The traumatic impact of abortion- Is there always one? I am sad to say
that there is often not. Although this may seem shocking to some, the
traumatic impact of abortion is lessening more and more. It's
important that we realize this and face this reality. When we tell
these young women they may experience trauma later, they really think
we're being bizarre.
I'm in my forties. As a teenager and
young woman in my twenties, almost all my friends had an abortion at one time or another. I had two good friends who had multiple
abortions. One had five and another had six. Neither were even as old
as twenty-five years old. The only problem they had with having it
done was the cost. The cost was truly all that troubled them. In
their minds, having an abortion was like having an appendix removed.
Anyone that told them the pre-born baby was a human being had to be
deranged, since in their mind, it was something attached to their
body that wasn't even developed into a baby.
These girls have also been warned,
often by parents and teachers, that conservative “crazies” are
going to try to talk them out of having an abortion and that they
should stand proudly for their freedom to choose. How do we get
through? Jesus said that for some, entering Heaven is as hard as a
camel going through the eye of a needle. He said none of us can reach
Heaven without His help. The same is true in our mission to help save
the lives of the unborn. Without constant prayer, most of us would
despair.
As I've said before, a woman's
intuitive and natural urge to defend and protect her child is still
there. It's just buried under a web of protective lies. The lies
prevent the pain of guilt from coming through. I never even met women who
were traumatized through realizing they had taken the life of their
child until later in life when I heard the experiences of many with intense remorse, PTSD and grief..
For those who realized the gravity of what abortion is, people had taken time to show them
basic pictures from biology books or from their own ultrasound of
babies as young as seven weeks, or somewhere in their past, they had
been exposed to the value of protecting human life as a moral
imperative. When a woman actually realizes she has taken the life of
her own child, grief can be profound and trauma long-lasting. Realizing she's been lied to that her baby was only a "blob of tissue" will enrage her. One
day, if she realizes the truth, yes, she can experience trauma, so we
are correct to tell her that it's possible.
We don't need to judge these women.
Confronted with the facts and with love, they will accuse themselves.
Our job is to provide love and a window to reveal God's mercy and
grace. Without trust in this love, who could possibly handle the
truth of what they've really done through abortion? Denial is their
protection from pain and it is reinforced wherever they go, more and
more through our society. Soon, as in the state of Oregon, women in all the USA may not even need to be troubled
by the cost. What will happen then?
Twenty years have passed. My old friends
still have no regret for their abortions. Girls today, twenty years
later, have even fewer qualms about abortion. Let's not be naïve
about the women who come to us. They may never feel post-abortion
trauma. If they do, we are always here. If they do not, our only
recourse is to pray and to respectfully educate her about the human
life within her body.
Related Articles:
How women are lied to:
http://www.lifenews.com/2012/05/29/shh-dont-tell-women-considering-abortion-theres-a-baby/
Psychologist and social worker who treat those traumatized by abortion receive awards:
http://www.lifenews.com/2012/08/07/psychologist-social-worker-receive-usccb-pro-life-awards/
PSA Campaign: Women Proud of Abortions
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