Dr. Mark (and Chuck) – I don’t need to re-take Psych 101, I only need to be informed about it. The APA and its British counterpart have specifically said that there is no evidence of wider depression of women who have had abortions. And, they have picked apart the studies that do say they have greater depression, showing that the data AND analysis were flawed. I don’t say that women don’t get depressed after having an abortion; I’m sure many, many do. But they are no more depressed than those who don’t. The beef with anti-choice people is that they often are against contraception as well, and that it is FINE to not choose to have an abortion, but it is not fine to force other women to carry to term a baby that they do not want, cannot afford to raise, and ESPECIALLy for women who have been raped either by a stranger or a relative. The other beef I have is that no one has laid out a plan for what the punishment should be for a woman who does have an abortion, IF it were illegal. Anti-choice people call it murder, so one can only conclude that hard prison time or the death penalty would be the correct punishment for a woman who has an abortion if it were illegal. Does that sound doable and reasonable or humane?
If in your practice you have found that most women are depressed about it, it could accont for the fact that most practicing Christians, especially Fundamentalist Christians, or those surrounded by the rhetoric of the anti-choice foes, WOULD feel more guilty. Location, upbringing and political views certainly would affect feelins of guilt.
