people at abortion rights demonstration

The expulsion from the uterus of an embryo or fetus before it is able to survive independently. An abortion may be either spontaneous, in which case it occurs naturally and is also called a miscarriage, or induced, in which case it is produced deliberately by artificial means such as drugs or surgery and done for therapeutic reasons or as an elective decision.

The practice is controversial and may involve abortion counseling, the provision of guidance, advice, information, and support on issues concerning termination of pregnancy and the alternatives of adoption or raising the child.

Adapted from the APA Dictionary of Psychology

Resources from APA

Image of a gavel

U.S. Food and Drug Administration v. Alliance for Hippocratic Medicine, et al.

Involves a challenge to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s approval of mifepristone used for medication abortion based in part on allegations by the Alliance for Hippocratic Medicine that medication abortion causes women physical and mental health harms.
young woman wearing "my body" earrings

Policymakers are taking aim at women and LGBTQ+ individuals

Alarming policy trends are affecting people’s mental health, but psychologists are fighting back.
woman of color having a conversation with a medical professional

Abortion bans cause outsized harm for people of color

Increasing restrictions on reproductive care inflict a significant physical and mental burden that ripples across generations—especially for people of color.
woman checking at-home pregnancy kit results

APA Resolution on Confidentiality and Reproductive Health

Ethical standards related to patient confidentiality are significant when psychologists are faced with ethical conflicts with a law requiring the disclosure of confidential information regarding sexual and reproductive health.
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Ethics and psychology practice

Ethics

Frequently asked questions regarding ethical issues related to the Supreme Court decision overturning Roe v. Wade opens in new window

This FAQ provides initial thoughts about ethical issues confronting psychologists following the overturning of Roe v. Wade in June 2022 and the elimination of abortion as a constitutionally-protected right.
Psychology practice

Frequently asked questions about abortion laws and psychology practice

Since the U.S. Supreme Court issued its decision to overturn Roe v. Wade, many states have proposed, enacted, or resurrected a range of laws to either prohibit, significantly restrict, or protect reproductive rights and health care.
 

What APA is doing

Women's Issues
Advocacy

Women’s health and civil rights

APA Services advocates for federal funding for women’s health care, improving mental health, preventing violence against women, supporting equity for women, and ending gender disparities and discrimination.
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Advocacy

Five ways you can get involved in the reproductive health effort

Check out these resources on how to get involved in state-level advocacy efforts related to reproductive health.

APA policies and resolutions

APA’s Resolution on Abortion adopted in 1969 establishes that termination of pregnancy is the civil right of the pregnant woman, to be handled as are other medical and surgical procedures in consultation with her physician. Subsequent APA policies adopted in 1980, 1989, 1992, and 2022 affirmed a woman’s right to reproductive choice and negated assertions regarding adverse psychological effects of abortion.

February 2022

APA Resolution Affirming and Building on APA’s History of Support for Reproductive Rights opens in new window

APA urges local, state, and federal policymakers to safeguard the reproductive rights of all women and implement reforms to address oppressive policies.
1969–present

Abortion resolutions

Read APA’s 1969 resolution and subsequent policies affirming the right to reproductive choice.

Amicus briefs

APA has filed multiple amicus briefs in legal challenges to abortion.

2014

MKB Management Corp. v. Burdick

2010

Planned Parenthood et al. v. Mike Rounds et al.

1992

Planned Parenthood of SE Pennsylvania v. Casey

1989

Ohio v. Akron Center for Reproductive Health Inc.

1988

Bowen v. Kendrick

1989

Webster v. Reproductive Health Services

1987

Hartigan v. Zbaraz

1987

Hodgson v. State of Minnesota

1985

Thornburgh v. American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists

1982

Akron v. Akron Center for Reproductive Health Inc.

1982

Harris v. McRae

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Abortion and mental health

  • Women who are denied an abortion are more likely to initially experience higher levels of anxiety, lower life satisfaction, and lower self-esteem compared with women who received an abortion.
  • Unwanted pregnancy has been associated with deficits to the subsequent child’s cognitive, emotional, and social processes.
  • The number of unsafe abortions is likely to increase when policies limit access to reproductive health care.
  • There is a strong relationship between unwanted pregnancy and interpersonal violence.
  • Laws restricting access to safe, legal abortion are harmful to low-income women, women of color, and sexual and gender minorities, as well as those who live in rural or medically underserved areas.
  • A woman’s ability to control when and if she has a child is frequently linked to her socioeconomic standing and earning power.
  • Experiencing unwanted pregnancies appears to be strongly associated with poor mental health effects for women later in life.

Read more from the Report of the APA Task Force on Mental Health and Abortion (PDF, 606KB)opens in new window

APA Offices

Women’s Health and Civil Rights Advocacy
APA Services advocates for federal funding for women’s health care, improving mental health, preventing violence against women, supporting equity for women, and ending gender disparities and discrimination.


Women’s Programs Office
The Women’s Programs Office works to improve the status, health and well-being of women psychologists and consumers of psychological services