Can abortion bans affect mental health?
A new peer-reviewed study in JAMA Network Open—led by Dr. Jusung Lee at the University of Texas at San Antonio and co-authored by Dr. Kari White of Resound Research for Reproductive Health—offers compelling evidence.
Using 10 years of data, the study found that frequent mental distress rose significantly among Texas women aged 18–29 after the implementation of Senate Bill 8 (SB8), which banned abortions after embryonic cardiac activity is detected.
Mental distress rose nearly 10 percentage points—from 16% to nearly 28%—among this age group, a change not seen in comparable groups.
These findings highlight the urgent need to consider the broader emotional and public health consequences of abortion policy.
Read the full study here:
https://resoundrh.org/wpcontent/uploads/2025/05/JAMA_Network_2025_Mental_Distress_SB8_Lee_White.pdf
