COMMENTARY
States with restrictive abortion laws will suffer long-term economic harm from forced childbirth
A tsunami is coming. Women and children will experience deep trauma, mental and physical ailments, and even death
Published August 31, 2024 9:09AM (EDT)
An abortion rights advocate participates in a protest outside of the U.S. Supreme Court Building on June 24, 2024 in Washington, DC. (Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)
Imagine a treatable condition poised to sweep through many parts of our country, threatening to sink our healthcare system under trillions of dollars in costs and alter our society as we know it. In a modern, highly sophisticated nation, one might ask what we can do to prevent this disaster. Yet, here we are, and the silence is deafening.
Dr. Catherine Birndorf, a reproductive psychiatrist and founder of The Motherhood Center of New York, states, “Whatever you believe about a woman’s right to have an abortion, the irrefutable medical fact is that forced pregnancy — when a woman or girl becomes pregnant without seeking or desiring it, and abortion is denied, hindered, delayed or made difficult — will profoundly increase the number of perinatal mood and anxiety disorders (PMADs) in women and birthing people, also commonly known as postpartum depression.”
Before the overturning of Roe v. Wade, the CDC estimated that approximately 800,000 to 950,000 women experienced perinatal depression and anxiety disorders each year, with 80,000 being acute cases, making it one of the leading causes of maternal mortality in the United States. At least one in five pregnant and postpartum women suffer from PMADs, with a notably higher incidence among women of color.
Dr. Birndorf suggests that these numbers were even higher when accounting for the lack of treatment due to shame, stigma, inadequate maternal mental health services, insufficient psychoeducation, and the absence of mandatory screening requirements. She also believes that the number of untreated PMADs will skyrocket over the next few years with restrictive abortion laws taking effect and the lack of available treatment.
A tsunami is coming. Women and children will experience deep trauma, long-term mental and physical ailments, and even death.
When asked about treatments for PMADs, Paige Bellenbaum, a social worker and co-founder of The Motherhood Center of New York, added, “To make matters even worse, untreated PMADs cause not only mental illness but also physical illnesses that affect women, their children, and their families for life.”
Various studies in maternal health have shown that these issues include higher rates of preeclampsia and C-sections, chronic mental health problems, chronic substance abuse, diabetes, heart issues, maternal attachment issues, impaired family and social relationships, suicide, worse overall long-term physical health, and reduced maternal productivity and labor force participation. Children can also suffer from lower birth weights, higher NICU admission rates, higher SIDS rates, behavioral, cognitive, and developmental issues, child/adolescent obesity, reduced educational attainment, higher rates of substance abuse, and worse long-term physical and mental health. Bellenbaum also stated,