HEALTH
A new study has found that women who undergo abortions face a higher risk of mental-health-related hospitalizations compared with women who give birth.
The research, published this summer in the Journal of Psychiatric Research, examined hospital records in Quebec, Canada, from 2006 to 2022. It compared data from more than 1.2 million women who gave birth with over 28,000 women who had abortions, tracking their health outcomes for up to 17 years.
According to the findings, “rates of mental-health-related hospitalization were higher following induced abortions than other pregnancies.” These included hospitalizations for psychiatric disorders, substance use disorders, and suicide attempts.
The association was strongest among women under 25 at the time of their abortion and those with preexisting mental illnesses. Researchers noted that the risk of hospitalization was greatest within the first five years after an abortion, gradually declining afterward. Only after 17 years did the risk begin to resemble that of women who carried pregnancies to term.
Tessa Cox, senior research associate at the pro-life think tank Charlotte Lozier Institute, described the study as “particularly powerful.”
“This study adds to a mounting body of research suggesting that abortion can harm women’s mental health,” Cox told journalists. “The fact that it included more than a million women and accounted for prior mental health and related factors makes it especially significant.”
Michael New, senior associate scholar at the Charlotte Lozier Institute and professor at The Catholic University of America, also praised the research, calling it “robust.”
“This study provides strong statistical evidence that abortion increases the risk of a range of mental health problems,” New said, pointing to its large sample size, long-term follow-up, and careful controls.
The authors themselves emphasized that large population-based studies with extended follow-up periods are rare but crucial to understanding women’s mental health after abortion.
Similar studies have previously sparked debate. Critics have argued that women with preexisting mental health issues are more likely to seek abortions, complicating the relationship between abortion and later psychological outcomes. However, researchers in the Quebec study controlled for prior mental health hospitalizations, strengthening their findings.
The study adds to ongoing discussions about the long-term impact of abortion on women’s well-being, with researchers on both sides of the debate continuing to examine its implications.
