Prepared by the APA Committee on Women.

On behalf of all APA members who are dedicated to the provision of the best possible mental health care to women patients, the American Psychiatric Association hereby states in its position on Abortion and a Women’s Reproductive Health Care Rights that:

1. The American Psychiatric Association opposes all constitutional amendments, legislation, and regulations curtailing family planning and abortion services to any segment of the population;
2. The American Psychiatric Association reaffirms its position that abortion is a medical procedure for which physicians should respect the patient's right to freedom of choice—psychiatrists may be called on as consultants to the patient or physician in those cases in which the patient or physician requests such consultation to expand mutual appreciation of motivation and consequences of such a choice; and
3. The American Psychiatric Association affirms that the freedom to act to interrupt pregnancy must be considered a mental health imperative with major social and mental health implications.

---
Note: This is an update of the 1991 APA Position Statement on Reproductive Rights.
         See the related resource document here.