MENTAL HEALTH AND ABORTION

That this House acknowledges growing evidence from research centres in many parts of the world showing an increased risk of mental health problems in women who have abortions; notes, for example, that Finland's National Research and Development Centre for Welfare and Health carried out a three-year study of the entire population of women in Finland which found that the suicide rate among women who had abortions was six times higher than that of women who had given birth in the prior year and double that of women who had miscarriages; further notes that following the Finnish study, South Wales psychiatrists reported in a letter to the British Medical Journal that in the Cardiff population of 400,000, between 1991 and 1995 there were more psychiatric admissions and suicides in women who had abortions compared with childbirth; further notes that the most recent major project in Christchurch, New Zealand, was led by Professor David Fergusson, a pro-choice scientist, and showed that women who had abortions had significantly higher rates of mental health problems including depression, anxiety, suicidal behaviour and substance misuse; and calls on the Government to show greater respect and care for women by ensuring that abortion forms state clearly whether the abortion is carried out on mental or physical grounds and by ensuring that women are adequately informed of the possible dangers of abortion as well as being provided with full details of the grants and help available if they continue with their pregnancies.