Abortion bans linked to increase in suicidal thoughts among teen girls

Embargoed until: Publicly released: 2026-06-25 01:00

International

Photo by Eric Ward on Unsplash

***This media release contains information some readers may find distressing as it refers to data about mental health, suicide and self-harm. If you or anyone you know needs help, support is available now. Call Lifeline (Aus) on 131 114 or Beyond Blue on 1300 22 4636, or Lifeline (NZ) on 0800 543 354. ***
Abortion bans across US states are linked to an increase in suicidal thoughts among female high-school students, according to international research. The study found an increase in suicidal thoughts among teen girls in states that implemented abortion bans, while this was not the case for male teens. The authors say that the findings suggest that state-level abortion bans may negatively impact teen girls' mental health and underscore the importance of suicide prevention services in affected states.

News release

From: JAMA

Adolescent Suicidality After State-Level Total Abortion Bans

About The Study: In this cross-sectional study of high school students, implementation of total abortion bans was associated with increased suicidal ideation among female students, with similar but less precise estimates observed for suicide attempts. These findings suggest that the policies in these states may adversely influence female adolescents’ mental health and underscore the importance of accessible suicide prevention and mental health services in affected states.

Attachments

Note: Not all attachments are visible to the general public. Research URLs will go live after the embargo ends.

Research JAMA, Web page Please link to the article in online versions of your report (the URL will go live after the embargo ends).

Journal/
conference: JAMA Network Open

Research:Paper

Organisation/s: Verge research, USA

Funder: This research was supported in part by a contribution from Ki-Taek Chun, PhD, and by funding from Brown University’sWatson School of International and Public Affairs

Media Contact/s

Contact details are only visible to registered journalists.