The well-used tactic of transgender activists — to threaten that confused people will kill themselves if society doesn’t indulge their whims — has mutated and jumped into the rhetorical arsenal of pro-abortion activists. Last month JAMA Psychiatry online (Dec. 28) released a study claiming abortion restrictions probably cause suicide. Thomas Kelly, writing at The Federalist (“Study Claims Abortion Restrictions Are Linked To Suicide — But Ignores Crucial Data Showing Otherwise,” Jan. 18), exposes the study’s flaws. Kelly points out:

• “the authors lack the majority of the data they should have” because they “throw out” much of it
• “data the authors claim is unavailable from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is in fact available”
• “the pattern of missing data leads to a biased overestimate of suicide rates”
• “the use of statistical controls was poor”
• The flawed paper, Kelly notes, “was immediately promoted by various media outlets including The Guardian, NBC News, and The Hill.“ (Considering the study’s obvious defects, it seems appropriate to remind readers of the innumeracy and inability to fact-check of today’s mainstream reporters and editors in the U.S. and the U.K. But then, why would they let numbers and facts get in the way of a good narrative?)

The link to Kelly’s article: https://thefederalist.com/2023/01/18/study-claims-abortion-restrictions-are-linked-to-suicide-but-ignores-crucial-data-showing-otherwise/