APA REPORT DISREGARDS EVIDENCE ON ABORTION

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Aug. 14, 2008

CONTACT: Kristin Hansen, (703) 544-8742

APA REPORT DISREGARDS EVIDENCE ON ABORTION, CARE NET SAYS

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Care Net President Melinda Delahoyde responded Wednesday to a draft report released by the American Psychological Association that claims there is no risk of mental health problems after one abortion. Delahoyde said the report will have “devastating consequences on women if health professionals follow the APA and withhold potentially lifesaving information about the risks of abortion.”

“The APA has completely disregarded credible research that shows abortion increasing the risk of clinical depression, suicide, drug and alcohol abuse, and post-traumatic stress disorder,” said Delahoyde. “The report’s conclusion also flies in the face of what pregnancy centers see every day: the anguish of thousands of women and men every year – 13,000 in 2006 alone - who visit Care Net centers seeking help from a past abortion.”

“Finally, the APA’s report also contradicts what the Supreme Court recognized in Gonzales v. Carthart – that abortion holds considerable emotional health risks for women,” said Delahoyde. “In the words of Carhart, women experience ‘grief more anguished and sorrow more profound’ when they are not informed of the truth about abortion. The Court’s conclusion was based on thousands of affidavits of women who testified to experiencing ‘severe depression and loss of esteem.’”

“The APA may continue to politicize abortion, but Care Net and its network of affiliated pregnancy centers are committed to providing medically referenced and accurate information about abortion risks to empower women to make informed health decisions,” said Delahoyde. “We’ve heard too many anguished women over the years say, ‘I wish someone would have told me abortion would cause me this much grief.’ Women deserve the truth.”

Care Net is a Christian, non-profit organization that seeks to promote a culture of life through the delivery of valuable, life-affirming, evangelistic ministry to people facing unplanned pregnancies and related sexual issues. Care Net supports a network of 1,100 pregnancy centers in North America and operates, in conjunction with Heartbeat International, the Option Line call center and website that assist women in need 24/7.