It is being hailed in Britain as a major breakthrough in professional attitudes to abortion. Last weekend the Royal College of Psychiatrists issued a statement acknowledging that induced abortion may harm a woman's mental health and advising professionals to assess and counsel women accordingly. The cautious one-page document, noting that the evidence for the association is inconclusive, may seem "anodyne" says one psychiatrist, who prefers not be named, but in reality it is "a huge step. It's a shift from being pro-choice to being neutral." 
"Balanced and reasonable" is the verdict of the author of well-regarded New Zealand research on abortion showing its link with mental disorders. "The statement acknowledges the risks to mental health, but it also acknowledges the uncertainty. I think it's really exemplary in its objectivity," said David Fergusson in a telephone interview with MercatorNet. Professor Fergusson is director of the Christchurch Health and Development Study, which has followed the progress of 1265 children born in the city in 1977. Data from interviews with women in the study published two years ago showed a 50 per cent higher risk, overall, of problems including depression, anxiety, suicidal behaviours and substance abuse among those who had had an abortion.
The issue of informed consent was tragically highlighted by a coroner's hearing in the UK last month of the case of Emma Beck, a talented artist who hanged herself on the eve of her 31st birthday after the abortion of her twins when she was eight weeks pregnant. She was pleased at the pregnancy but her boyfriend was not. Her suicide note read: "I told everyone I didn't want to do it, even at the hospital. I was frightened, now it's too late."
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