I 
109TH CONGRESS 
2D SESSION 
H. R. 6169 
To provide for research on, and services for individuals with, post-abortion 
depression and psychosis. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
SEPTEMBER 25, 2006 
Mr. PITTS (for himself, Mr. SMITH of New Jersey, Mr. SOUDER, Mr. RYUN 
of Kansas, Mr. AKIN, Mrs. MUSGRAVE, Ms. HART, Mr. TIAHRT, Mr. 
PENCE, and Mr. GOHMERT) introduced the following bill; which was re-
ferred to the Committee on Energy and Commerce 
A BILL 
To provide for research on, and services for individuals with, 
post-abortion depression and psychosis. 
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Post-Abortion Depres-
sion Research and Care Act’’. 
SEC. 2. FINDINGS. 
The Congress finds as follows: 
(1) About 3,000,000 women per year in the 
United States have an unplanned or unwanted preg-
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nancy, and approximately 1,186,000 of these preg-
nancies end in elective abortion. 
(2) Abortion can have severe and long-term ef-
fects on the mental and emotional well-being of 
women. Women often experience sadness and guilt 
following abortions with no one to console them. 
They may have difficulty in bonding with new ba-
bies, become overprotective parents or develop prob-
lems in their relationship with their spouses. Prob-
lems such as eating disorders, depression and suicide 
attempts have also been traced to past abortions. 
(3) The symptoms of post-abortion depression 
include bouts of crying, guilt, intense grief or sad-
ness, emotional numbness, eating disorders, drug 
and alcohol abuse, suicidal urges, anxiety and panic 
attacks, anger/rage, sexual problems or promiscuity, 
lowered self esteem, nightmares and sleep disturb-
ance, flashbacks, and difficulty with relationships. 
(4) Women who aborted a first pregnancy are 
four times more likely to report substance abuse 
compared to those who suffered a natural loss of 
their first pregnancy, and they are five times more 
likely to report subsequent substance abuse than 
women who carried to term. 
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(5) Greater thought suppression is associated 
with experiencing more intrusive thoughts of the 
abortion. Both suppression and intrusive thoughts, 
in turn, are positively related to increases in psycho-
logical distress over time. 
(6) Women who experience decision-making dif-
ficulties and may lack social support may experience 
more negative emotional consequences to induced 
abortion. 
(7) Post-abortion depression often relates to the 
lack of understanding in society and the medical 
community of the complexity of post-abortion de-
pression, and economic pressures placed on hospitals 
and providers are contributing factors. 
(8) Social pressure to have an abortion can be 
directly related to higher levels of immediate regret 
and more mental undoing over subsequent years. 
(9) Post-abortion depression is a treatable dis-
order if promptly diagnosed by a trained provider 
and attended to with a personalized regimen of care 
including social support, therapy, medication, and 
when necessary hospitalization. 
(10) While there have been many studies re-
garding the emotional aftermath of abortion, very 
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little research has been sponsored by the National 
Institutes of Health. 
(11) A major New Zealand study shows abor-
tion has serious negative consequences for women. 
Among the alarming findings with respect to girls 
15 through 18: 
(A) With respect to experiencing major de-
pression: Those who had not become pregnant 
had a 31.2 percent chance. Those who became 
pregnant but did not have an abortion had a 
35.7 percent chance. But those who had an 
abortion had an astonishing 78.6 percent 
chance. 
(B) With respect to experiencing anxiety: 
Those who had not become pregnant had a 37.9 
percent chance. Those who became pregnant 
but did not have an abortion had a 35.7 percent 
chance. But those who had an abortion had a 
64.3 percent chance. 
(C) With respect to thoughts of suicide: 
Those who had not become pregnant had a 23 
percent chance. Those who became pregnant 
but did not have an abortion had a 25 percent 
chance. But those who had an abortion had a 
50 percent chance. 
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TITLE I—RESEARCH ON POST- 
ABORTION DEPRESSION AND 
PSYCHOSIS 
SEC. 101. EXPANSION AND INTENSIFICATION OF ACTIVI-
TIES OF NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF MENTAL 
HEALTH. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary of Health and 
Human Services, acting through the Director of NIH and 
the Director of the National Institute of Mental Health 
(in this section referred to as the ‘‘Institute’’), shall ex-
pand and intensify research and related activities of the 
Institute with respect to post-abortion depression and 
post-abortion psychosis (in this section referred to as 
‘‘post-abortion conditions’’). 
(b) COORDINATION WITH OTHER INSTITUTES.—The 
Director of the Institute shall coordinate the activities of 
the Director under subsection (a) with similar activities 
conducted by the other national research institutes and 
agencies of the National Institutes of Health to the extent 
that such Institutes and agencies have responsibilities that 
are related to post-abortion conditions. 
(c) PROGRAMS FOR POST-ABORTION CONDITIONS.— 
In carrying out subsection (a), the Director of the Insti-
tute shall conduct or support research to expand the un-
derstanding of the causes of, and to find a cure for, post- 
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