Ask Dr. Cullins, medical director for Planned Parenthood. Ignore the fact that the large conglomerate she works for profits from these procedures.

Q: Is having an abortion emotionally and psychologically dangerous?

No. Most women feel relief after an abortion. Serious emotional problems after abortion are much less likely than they are after giving birth. But anti choice extremists make false claims about this. They want people to believe that most women who choose abortion suffer severe and long lasting emotional trauma. This is not true.

For more than 20 years, most scientific studies have found that emotional reactions to having abortion are relatively positive with two exceptions. Women who have psychological problems before the pregnancy and subsequent abortion continue to have them afterward. Also, women who have to terminate an intended pregnancy are more likely to be emotionally disturbed afterward.

Anti-choice extremists refuse to accept the facts. They insist that "post abortion trauma" is real. They hope that such terms will frighten women away from choosing abortion. But neither the American Psychological Association nor the American Psychiatric Association recognizes the existence of such phenomena — because there's no such thing.

Dr. Cullins asks that you write to her with any questions you may have.