Therapeutic abortion on psychiatric grounds. Part II. The continuing debate

Over the past few decades, attitudes towards therapeutic abortion have gradually changed in many countries from denial and punishment to acceptance. The debate on this emotionally laden subject still continues. In this article, we review some of the recent literature covering therapeutic abortion on psychiatric grounds, including studies of women granted termination as well as those refused. Other related areas, such as the long-term effect on children born after the refusal of termination and the relevance of this to preventative psychiatry, are also considered.