Study Links State Abortion Bans to Rising Suicide Thoughts Among Teen Girls
New research finds that teenage girls in states with near-total abortion bans report higher rates of suicidal ideation than peers in states without such bans.
A team led by Wendy Sheldon of Verge Research analyzed federal high-school suicide-ideation surveys from 2017-2023 across 15 U.S. states, five of which adopted near-total abortion bans during that period. Their findings, appearing in JAMA Psychiatry, indicate that teenage girls in those ban states experienced a rise in reported suicidal thoughts, creating a 4.3-point gap compared with states without bans, where the rate fell.
The increase was specific to female students; boys showed no statistically significant change. Although the study hinted at a possible link between bans and suicide attempts, the data did not reach significance. Experts not involved in the research, such as OBGYN Vanessa Dalton and economist Benjamin Thornburg, noted that restrictive reproductive policies can affect broader mental-health outcomes for young women and LGBTQ+ youth.
Why it matters
The findings suggest abortion restrictions may worsen mental health among teen girls, informing policy and public-health responses.
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