United States: The conflict about abortion law has remained prominent among the general public and the governments of the states of the United States. Now, a recently conducted study has underlined that the restrictions implemented by the authorities largely impact the health of women.
A new study by JAMA has shown that women in the states that have limited access to abortion show symptoms of anxiety and depression.
Details of the study!
The study was conducted by the team at Johns Hopkins University. The researchers analyzed the responses of approximately 700,000 people to the US Census Household Pulse Survey between December 2021 and January 2023, according to reports by time.com.

While conducting the survey, the team was asked to rank the level of their anxiety and depression on a scale of zero to four (0 to 4), permitting the research team to calculate averages for different groups during the three time periods under examination.
The prime focus of the survey was to study the mental health of women of childbearing age, which is between 18 and 45. They zoomed in on women residing in 13 states with preemptive abortion bans, commonly known as “trigger laws,” intended to come into effect following the overturning of Roe v. Wade.
The research concluded that the women living in these states had experienced more signs of depression and anxiety – from June 2022 to December 2023, as compared to the remaining 37 states.
In this regard, professor and vice chair of research in the University of Virginia’s Department of Psychiatry and Neurobehavioral Sciences, – Jennifer Payne, who was not involved with the study, stated, “The pattern is abundantly clear,” reported time.com.
She further said that the research findings show that the decision by the Supreme Court “was a shock.” “This is not something that most women were expecting,” Payne continued, as per time.com.
Other studies are backing the findings!
Additionally, earlier a few studies have also concluded that the restrictive abortion laws are linked to poorer mental health. One study discovered that women who were at risk of losing their right to have an abortion experienced a 10 percent rise in mental distress in the months following the Supreme Court’s decision.
It is to be noted that the study focused on symptoms of anxiety and depression that didn’t meet the criteria for diagnosing disorders; Payne believed that similar patterns may appear in diagnostic data. She further noted that abortion refusal can increase the risk of major depression, as per the time.com.

The study further revealed that abortion restrictions can negatively impact women for various reasons, even if they don’t require the procedure. Many women, regardless of age, feel these restrictions as an attack on their rights. The study also suggested that such restrictions may also generate concerns about broader governmental control over women’s health, including access to contraception.
Interestingly, the study found no significant difference in anxiety and depression symptoms in men across states or time frames. Questions linger about whether women’s mental health has further declined since the latest data was collected a year ago. The impact of trigger states with stringent abortion laws is evident, but it remains to be seen if the gap will widen or if the initial shock has subsided.
Payne emphasized that the study highlights the substantial public health consequences of abortion restrictions extending beyond women’s reproductive health.