APA Says Mental Problems From Abortion Irrelevant

February 16, 2006 (LifeSiteNews.com)
The American Psychological Association (APA) has said that the effect of abortion on women’s mental health has no relevance in determining the association’s support for abortion.

In a special LifeSiteNews report from the Elliot Institute, a spokesperson for the APA openly stated that the Association supports abortion as a civil right, and therefore research contradicting claims that abortion improves women’s health would have no effect on the APA’s position, because “to pro-choice advocates, mental health effects are not relevant.”

(Note: The quote is from Dr. Nancy Felipe Russo. The reporter was referred to Dr. Russo for comments by the APA, so her description as “spokesperson” is a valid one.)

The APA holds extensive scientific authority on mental health issues—the association’s support for abortion over the past thirty years has been based on claims that in many cases abortion is necessary for women’s mental health through freedom from “unwanted childbearing.”

"Thirty-five years ago, when the APA joined in the effort to legalize abortion, they were promising more than just 'relief,'" said Dr. David Reardon of the Elliot Institute in the report. "They were insisting that abortion would fundamentally improve women's mental and physical health by sparing them the burden of unwanted children. But 38 million abortions later, there is still not a single statistically-validated study that has shown that abortion has actually improved the lives of women who abort compared to those who carry to term.”

Researchers in Christchurch, New Zealand, whose extensive study found clear links between abortion and women’s mental health problems, accused the APA of selectively ignoring current research that shows the negative effects of abortion on women’s mental health.

They suggested that the APA defense of abortion is based on seriously flawed studies, long outdated, and refuted by research from the last seven years clearly showing negative effects from abortion. In an interesting twist, the Christchurch research team, which supports abortion, undertook their study in order to attempt to refute claims that abortion damaged women’s mental health.

(Read the whole Elliot Institute report here - it is quite enlightening.)

Here we have the direct, public claim on behalf of the APA that it doesn’t give a damn about women’s health as long as babies can be killed. Is it just me, or does evil seem to be less concerned about concealing its true face recently? We see a lot of things in the press these days that would have been unthinkable just a few years ago: the promotion of abortion at any cost; the open vilification of Christianity; the public flaunting of corrupt lifestyles within the Church itself – if you don't like my examples, go pick your own favorite.

I wonder if it isn’t a symptom of one of Evil’s intrinsic flaws; it always overreaches. An alcoholic or a hype can conceal his addiction for a long time. Once he tastes the booze or the needle, however, he can’t really control what he’s going to do and sooner or later – by the very nature of his problem – his addiction will publicly expose itself in the full glare of daylight.

I’m not equating the addict with Satan, but I am kind of equating Satan with an addict. Evil can make itself look good for a while. Promiscuity becomes a “mature attitude towards our natural sex drive.” Child killing becomes “a woman’s right to control her body.” Perversions by the score become “coming to terms with who you really are.” But sooner or later, the mask slips and we see what lies underneath: “to pro-choice advocates, mental health effects are not relevant.” Death for its own sake: as ravenous for blood as a junkie for his heroin; as banal as a dead baby in a waste container.