Sir, – There must be a great deal of confusion among the public in relation to the debate about abortion and mental health. Dr Ruth Cullen puts forward the view (Opinion, March 5th) that having an abortion has an adverse effect on a woman’s mental health. Patrick Walshe, in response to this (Letters, March 8th), quotes an impressive international review concluding that poor mental health outcomes are linked to unwanted pregnancies, rather than abortion. Ruth Cullen’s response to this (Letters, March 13th) is to argue that the termination of pregnancy by abortion will not protect a woman’s mental health! That abortion is not good for one’s mental health should come as no surprise to those who do not read scientific journals.
Is anyone arguing that abortion is good for your mental health; or that the choice between having an abortion, or continuing with an unwanted pregnancy, should be anything other than an ambivalent and deeply personal one? These issues are not in question.
The issue now is the implementation of legislation to make that choice available to women whose lives are threatened by continuing with a pregnancy. In countries where that choice is not available and women are forced to continue with unwanted pregnancies, they are at an increased risk of taking their own lives and of self-poisoning with the intention of terminating the pregnancy.
The questions raised by Ruth Cullen have merit, but only in the context of the implementation of the requisite legislation. While mental health issues are relevant to this public debate, de-contextualised research findings addressing questions that can only be answered on a case-by-case basis are not helpful. – Yours, etc,