This news out of the UK is unexpected and a validation of what some advocates have been saying for years. The Royal College of Psychiatrists—not pro lifers—have determined that women who have abortions are at risk of mental breakdown. From the story:
Women may be at risk of mental health breakdowns if they have abortions, a medical royal college has warned. The Royal College of Psychiatrists says women should not be allowed to have an abortion until they are counselled on the possible risk to their mental health.
This overturns the consensus that has stood for decades that the risk to mental health of continuing with an unwanted pregnancy outweighs the risks of living with the possible regrets of having an abortion…
Royal College of Psychiatrists recommends updating abortion information leaflets to include details of the risks of depression. “Consent cannot be informed without the provision of adequate and appropriate information,” it says.
It seems to me that regardless of where one falls on the legality issue, informed consent is crucial to “choice” that really meets the definition of that term.
But don’t expect that to go down easy, at least on this side of the Pond. The politics of abortion are as much about the deep cultural divide that is rending American society as about the procedure itself. I predict the Royal College’s advice will be resisted, or major efforts made to rebut it.
I have no idea what, if anything, women are told here about the risks of mental illness associated with abortion. But if women have not been warned about this and later suffered mental difficulties, I also predict some will sue. If this is a major problem, my old pals the trial lawyers might decide to sink their teeth into this new area of litigation. If they do, it could transform the landscape.
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