abortion. Thus, women should have greater access to mental health care after an abortion. To use this study to argue that women should consider carrying a pregnancy to term instead is absolutely preposterous.
-
Mental Illness around every corner
You know what else can trigger mental illness/depression?
- Marriage
- Death
- Childbirth
- Changing jobs
- Winning the lottery
Any life change, whether you wanted the change or not.
-
@IaintBacchus
something really bothers me about referring to a woman who conceives a child under any circumstance as a victim of that unplanned life.
I am single and had an unplanned pregnancy. I can attest that I went through spells in the early days where I was certifiably insane. I know married women with multiple children who have gone through these spells, too. I also have friends who have had abortions and friends who have given children up for adoption. The truth is, there are always moments of regret and doubt, whatever the decision. We all can look back and wonder what life would have been like if we had made different choices, but it is just life. Getting pregnant is just a wonderful part of life (or at least it should be.)
I wonder if the findings would even out if they do follow up studies throughout the women's lives.
I don't understand why our society makes parenthood such a "crisis" for women.
-
It's fun ...
... to read the knee-jerk reactions, but all your false analogies fail to point out the pertinent difference:
A baby dies in an abortion. No one dies in any of the other circumstances, at least not by design.
-
Pregnancy as Dangerous
Pregnancy itself is damaging to a woman's physical and mental health, and the dangerous result is called Parenthood. Perhaps we should give every woman considering pregnancy counseling. For example, one good question might be, "You do understand that one day that darling baby will turn into a raving, hormonal teenager?"
I don't mean to be glib, but for goodness sake, women have been dying and becomg mentally ill from pregnancy since the time of Eve. It isn't abortions that make women crazy, it's a society that doesn't value women's rights that make them crazy with anger.
-
Royal College
It really is disgraceful how Broadsheet contintually posts distorted versions of stories from overseas. Britain's 'Royal College' if you take the trouble (I know, I know) to read the story, is the Royal College of Psychiatrists, the professional body of psychiatrists.
Their position statement reads:
Position Statement on Women’s Mental Health in Relation to Induced Abortion
14th March, 2008
In the Government Response to the Report from the House of Commons Science and Technology Committee on the Scientific Developments Relating to the Abortion Act 1967, the following request was made:
“In view of the controversy on the risk to mental health of induced abortion we recommend that the Royal College of Psychiatrists update their 1994 report on this issue”
The College has undertaken a literature review to inform the following position statement, which includes the recommendation that a full systematic review around abortion and mental health is required.
The Royal College of Psychiatrists is concerned to ensure that women’s mental health is protected whether they seek abortion or continue with a pregnancy.
Mental disorders can occur for some women during pregnancy and after birth.
The specific issue of whether or not induced abortion has harmful effects on women’s mental health remains to be fully resolved. The current research evidence base is inconclusive – some studies indicate no evidence of harm, whilst other studies identify a range of mental disorders following abortion.
Women with pre-existing psychiatric disorders who continue with their pregnancy, as well as those with psychiatric disorders who undergo abortion, will need appropriate support and care. Liaison between services, and, where relevant, with carers and advocates, is advisable.
Healthcare professionals who assess or refer women who are requesting an abortion should assess for mental disorder and for risk factors that may be associated with its subsequent development. If a mental disorder or risk factors are identified, there should be a clearly identified care pathway whereby the mental health needs of the woman and her significant others may be met.
The Royal College of Psychiatrists recognises that good practice in relation to abortion will include informed consent.
Consent cannot be informed without the provision of adequate and appropriate information regarding the possible risks and benefits to physical and mental health.
This may require the updating of patient information leaflets approved by the relevant Royal Colleges, and education and training to relevant health care professionals, in order to develop a good practice pathway.
These difficult and complex issues should be addressed through additional systematic reviews led by the Royal College of Psychiatrists into the relationship between abortion and mental health. These reviews should consider whether there is evidence for psychiatric indications for abortion.
This represents an entirely responsible point of view in a National Health Service where comprehensive health care including mental health care AND abortion is available free of charge to all, though the National Health Service only provides 2/3 of all abortions, the rest being provided by private or charitable clinics.