After last Friday’s downer post, here’s some positive news regarding women’s health outcomes–a new report published in the Guttmacher Institute’s December 2010 Perspectives on Sexual and Reproductive Health finds that induced abortion is not associated with poor mental health outcomes among adolescents.

This information, following a 2008 American Psychological Association report that found no evidence that adult women experience mental health issues as a result of abortion, used a nationally representative sample from the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health to identify and interview 289 adolescents. Of those who reported an abortion (N=69), none indicated later issues with low-self esteem or depression at two different points (directly after and five years post-abortion).

For the full article, click here and scroll down: http://www.guttmacher.org/pubs/journals/4223010.html

For the APA’s 2008 report click here: http://www.apa.org/pi/women/programs/abortion/index.aspx

And for more information on the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health (sometimes known as “Add Health”), click here: http://www.nichd.nih.gov/health/topics/add_health_study.cfm