Catholic Fire

For decades, the cultural battle over abortion has been about what goes on inside a woman's womb. But more and more, the focus is shifting to what goes on inside her head. Activists on both sides are awaiting a comprehensive report reviewing two decades of published research on mental health and abortion, to be presented this week at the American Psychological Association's annual conference in Boston. The report comes at a pivotal time as some judges and lawmakers have begun to make decisions in part based on peer-reviewed studies suggesting women who have had abortions are at higher risk of anxiety, depression and substance abuse. MORE Via The Wall Street Journal and American Life League. Related Posts on Catholic Fire: Is There a Post-Abortion Syndrome? Emily, Do You Really Need to Ask? Is Having an Unplanned Birth Worse Than Having an Abortion? Student struggles with abortion, options

Part One of Two The title of the January 21 cover story in the New York Times Magazine, "Is there a Post-Abortion Syndrome?" suggests the article will address the strength of the available scientific evidence on the topic, which has obvious bearing on recent and future legislation. Instead, what Emily Bazelon , granddaughter of pro-abortion judge David L. Bazelon and the cousin of pro-abortion feminist Betty Friedan , offers is an unconvincing circuitous voyage around the recent and rapidly accumulating scientific evidence that clearly show the negative psychological consequences of abortion. [More] Once again we have an untrained, non-professional person using weak studies (loaded with confounds) attempting to interpret things via her own limited and distorted perceptions on the situation. Even a simple B.S. degree in psychology, biology, or social work might give a tiny amount of credence to what Ms. Emily is saying, yet she does not even possess the minimal amount of t...