What is Post-Abortion Trauma?

Post-abortion trauma (PAT) or post abortion syndrome (PAS) is a contentious diagnosis at the heart of the pro-life and pro-choice debate. It is not a medically or psychologically agreed upon syndrome, but instead is a diagnosis that has been principally posited as existing by those who oppose abortion. For pro-life supporters, it’s believed that most women who undergo abortion are likely to experience conditions like severe depression and grief, and are at greater risk for suicidality, even many years after an abortion occurred. People opposed to this diagnosis suggest that PAT may be a legitimate diagnosis for a few women who have an abortion due to lack of choice or coercion, but that it isn’t descriptive of the majority of women who have an abortion.

A tremendous amount of conflicting research on post-abortion trauma has been performed. Some studies show a correlation between abortion and higher risk of later mental difficulties or suicidality. While correlation may exist, not all of these studies are conducted in a fully rigorous scientific manner and they fail to account for pre-existing conditions that might result in a higher risk of suicide. Pro-choice or even neutral review of such research suggests it is flawed. Identical research shows little correlation or it ties risk of suicidality to conditions existing before women ever chose an abortion.

People in either ideological camp don’t dispute the existence of post-abortion trauma, but pro-choice advocates tend to dispute evidence of it being as common as is claimed in pro-life sponsored research. No one suggests that it never exists, and some women certainly are traumatized by an abortion.

During the early recovery period, postpartum depression or psychosis can occur. Some women continue to regret having an abortion for years after it has occurred. It can’t be proven that the choice to continue a pregnancy would have resulted in a better outcome or that depression would be any less. Research that is not as contested suggests that the women most likely to have postpartum depression or post-abortion trauma, which might create lasting depression and suicide risk, are those who were pressured to have an abortion or who didn’t have the support they needed to make other choices.

Another group that may suffer from post-abortion trauma is fathers of aborted children. It’s contended, principally by pro-life groups, that fathers can grieve for years. This might particularly be the case when fathers were in no way able to make the choice about whether an abortion occurred, and in most societies, it is true that fathers do not have this right. There is more of an air of coercion that could be particularly difficult for those who don’t support abortion and some fathers do feel that their child was murdered, which can lead to depression. There is evidence to the contrary in those fathers who fully supported the decision of a pregnant wife or girlfriend to obtain an abortion, and this syndrome can only exist if fathers were aware of the pregnancy.