The Family Research Council (FRC) hosted a panel today to discuss the mental-health effects of abortion. The discussion was in response to a recent study by the American Psychological Association (APA) that claimed one abortion does not cause significant mental-health problems for women.
Panelist Vincent Rue, director of the Institute for Pregnancy Loss, said the false claims and inaccuracies of the APA report are detrimental to women and to society.
"For women who are considering abortion, these women are now unlikely to receive sufficient information to enable informed consent," he said. "They will be lulled in to a false sense of emotional security that the psychological effects of abortion are minimal to nonexistent.
"For many women who proceed with the abortion, this will make their recovery more difficult. They will likely feel an increased sense of isolation, stigma, depression and dramatization, being entirely unprepared for these feelings and symptoms."
Other panel experts included Catherine Coyle, with the Alliance for Post-Abortion Research and Training; and Tom McClusky, vice president of government affairs for FRC.
— Devon Williams
