Draft guidelines on abortion from two British medical bodies have been criticised for downplaying or ignoring the scientific evidence that increasingly points to negative mental outcomes for women following abortion. New draft guidelines from the Royal College of Psychiatrists (RCPsych) have concluded that "mental health outcomes are likely to be the same, whether women with unwanted pregnancies opt for an abortion or birth".

The Life Institute says that the draft guidelines from the RCPsych would flatly contradict its previous guidelines if adopted. "In 2008 the Royal College of Psychiatrists acknowledged that studies do show a link between abortion and worsened mental health. It would be a grave disservice to women if they should now simply ignore or downplay the findings of so many scientific studies which show that women are negatively affected by abortion," he commented

Dr Peter Saunders CEO of the Christian Medical Fellowship said that the RCPsych guidelines did point out that 'women with mental health problems prior to abortion or birth are associated with increased mental health problems after the abortion or birth'. He wrote that "some women experience serious mental health problems following induced abortion" and urged the Royal College in its consultation on the draft guidelines (which continues until June 29th) to consider the 5,000 studies on this issue in the scientific literature.

Many of those studies have found that abortion has negative mental health outcomes for women. That evidence has prompted two British MPs, Nadine Dorries and Frank Field to table amendments to the Health and Social Care Bill. The two MPs are attempting to ensure that women with unplanned pregnancies have access to information and counselling that is not provided by the abortion industry.

They have also called for the responsibility for producing abortion guidelines to be taken away from the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists (RCOG) and given to the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence. They claim that the RCOG guidelines misrepresent the scientific evidence on the health consequences of abortion and that some RCOG members have financial and ideological vested interests in abortion provision.

RCOG guidelines were issued in January 2011 and instructed doctors to deny any negative outcomes from abortion (physical or psychological) to women seeking advice. The RCOG was widely criticised for denying doctors a proper consultation period on the guidelines, for rushing them through, and for failing to reveal that 11 of the 18 people on the RCOG panel producing the guidance benefit financially from abortion provision. Both the British Pregnancy Advisory Service and Marie Stopes International are represented on the panel, and it contains no psychiatric expert although it purports to speak authoritatively on the link between abortion and mental health. Abortion providers in Britain earn an estimated £60 million annually from killing babies - much of it given to them by the government on behalf of taxpayers.

Ms Dorries said that the "RCOG guidelines have been too influenced by abortion providers who have a financial interest in abortion provision. This is like asking British American Tobacco to draw up guidelines for smokers.

The RCOG has now withdrawn it in order to await a report from the Royal College of Psychiatrists. Read more of Dr Peter Saunders blog below

LINKS

• Dr Peter Saunders blog