Dr. Catherine Birndorf, a reproductive psychiatrist and founder of The Motherhood Center of New York, states, “Whatever you believe about a woman’s right to have an abortion, the irrefutable medical fact is that forced pregnancy — when a woman or girl becomes pregnant without seeking or desiring it, and abortion is denied, hindered, delayed or … Read more
Some lawmakers have tried to introduce carve-outs to abortion bans for minors but have faced pushback in conservative states. In May 2024, a legislative committee in Louisiana rejected a bill that would have added cases of rape and incest as exceptions to Louisiana’s abortion ban. They also rejected an amendment brought by the Democratic state … Read more
“It’s one stigma on top of another: abortion is stigmatized, mental health is stigmatized — and [if] you need an abortion for a mental health issue, you’re just adding stigma on stigma,” Sobel told Salon. “So it’s most challenging for people in that situation to access care, and as we’ve already said, most of the … Read more
In a study published last month, researchers at Johns Hopkins University found that people living in states that banned abortion in the immediate wake of the Court’s decision have worse symptoms of anxiety and depression than those who live in states without bans. Read more at Vox
Even before the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization last year overturning the federal right to abortion, people with mental health problems faced disproportionate barriers to getting an abortion, said Sarah Roberts, a researcher with the University of California, San Francisco’s Advancing New Standards in Reproductive Health program. As mental health care … Read more
