Pro-lifers and many post-abortive women have been saying this for years, of course and now others are catching on. In the UK the Royal College of Psychiatrists warns that abortion can lead to mental illness. Here is a response to the story from a NJ woman:
Life as I knew it ended with the untimely co-erced abortion of my daughter, Sara, who would turn 17 next October had she been allowed to live. Her father moved on (thank you, God), married (unhappily, I hear) & had 3 MORE children, oblivious to the destructive force of his pressure on me to end our daughter’s life. I think the abortion’s effects in his life were also deleterious.
Men support abortion far more than women, for financial reasons and responsibilty factors already blogged.
All that said, countless women who think they made the decision of their own volition continue to experience Post-Abortion Trauma issues. Even poor-choice folks can suffer grave psychological distress from ending their child’s life.
The reason? We are supposed to protect our children. To do anything but is to fly in the face of everything hard-wired into the human spirit and our instrinct to survive as a species.
It’s time the medical community and the media reported the truth.
Don’t expect Planned Parenthood to pick up on this however. Very often abortion clinics downplay the emotional and mental side effects and say that they are either a myth, an exception to what most “normal” women experience after abortion, or the symptom of a preexisting mental or emotional condition. From the PP website:
Serious, long-term emotional problems after abortion are rare — they are about as likely as after childbirth. Most women feel relieved. Some women experience anger, regret, guilt, or sadness for a short time. Sudden hormonal changes may intensify these feelings.
You are more likely to have long-term emotional problems after abortion if you had emotional problems before your pregnancy. You are more likely to experience serious regrets if you have strong religious feelings against it. Be sure to examine your moral concerns before choosing abortion. You may want to seek counseling counseling is available before and after abortion.
But it is inevitable that abortion will have a negative impact on a woman if not physically, mentally or emotionally, then spiritually. As Mother Teresa told the world in 1994:
By abortion, the mother does not learn to love, but kills even her own child to solve her problems.
If she never confronts what she has done by directly killing her own child, her ability to love herself and others may be greatly diminished, if not permanently damaged.
For more on the harmful (and deadly) effects of abortion on women check out Real Choice.
See also:
British Woman Committed Suicide After Abortion of Twins Over Extreme Grief
Study Finds Women Who Have Abortions Experience Post-Traumatic Stress
For post-abortion healing visit:
Project Rachel
or any of these other support and recovery groups – including some for men