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"Post abortion trauma" is a "fabricated condition" used by pro-life campaigners to "undermine services available to women", experts have said.

An article published by the Australian website Mamamia last week, which has since been removed, stated that women can experience prolonged mental trauma after going through an abortion .

The article claimed that the “disorder” had been concealed from the public and said that the mental effects of a termination can be equivalent to post traumatic stress disorder.

But Clare Murphy, a spokeswoman for the British Pregnancy Advisory Service, said that “post abortion trauma is a completely fabricated condition.”

She continued: “It is a term used by those who are opposed to abortion to undermine the services that are available to women.”

Ms Murphy went on to explain that there has been extensive research into the mental impact of abortion.

“It [research] has found that it doesn’t impact on a woman’s mental health any more than an unwanted pregnancy does,” she said.

Ms Murphy pointed out that this did not mean that some women who terminate a pregnancy don't regret their decision.

“If you ask the majority of women how they feel after an abortion, they will mostly say relieved.

“That doesn’t mean that some women don’t regret their decision like they might regret any other difficult decision in their life.

“Clearly most women don’t want to be in the situation at all and most are grateful that they have the choice in this country," she said.

The Turnaway Study, conducted by Advancing New Standards in Reproductive Health (ANSIRH) a collaborative research group at the University of California, followed almost 1,000 women from 2008 to 2010 to determine the mental effect an abortion can have on an individual.

Researchers followed women who had unwanted pregnancies who were seeking an abortion.

It compared the women who successfully terminated their pregnancies with women who sought an abortion but were turned away due to how far into the pregnancy they were.

The study found that abortion does not increase a woman’s risk of experiencing symptoms of post-traumatic stress, depression or anxiety.

It also revealed that those who are denied an abortion initially have higher levels of anxiety than women offered a termination.

Earlier this month the UK's first ever abortion clinic safe zone was unanimously voted in by a west London council.

Ealing Council passed the landmark vote on April 10 after women in the borough complained about intimidation by protesters.

On April 23 a buffer zone was put in place around a Marie Stopes clinic preventing anti-abortion or pro-choice campaigners from standing within 100m (330 ft) of the facility.

Anyone caught breaching the buffer zone could face prosecution and a fine, the council said.

The buffer zone has been introduced for three years with a review to be held after six months.

Friday marks 50 years since abortion was made legal in the UK.

The Standard has contacted Mamamia for further comment.