Overturning Roe v Wade likely led to an increase in distress in women
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Publicly released:
2023-03-24 02:00
The loss of abortion rights that followed the overturning of the infamous Roe v Wade case was associated with a 10% increase in the prevalence of mental distress in women in the US, say researchers from the US. The team gathered survey data from over 83,000 women of reproductive age, and say there was a 10% jump of mental distress in states that restricted abortion rights after the decision, compared with before the Supreme Court decision. Additionally, they say restricting legal abortion access may be associated with disproportionate outcomes among individuals of lower socioeconomic status and in medically underserved areas, who may experience greater economic and mental health burdens of having unwanted pregnancies due to increased travel costs of obtaining abortions.
Journal/conference: JAMA Network Open
Link to research (DOI): 10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2023.4509
Organisation/s: Lehigh University, USA
Funder: No funding information stated
Media release
From: JAMA
This case control study found that for female individuals, the loss of abortion rights was associated with a 10% increase in prevalence of mental distress relative to the mean over the three months after the Supreme Court of the U.S. decision. Restricting legal abortion access may be associated with disproportionate outcomes among individuals of lower socioeconomic status and in medically underserved areas, who may experience greater economic and mental health burdens of having unwanted pregnancies due to increased travel costs of obtaining abortions.
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