Abortion: Psychiatric Bulletin Raises Concerns

Abortion: Psychiatric Bulletin Raises Concerns

Psychiatric Bulletin raises concerns about abortion

The editorial in the current edition of the prestigious Psychiatric Bulletin1 welcomes the recent statement from the Royal College of Psychiatrists (UK)2  warning of the possible negative effects of abortion for women. The editorial notes that the statement “contrasts starkly with the confident statement made by the Royal College of Psychiatrists in 1994”, which endorsed abortion.
 
 
The editorial also raises serious questions about the justification of Britain’s abortion laws, based on psychiatric grounds.
 
The recent stances adopted by these two professional bodies would be unheard of only ten years ago.

It is a sign of how much has changed in recent times. The increasing number of studies showing the negative effects of abortion for women cannot continue to be ignored by State agencies, such as the Crisis Pregnancy Agency.
 
 
[1] Psychiatric Bulletin (2008), 32, 321-324. doi: 10.1192/pb.bp.108.021022
 
[2] Royal College of Psychiatrists (2008) Position statement on women’s mental health in relation to induced abortion. www.rcpsych.ac.uk/members/currentissues/mentalhealthandabortion.aspx