February 2026

IZA DP No. 18425: Abortion and Mental Health: Short-Term Distress, Long-Term Recovery

Abortion remains a highly contested issue in women’s health. Using Norwegian administrative data from a setting with legal and accessible abortion, we estimate the causal effect of abortion on mental health. Exploiting variation in age-at-abortion within a stacked difference-in-differences design, we find a temporary increase in mental health–related GP visits that dissipates within one to two years. Among women without children, mental health improves in the medium term, along with changes in family dynamics and subsequent childbirth. An alternative matching approach comparing women with and without abortions confirms these findings. We find no evidence of persistent mental health deterioration.