The American Psychological Association reported that women who have a single abortion do not have a higher risk of mental health problems compared to women who have their babies. The association said there is “no credible evidence” that a single, elective abortion causes mental-health problems for adult women. The report was anticipated by both supporters and opponents of legal abortion.

“The best scientific evidence published indicates that among adult women who have an unplanned pregnancy, the relative risk of mental health problems is no greater if they have a single elective first-trimester abortion or deliver that pregnancy,” said Brenda Major, a psychologist specializing in stress at the University of California Santa Barbara, according to Reuters. The task force responsible for the new report includes researchers Brenda Major and Nancy Felipe Russo. They reviewed all English language peer-reviewed articles from 1989 until now that addressed the topic.

The Justice Foundation released a joint statement signed by 100 scientists, medical and mental health professionals who said abortion hurts women. The statement was based on the results of their training and experience.

The task force recommended that more rigorous research needs to be done to “help disentangle confounding factors and establish relative risks of abortion compared to its alternatives.” One of the problems is the fact that psychiatrists are nor asking women with mental issues if they have had abortions. Women who had mental health problems before becoming pregnant were more likely to develop mental health problems after an abortion, the study said.