Abortion
House of Lords
Lord Alton of Liverpool (Crossbench)
To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Earl Howe on 12 July (WA 261), whether they will make available copies of the evidence cited; and whether they will specify and provide the evidence that supports the claim that a decision to terminate a pregnancy improves the mental health of a mother facing an unwanted pregnancy.
Earl Howe (Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Quality), Health; Conservative)
The report Induced Abortion and Mental Health produced by the National Collaborating Centre for Mental Health, although commissioned by the department, is an independent review. The evidence reviewed by the steering group was from published research and peer reviewed articles, which are fully referenced in the report and were subject to multiple quality assessments prior to their inclusion. The department does not hold copies of every piece of research cited.
The report does not establish a link between a woman having a termination of pregnancy and a subsequent improvement in her mental health and makes no claim to do so.