Last June, marking a historic milestone in the history of American jurisprudence, the Supreme Court of the country issued the ruling Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organizationwhich reversed the decision Roe v. Wade of 1973. In this way, he stopped considering the abortion as a constitutional rightleaving the regulation of access to it in the hands of the States.
Thus, a situation has been generated in which various territories within the country have different legislation in this regard. Now, a study published in the prestigious academic medium JAMA Psychiatry has concluded that the different models have differentiated effects on the mental health of young women.
An increase in the number of suicides
The authors of the work, attached to the University of Pennsylvaniaconsider that restrictions on access to abortion can be a stressor for women of reproductive age, and as such could contribute to the burden of mental illness and at an increased risk of suicide.
In order to verify this hypothesis, they used data from different States of the country between 1974 and 2016, taking into account the different moments in which they issued legislation relating to the right to abortion. Then, they analyzed the suicide rates in the population of women of reproductive age in those territories over time, comparing those that occurred at times and places with more restrictive legislation with those that occurred in contexts in which the legislation was more restrictive. lax.
Using this method, they determined that, comparatively, women of reproductive age who experience this type of legislation experience a significant increase in their suicide risk: On average, the number of suicides in this demographic increased by 5.81% when a restrictive law on access to abortion was in force.
A robust, though not necessarily causal, association
The researchers then carried out the same analysis in women above reproductive age (ages 45 to 64) and found that the effect was not replicated in this demographic. In the same way, if other common causes of death in women of reproductive age were analyzed, such as traffic accidents, no statistically relevant increase was observed.
One of the aspects highlighted by the authors is that the methodology is not considered valid for infer a causal relationship between the two phenomena studied (that is, the legislation regarding access to abortion and the increase in the suicide rate). However, it does point to a robust association, although it is necessary to take into account possible variables that may influence both aspects in future research.
On the other hand, they also underline that the finding has clinical implications, at the level of public and ethical policies. Specifically, acknowledging the relationship can change the way in which health care providers advise legislators regarding reproductive rights; Likewise, it points to the need to implement better suicide prevention policies and adds data to take into account when addressing the ethical debate around abortion legislation.
References
Jonathan Zandberg, Rebecca Waller, Elina Visoki et al. Association Between State-Level Acess to Reproductive Care and Suicide Rates Among Women of Reproductive Age in the United States. JAMA Psychiatry (2022). DOI: 10.1001/jamapsychiatry.2022.4394