Postabortion Syndrome: An Emerging Public Health Concern

Abstract

Elective abortion, the most common surgical procedure in the United States, continues to generate considerable moral, legal, medical, and psychological controversy. This article reviews the pertinent literature, defines and describes postabortion syndrome (PAS) as a type of Post‐Traumatic Stress Disorder. Four basic components of PAS are proposed: (a) exposure to or participation in an abortion experience, which is perceived as the traumatic and intentional destruction of one's unborn child; (b) uncontrolled negative reexperiencing of the abortion event; (c) unsuccessful attempts to avoid or deny painful abortion recollections, resulting in reduced responsiveness; and (d) experiencing associated symptoms not present before the abortion, including guilt about surviving. Clinical evidence and the cardinal features of PAS are presented, and objections to the validity of this diagnostic category are discussed.