Post-Abortion Trauma Syndrome

Post-abortion trauma syndrome or post-abortion syndrome (PAS) is a term primarily used by anti-abortion advocates who posit there is a relationship between abortion and adverse mental health effects in women. It is derived from the term post-traumatic stress disorder and, for women who have had abortions, is said to occur frequently and include long-term consequences such as depression, substance abuse, sexual dysfunction, and/or suicidal tendencies. As outlined below, PAS is important in the current abortion dialog because it is used to argue for more restrictive abortion access. It is important to note that the American Medical Association, the American Psychiatric Association, and American Psychological Association have found no empirical support for this concept

The term PAS originated in 1981 when psychologist Vincent Rue, testifying ...