Reproductive rights and adolescent mental health

Abstract

In the United States, September marks the return to school, the start of fall, and National Suicide Prevention Awareness Month. Throughout the month, there is a public health push for dissemination of suicide prevention strategies for adolescents, as it is well‐established that suicide is one of the leading causes of death in young people. Experts highlight the importance of safe‐handling protocols for lethal means like gun locks and prescription blister packs, accessible health insurance plans that provide mental health care, increased support for national suicide prevention lifelines and text lines, calls for the overhauls of the juvenile justice and foster care systems… the list goes on. Yet, one topic that we may forget about when talking about suicide and adolescent mental health is access to reproductive and family planning services, including abortions.