Miscellaneous for the new week

The National Gay and Lesbian Task Force is applauding the MassK team for using the F word regarding the Alito nomination. No, I mean filibuster. Can’t the special interest groups wake up and smell the pandering?

That being said, conservatives are pretty nervous. I received some emails today suggesting some moderates are on the fence. One conservative group last week sang a song about Alito in the Capitol to the tune of Maria from West Side Story. I think this could have been what pushed those moderates into the undecided category.

I haven’t written anything more about Brokeback Mounting, uh Mountain, despite lots of emails asking me to. I don’t know, I have to go all the way to Youngstown to see it and I only have one free night this week. Not going to happen. My oldest went to see it last week and she said, a couple (male & female) got up in the middle and the male (of course; you can measure the homophobia here in gigabytes) said loud enough to be heard, “I don’t see how you people can see anything entertaining in this crap!” I read the short story and still don’t see the “love story” angle.

And probably not finally, I was reminded again today that my mood can be delightfully altered within seconds of observing my youngest child having fun at pre-school. I have not mentioned my family much on this blog but let me blushing say that I have the most amazing wife and children.

Discussion including Ariel Shidlo, Doug Haldeman, Mark Yarhouse and me.

FYI – There is an article in the new issue of Journal of Psychology and Christianity that includes a discussion among the participants in an APA symposium in 2000. This is a follow up to that symposium. The symposium was published in Professional Psychology: Research and Practice in 2002.

Uninformed Consent: Abortion and Mental Health Consequences

Uninformed Consent: Abortion and Mental Health Consequences
Warren Throckmorton, PhD

Recent research from Norway and New Zealand has reported an association between abortion and subsequent mental health problems. Although the two reports are not the first to suggest such a relationship, they are well-designed studies suggesting that abortion may be linked to negative mental health reactions for some women.

The Norwegian study compared the experiences of women who had miscarriages with those who had abortions. Six months after pregnancy termination, women who had a miscarriage were more distressed than women who had abortions. However, after 5 years, women who had abortions were more likely to suffer anxiety and thoughts of the event than women who miscarried.

The New Zealand study, published by the British Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry, found that 42% of women who had an abortion later developed mental health problems, including depression, anxiety, substance abuse and suicidal thoughts. This percentage was significantly higher than never pregnant women and women who were pregnant but who did not terminate the pregnancy. The study concluded, “Abortion in young women may be associated with increased risks of mental health problems.”

Are women being advised of these risks?

Read the rest of the article at DrThrockmorton.com.

Does Abortion Impact the Mental Health of Women?

Does Abortion Impact the Mental Health of Women?
Warren Throckmorton, PhD

A new study from New Zealand, published in the Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry, raises important questions about the impact of abortion on the mental health of women. Researchers found that those reporting abortion prior to age 21 had rates of mental disorders from age 21 to 25 that were over 1.5 times higher than the rates for women who did not become pregnant and those who became pregnant and did not seek an abortion. The relationship between abortion and mental health problems persisted even when the researchers took into account the mental health status of the women prior to the abortion. The researchers concluded that “abortion in young women may be associated with increased risks of mental health problems.”

To read the rest head over to DrThrockmorton.com.