Porras 1

Juwanna Porras

Oscar E. Martinez II

ENGL 1302 217

27 March 2024

[Title]: [Subtitle]

Even though abortion has existed for many years, the stigmatization around this topic has caused strict policies

and opinions that constantly affect a woman’s decisions on whether they do an abortion or not, which can

lead to mental health disorders, demonstrating the need for health care policies that have women’s interest in

mind. When it comes to abortion itself, there are articles that argue that this service does not affect a woman’s

mental health; instead, what affects women’s mental health, and decisions are the political and societal

expectations based on stigmas about maternity that do not even consider abortion as a health care option.

There is an urgent need for more comprehensive abortion policies and healthcare services because of the

constant stigmatization of abortion in society that affects women’s mental health by generating feelings of

guilt, shame, and isolation.

Understanding the stigmatization of abortion

While stigmatization has been identified as a potential risk factor that can affect a woman

who had an abortion, not a lot of attention has been directed to how it relates to abortion.

Gebeyehu, et at. made a study analyzing 15 papers from different databases where the topic of

abortion and depression were mentioned; they found out that women have a 34 to 43% chance of

suffering depression after getting an abortion depending on their geographical location. On the

contrary, according to a study made by Hanschmidt et al. using systematic databases like

Medline, PsycArticles, and more where the terms abortion and stigma were searched, the results

showed that most women who had an abortion experience had a fear of social judgment or a
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need secrecy. Similarly, Tricia Bruce explained how religion and race play a big role in the

formation of certain negative attitudes towards abortion, showing in her study that analyzed data

from the 2019 National Abortion Attitudes Study (NAAS) that the sociocultural environment can

affect the acceptance and treatment of abortion agreeing with what Hanschmidt, et al said.

Brenda Major et al. also wrote an article stating that “the local and larger sociocultural context in

which a woman lives also affects her mental health following an abortion. The perceived social

stigma surrounding either continuing a pregnancy or having an abortion can influence the

decisions that women make, how they feel about their decisions, and how they cope with their

feelings”. While Gebeyehu is not wrong about his data, recent research has proven that the

psychological disorders that women present after getting an abortion are mostly because of the

fear of being judged by the society in which they surround themselves.

Mental health and its tied connection with abortion

In most articles that talk about mental health and abortion, two different perspectives are

taken into consideration to interpret facts. David Reardon explained when it comes to

interpreting data, abortion and mental health supporters make an emphasis on the risks associated

with abortion, while minimalists of this topics emphasize that there are pre-existing factors that

explain the negative outcomes of abortion. He also mentioned that both sides agree that abortion

is associated with high risks of mental illnesses compared to women without a history of

abortion, supporting what Carlo Bellieni, et al concluded in their study that showed that women

who had an abortion present a higher risk of having mental health issues after an abortion than

women who didn’t. However, Casey Shroeder and Brian Gan argue the contrary by stating that

women who decide to carry their pregnancy may suffer from postnatal depression, and that

mental health illnesses do not affect only women who had abortions. They also added that the
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postabortion syndrome (PAS) diagnosis is very broad and that almost anyone who has an

abortion will suffer from it at one point. Similarly, Chelsea Oliker investigated the relationship

between pre-abortion counseling and post-abortion adjustment; she studied ninety-five women

using an online survey, concluding that women showed better pro-abortion adjustment after

receiving empathic and patient care. Considering that the process of abortion by itself is hard,

researchers have proven that it is normal for women to suffer from a mental health disorder for

many reasons like biological predispositions highly influenced by stigmas around abortion.

Comprehensive abortion policies

As mentioned previously, the stigmatization by society of abortion can influence

negatively not only on women but also in politics. For example, Mun-Keat Looi explained the

case where the United Nations had to intervene after five international charities asked them to act

when the U.S. Supreme Court wanted to restrict access to abortion concluding that the

approaches used by lawmakers that apparently take women’s rights into consideration are not

actually helping them, but slowly silencing them by violating their health and reproductive

rights. Celina Gualdini et al. mentioned that comprehensive abortion care could prevent the death

of between 13 865 and 38 990 women worldwide as women who look for one do it regardless of

the legality of this service; the abortion policies should include four key dimensions: regulatory

framework, abortion policy dynamics, abortion service delivery, and health system and health

outcomes indicate to ensure safe abortion.

Conclusion

It is evident and clear that the legalization of abortion, as well as the proper

implementation of comprehensive policies and healthcare services, will not only increase the

well-being of women but will also prioritize their autonomy by giving them a voice and a choice
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of their body and reproductive rights. For that to happen, it is important to eliminate the riskiest

factor when it comes to abortion, which is the constant stigmatization by society that makes

women hold their decisions because of judgment. That is why comprehensive abortion policies,

including access to safe and legal abortion, are fundamental to ensure women’s rights as they

avoid the risks of unsafe and clandestine abortions that constantly attempt against their lives.

Also, providing proper mental health care services is just as important in supporting women

through the abortion process. The constant stigmatization around this service has allowed women

to feel shame, guilt, and isolation that led to mental health disorders like post-abortion

depression, but offering counseling, support groups, or proper psychological services will allow

them to understand their decisions and go through the process with confidence. I still believe this

topic won’t see a concrete answer and will continue to be a topic with different perspectives and

opinions; either way; the new upcoming information has allowed lawmakers and society to start

caring for women in a genuine and objective way that empowers women and looks for their

overall health and rights.

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Works Cited

Bellieni, Carlo V., and Giuseppe Buonocore. “Abortion and Subsequent Mental Health: Review

of the Literature.” Psychiatry and Clinical Neurosciences, vol. 67, no. 5, 2013, pp. 301–

10, https://doi.org/10.1111/pcn.12067.

Bruce, Tricia C. “Efficacy, Distancing, and Reconciling: Religion and Race in Americans’

Abortion Attitudes.” Religions (Basel, Switzerland), vol. 11, no. 9, 2020, pp. 475-,

https://doi.org/10.3390/rel11090475

Gebeyehu, Natnael Atnafu, et al. “Global Prevalence of Post-Abortion Depression: Systematic

Review and Meta-Analysis.” BMC Psychiatry, vol. 23, no. 1, 2023, pp. 1–786,

https://doi.org/10.1186/s12888-023-05278-7

Gialdini, Celina, et al. "Multicountry Research on Comprehensive Abortion Policy

Implementation in Latin America: A Mixed-Methods Study Protocol." BMJ Open, vol.

14, no. 1, 2024. ProQuest, https://doi.org/10.1136/bmjopen-2023-073617.

Hanschmidt, Franz, et al. “Abortion Stigma: A Systematic Review.” Perspectives on Sexual and

Reproductive Health, vol. 48, no. 4, 2016, pp. 169–77. JSTOR,

https://www.jstor.org/stable/48576829.

Looi, Mun-Keat. “Abortion: UN Is Urged to Intervene in ‘Human Rights Crisis’ in US after

Ending of Rights.” BMJ (Online), vol. 380, 2023, pp. 521–521,

https://doi.org/10.1136/bmj.p521.

Major, Brenda, et al. “Abortion and Mental Health: Evaluating the Evidence.” The American

Psychologist, vol. 64, no. 9, 2009, pp. 863–90, https://doi.org/10.1037/a0017497.

Oliker, Chelsea. “The Impact of Pre-Abortion Counseling on Women's Self-Efficacy for Coping

and Post-Abortion Adjustment.” Alliant International University, United States --

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California, 2015. ProQuest,

https://go.openathens.net/redirector/tamiu.edu?url=https://www.proquest.com/dissertatio

ns-theses/impact-pre-abortion-counseling-on-womens-self/docview/1739002169/se-2.

Reardon, David C. "The Abortion and Mental Health Controversy: A Comprehensive Literature

Review of Common Ground Agreements, Disagreements, Actionable Recommendations,

and Research Opportunities." Sage Open Medicine, vol. 6, 2018. ProQuest,

https://doi.org/10.1177/2050312118807624.

Schroeder, Casey, and Brian Gran. "Abortion, Motherhood, and Mental Health: Medicalizing

Reproduction in the United States and Britain." Journal of Marriage and Family, vol. 67,

no. 1, 2005, pp. 263-264. ProQuest, https://doi.org/10.1111/j.0022-2445.2005.00br4.x.