The end of Roe v. Wade: implications for Women's mental health and care

doi:10.3389/fpsyt.2023.1087045

. 2023 May 5:14:1087045.

doi: 10.3389/fpsyt.2023.1087045. eCollection 2023.

The end of Roe v. Wade: implications for Women's mental health and care

Amalia Londoño Tobón¹, Eileen McNicholas², Camille A Clare³, Luu D Ireland^{2

4}, Jennifer L Payne⁵, Tiffany A Moore Simas^{2

4

6

7

8}, Rachel K Scott⁹, Madeleine Becker¹⁰, Nancy Byatt^{2

4

6

7

8}

Affiliations

¹ Department of Psychiatry, Georgetown University School of Medicine, Washington, DC, United States.
² UMass Chan Medical School, Worcester, MA, United States.
³ Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Downstate Health Sciences University, Brooklyn, NY, United States.
⁴ Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, University of Massachusetts Chan Medical School, Worcester, MA, United States.
⁵ Department of Psychiatry and Neurobehavioral Sciences, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA, United States.
⁶ Department of Psychiatry, University of Massachusetts Chan Medical School, Worcester, MA, United States.
⁷ Department of Pediatrics, University of Massachusetts Chan Medical School, Worcester, MA, United States.
⁸ Department of Population & Quantitative Health Sciences, University of Massachusetts Chan Medical School, Worcester, MA, United States.
⁹ MedStar Health Research Institute, Georgetown University School of Medicine, Washington, DC, United States.
¹⁰ Departments of Psychiatry and Human Behavior, Sydney Kimmel Medical College, Integrative Medicine and Nutritional Sciences, Thomas Jefferson University, Philadelphia, PA, United States.

PMID: 37215676
PMCID: PMC10196497
DOI: 10.3389/fpsyt.2023.1087045

The end of Roe v. Wade: implications for Women's mental health and care

Amalia Londoño Tobón et al. Front Psychiatry. 2023.

. 2023 May 5:14:1087045.

doi: 10.3389/fpsyt.2023.1087045. eCollection 2023.

Authors

Affiliations

¹ Department of Psychiatry, Georgetown University School of Medicine, Washington, DC, United States.
² UMass Chan Medical School, Worcester, MA, United States.
³ Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Downstate Health Sciences University, Brooklyn, NY, United States.
⁴ Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, University of Massachusetts Chan Medical School, Worcester, MA, United States.
⁵ Department of Psychiatry and Neurobehavioral Sciences, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA, United States.
⁶ Department of Psychiatry, University of Massachusetts Chan Medical School, Worcester, MA, United States.
⁷ Department of Pediatrics, University of Massachusetts Chan Medical School, Worcester, MA, United States.
⁸ Department of Population & Quantitative Health Sciences, University of Massachusetts Chan Medical School, Worcester, MA, United States.
⁹ MedStar Health Research Institute, Georgetown University School of Medicine, Washington, DC, United States.
¹⁰ Departments of Psychiatry and Human Behavior, Sydney Kimmel Medical College, Integrative Medicine and Nutritional Sciences, Thomas Jefferson University, Philadelphia, PA, United States.

PMID: 37215676
PMCID: PMC10196497
DOI: 10.3389/fpsyt.2023.1087045

Abstract

The Supreme Court decision in Dobbs v. Jackson in June 2022 reversed precedent which had previously protected abortion prior to fetal viability as a universal right within the United States. This decision almost immediately led to abortion restrictions across 25 states. The resulting lack of access to abortion care for millions of pregnant people will have profound physical and mental health consequences, the full effects of which will not be realized for years to come. Approximately 1 in 5 women access abortions in the U.S. each year. These women are diverse and represent all American groups. The Supreme court decision, however, will affect populations that have and continue to be marginalized the most. Forcing pregnant individuals to carry unwanted pregnancies worsens health outcomes and mortality risk for both the perinatal individual and the offspring. The US has one of the highest maternal mortality rates and this rate is projected to increase with abortion bans. Abortion policies also interfere with appropriate medical care of pregnant people leading to less safe pregnancies for all. Beyond the physical morbidity, the psychological sequelae of carrying a forced pregnancy to term will lead to an even greater burden of maternal mental illness, exacerbating the already existing maternal mental health crisis. This perspective piece reviews the current evidence of abortion denial on women's mental health and care. Based on the current evidence, we discuss the clinical, educational, societal, research, and policy implications of the Dobbs v. Jackson Supreme Court decision.

Keywords: Dobbs v Jackson; Roe v Wade; abortion; mental health; obstetrics and gynecology; perinatal; psychiatry; reproduction.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest.

Cited by

Putting Politics Aside: Supporting Pregnant Women Who Have Experienced Sexual Violence.
Stubbe DE. Stubbe DE. Focus (Am Psychiatr Publ). 2024 Jan;22(1):72-76. doi: 10.1176/appi.focus.20230030. Epub 2024 Jan 12. Focus (Am Psychiatr Publ). 2024. PMID: 38694154 Free PMC article. No abstract available.
Integrating public preferences to overcome racial disparities in research: findings from a US survey on enhancing trust in research data-sharing practices.
Niño de Rivera S, Zhao Y, Omollo S, Eslami S, Benda N, Sharma Y, Reading Turchioe M, Sharko M, Dugdale LS, Masterson Creber R. Niño de Rivera S, et al. JAMIA Open. 2025 May 2;8(3):ooaf031. doi: 10.1093/jamiaopen/ooaf031. eCollection 2025 Jun. JAMIA Open. 2025. PMID: 40322632 Free PMC article.
Fluctuating recovery: Trajectories of young adult mental health through the COVID-19 pandemic 2020-2022.
Zhao C, Rastogi R, Woolverton GA, Yip T, Hahm HC, Liu CH. Zhao C, et al. J Affect Disord. 2025 Nov 15;389:119694. doi: 10.1016/j.jad.2025.119694. Epub 2025 Jun 16. J Affect Disord. 2025. PMID: 40532882
Decrease in reproductive desires among non-parent heterosexual women during the COVID-19 pandemic in Poland: the role of epidemiological stress, socioeconomic status, and reproductive rights.
Marcinkowska UM, Kasparek KK, Zabdyr-Jamróz M, Kozłowska M, Nenko I. Marcinkowska UM, et al. Front Public Health. 2025 Mar 5;13:1462215. doi: 10.3389/fpubh.2025.1462215. eCollection 2025. Front Public Health. 2025. PMID: 40109425 Free PMC article.

References

1. Jones RK, Witwer E, Jerman J. AbortiPon incidence and service availability in the United States. New York: Guttmacher Institute; (2019).
1. Walensky RP, Bunnell R, Layden J, Kent CK, Gottardy AJ, Leahy MA, et al. . Morbidity and mortality weekly report Centers for Disease Control and Prevention MMWR editorial and production staff (serials) MMWR editorial board. (2019).
1. Resneck J. Dobbs rPuling is an assault on reproductive health, safe medical practice. (2022) available at: https://www.ama-assn.org/about/leadership/dobbs-ruling-assault-reproduct.... (Accessed December 10, 2022).
1. American Psychiatric Association . American Psychiatric Association statement on Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s health Organization (2022) available at: https://www.psychiatry.org/News-room/News-Releases/APA-Statement-on-Dobb.... (Accessed December 10, 2022).
1. Hoskins IA. ACOG statement on the decision in Dobbs V. Jackson (2022) available at: https://www.acog.org/news/news-releases/2022/06/acog-statement-on-the-de.... (Accessed December 10, 2022).

LinkOut - more resources

Full Text Sources

[1] Jones RK, Witwer E, Jerman J. AbortiPon incidence and service availability in the United States. New York: Guttmacher Institute; (2019).

[2] Jones RK, Witwer E, Jerman J. AbortiPon incidence and service availability in the United States. New York: Guttmacher Institute; (2019).

[3] Walensky RP, Bunnell R, Layden J, Kent CK, Gottardy AJ, Leahy MA, et al. . Morbidity and mortality weekly report Centers for Disease Control and Prevention MMWR editorial and production staff (serials) MMWR editorial board. (2019).

[4] Walensky RP, Bunnell R, Layden J, Kent CK, Gottardy AJ, Leahy MA, et al. . Morbidity and mortality weekly report Centers for Disease Control and Prevention MMWR editorial and production staff (serials) MMWR editorial board. (2019).

[5] Resneck J. Dobbs rPuling is an assault on reproductive health, safe medical practice. (2022) available at: https://www.ama-assn.org/about/leadership/dobbs-ruling-assault-reproduct.... (Accessed December 10, 2022).

[6] Resneck J. Dobbs rPuling is an assault on reproductive health, safe medical practice. (2022) available at: https://www.ama-assn.org/about/leadership/dobbs-ruling-assault-reproduct.... (Accessed December 10, 2022).

[7] American Psychiatric Association . American Psychiatric Association statement on Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s health Organization (2022) available at: https://www.psychiatry.org/News-room/News-Releases/APA-Statement-on-Dobb.... (Accessed December 10, 2022).

[8] American Psychiatric Association . American Psychiatric Association statement on Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s health Organization (2022) available at: https://www.psychiatry.org/News-room/News-Releases/APA-Statement-on-Dobb.... (Accessed December 10, 2022).

[9] Hoskins IA. ACOG statement on the decision in Dobbs V. Jackson (2022) available at: https://www.acog.org/news/news-releases/2022/06/acog-statement-on-the-de.... (Accessed December 10, 2022).

[10] Hoskins IA. ACOG statement on the decision in Dobbs V. Jackson (2022) available at: https://www.acog.org/news/news-releases/2022/06/acog-statement-on-the-de.... (Accessed December 10, 2022).

Save citation to file

Email citation

Add to Collections

Add to My Bibliography

Your saved search

Create a file for external citation management software

Your RSS Feed

The end of Roe v. Wade: implications for Women's mental health and care

Affiliations

The end of Roe v. Wade: implications for Women's mental health and care

Authors

Affiliations

Abstract

Conflict of interest statement

Similar articles

Cited by

References

LinkOut - more resources

Full Text Sources