June 24, 2022

Reproductive Freedom and Behavioral Health are Inseparable 

Sacramento, CA – The County Behavioral Health Directors’ Association of California (CBHDA) released the following statement from Executive Director Michelle Doty Cabrera on the U.S. Supreme Court decision in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization: 

“County behavioral health directors are deeply dismayed by the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision to overturn Roe v. Wade, a decision with profoundly harmful consequences for behavioral health and one that compounds trauma, discrimination, and inequality.  As leaders of California’s public behavioral health safety net, we are particularly concerned that the impact of this decision will fall hardest on people with low incomes, the majority of whom are women of color, reinforcing existing, unacceptable health disparities. 

“Decades of scientific research, including a landmark study in JAMA Psychiatry, demonstrate that people who are denied abortions are more likely to experience higher levels of anxiety and other adverse behavioral health consequences compared to those who obtain abortion care.  

“We appreciate California leaders taking action to affirm the right to reproductive care in California, even as we know the trauma of this decision will nonetheless harm Californians’ behavioral health.  It comes at a time of increasing political attacks and violence against women, the LGBTQIA+ community, people of color, and people with behavioral health conditions, compounding these traumas. California’s county behavioral health departments will be a critical line of support for Californians as we also work to address longstanding structural racism, sexism, and bias toward people with behavioral health conditions.”