As reported in The Hill, when the Supreme Court overturned Roe v Wade a week ago, removing the constitutional right of women to seek an abortion, “the country saw outpourings of condemnation and relief from individuals across the political spectrum.” However, medical, economic, and mental health experts uniformly condemned the move. The American Psychiatric Association, the American Psychological Association, and the National Association of Social Workers staunchly oppose the Court’s actions in a joint statement, citing the severe toll the ruling would take on mental health.

“This ruling ignores not only precedent but science, and will exacerbate the mental health crisis America is already experiencing,” said American Psychological Association (APA) president Frank C. Worrell in a statement.

“We are alarmed that the justices would nullify Roe despite decades of scientific research demonstrating that people who are denied abortions are more likely to experience higher levels of anxiety, lower life satisfaction and lower self-esteem compared with those who are able to obtain abortions,” he continued.

According to an article in Fortune magazine, research does link adverse mental health effects to being denied the right to choose: “The Turnaway study, a long-term study of roughly 1,000 people examining the impacts of unwanted pregnancy on people’s lives, found that those who were denied abortions faced years of economic hardship, which had a negative impact on the financial security of their children, and on the mental health of the caretakers.”

According to Worrell, not only will the number of unsafe abortions rise, but adding barriers to abortion access may increase symptoms of stress, anxiety, and depression.

Since research also correlates unwanted pregnancy and interpersonal violence, “the inability to obtain an abortion increases the risk for domestic abuse among those who are forced to stay in contact with violent partners, putting them and their children at risk.” These risks are exacerbated for marginalized groups, disproportionately harming individuals living in poverty, people of color, and those in medically underserved communities.

“We are setting up a situation where we are deliberately pushing people into a psychological crisis,” Worrell said in an additional statement.

Further harms were enumerated. If women are forced to carry to term, the psychological trauma associated with domestic abuse, rape or incest can also become magnified if the resulting pregnancy cannot legally be terminated.

Finally, according to Worrell, “Stripping individuals of their rights that were once codified into federal law also fosters feelings of dehumanization while the potential of further rights being put into jeopardy can also heighten the mental health crisis.”

Read The Hill article here.

Read the full APA statement here.

Read the joint statement by the American Psychological Association, American Psychiatric Association, and the National Association of Social Workers.

Melillo, Gianna. “How will the Roe v Wade overturn impact American’s mental health?” The Hill, 27 June 2022, https://thehill.com/changing-america/well-being/mental-health/3538130-how-will-the-roe-v-wade-overturn-impact-americans-mental-health/.

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