Your guide to emotional recovery after an abortion. Abortion s aftermath is largely ignored by the general public. We provide it for anyone who would like to talk through their abortion or vasectomy options. The recovery book is now also available as an ebook, and we have another ebook, for physical and emotional recovery immediately after an abortion. It is part of you and your story and it is your right to feel, process, and integrate every.
We understand that it can be daunting to book an appointment for a medical procedure that you are unfamiliar with. Most women will feel emotional after an abortion, but research into the. I am amazed every day and how far one can come in light. These organizations provide afterabortion counseling through a talkline. Depression, a book that tells the story of my own experience with the.
One of the first signs that things are not right after the abortion is a loss of joy of living. Pass support site book store after abortion support. Resources path post abortion treatment and healing. By talking openly, our bloggers hope to increase understanding around mental health, break stereotypes and take the taboo out of something that like physical health affects us all. What an honor it was when the lord used me to lead a young gal, who was seeking an abortion, to jesus. Abortion may cause sadness, grief, or regret, but this may not be depression. Not every woman who has an abortion is affected by it. Unresolved feelings of guilt, shame, and sadness may not surface until months, often years, after an abortion. Groups organized to protect the availability of abortion claim that abortion is no different from any surgical procedure and that prolife groups are fabricating the existence of post abortion suffering.
It is important to note that this is not a term that has been accepted by the american psychiatric association or the american psychological association. Jenny mcdermid has been active in the postabortion recovery and healing wing of the calgary pregnancy care centre in calgary, canada, for over 20 years. Also, for more news, articles, resources and other information, join our free elist. Others encounter a deeper level of angst which is called postpartum depression. In addition, she found that compared to their 1month postabortion. Men can be affected by abortion in similar ways as women and many have reported postabortion problems such as. Home ca, united states i will regret my abortion till the day i go to heaven and see anthony, but god has given me peace in the midst of sorrow. The interaction between therapists and women who have experienced abortion is obstructed by unspoken secrets, fears and political biases. The women tell of pain, grief and sadness after losing a child whom they felt, for one reason or another, they could not bring into this world. Sophie blogs about her experience of anxiety and depression after having an abortion. Reading the experiences of others can help you heal and not feel alone in your healing journey. These feelings, if ignored, can possibly manifest themselves in more troubling ways, resulting in unstable relationships, selfdestructive and addictive behaviors, depression, and low selfesteem. The term post abortion syndrome pas was first used on record in 1981 during a u. Throughout, the book features exercises designed to help women conflicted over.
The media and prolifers too, for that matter focus on abortion as being just a womans issue, and that is indeed how the issue has been framed over the years. They sent me to an abortion recovery program, which was amazing. That necessity may also put these women at a higher risk of future health problems. I am so glad i found this community of support for abortion recovery.
Senate subcommittee hearing on abortion and the family. Post abortion syndrome pas affects everyone and is a form of post traumatic stress disorder. Does abortion increase womens risk for posttraumatic. She started doing postabortion counseling 15 years ago. Many post abortive women experience postpartum baby blues after their abortions. Your donation for subscribing will also help support our work. An example is the book giving sorrow words by an australian journalist in which she anonymously publishes the stories of a large number of post abortion women who welcomed the opportunity to relate the tragedies of their abortions and found doing so therapeutic even anonymously without even meeting the book s author or one another 21. By contrasting postabortion syndrome with postnatal depression, ellie lee provides a fascinating and excellent interrogation of modern day abortion and. After i paid him, he inserted an injection and pills into my uterus.
These people came up with the notion of post abortion syndrome, and the agenda here is to get it recognized as a medical condition, russo. These feelings, if ignored, can possibly manifest themselves in more troubling ways, resulting in unstable relationships, selfdestructive and addictive behaviors, depression. Decreased selfesteem, nightmare, guilt, and regret with 43. How to feel better after an abortion physical and emotional recovery the first few days, weeks and months. Other abortion ptsd symptoms may not even be included in the list below. Many pro life groups will jump on the post abortion depression statistics as proof that abortion is wrong, but that logic would also make giving birth wrong. While crumbling inside, many women and men are able to keep up appearances.
The secret sadness of pregnancy with depression the new york. The prevailing interpretation of post abortion grief, depression, guilt, anger, and anxiety in abortion clinics and research studies in north america is that they are due, not to the procedure, but to a womans preexisting disposition to psychological problems. Post abortion stress syndrome pass is the name for a condition that can affect women after an abortion. Abortion cant push the rewind button on life and make it so she was never pregnant. Whether they are told in support group settings, in many published books see resources, or on the internet, the pain of abortion continues to emerge. Abortion and post traumatic stress disorder theresa burk. Search the worlds most comprehensive index of fulltext books. Sophie blogs about her experience of anxiety and depression after. I was hesitant and i was angry, but at the end i received gods healing and his grace. The process of making an abortion choice, experiencing the procedure and living with the grief, pain and regret is certainly, at its very core, traumatic. Jenny has two grown children and lives with her husband in calgary. Read abortion stories and share your own story after abortion. Common symptoms of pas include guilt, anxiety, depression, thoughts of.
Effects for men post abortion trauma healing service p. Common symptoms of pas include guilt, anxiety, depression, thoughts of suicide, drug or alcohol abuse, eating disorders, a desire to avoid children or pregnant women, and flashbacks to the abortion itself. Postpartum depression after abortion abortion recovery. Portraits of grief in the aftermath of abortion project. I feel like i dont have a right to be upset or as depressed as i am because i. Below is a list of typical reactions some may experience in the months or years following an abortion. The next day, after school, she had a therapy appointment scheduled. It is completely understandable the life circumstances have brought you to this choice and preparing for an abortion needs to include how you will feel after the procedure and how you will deal with depression after abortion. My postabortion trauma mind, the mental health charity help for. But life stretches on after abortion, for months and years for many long nights and all her life long she may ponder the irreversible choice she made. Post abortion syndrome is a type of post traumatic stress disorder which is brought about by stress involved in the abortion itself. Even now, four decades after roe, some of the women we spoke with would talk only if we didnt print their real names. Abortion tied to sharp decline in womens mental health. Tv movies comedy music books art theater what to stream.
Abortion ptsd symptoms have many faces depending on the variables surrounding the abortion situation. Natalie faith natalie faith talks to 3 post abortive women about their journey of facing their abortion decision and finding hope and forgiveness. I have already had depression and anxiety but this just made it worse. Theresa burke meeting with the pope rachels vineyard youtube course catalogue ask the experts i had an abortion and found healing. We post here a few of the post abortion testimonies of mothers who have asked us to use their stories to help others, and a second collection can be found by clicking here.
Psychological consequences of abortion among the post. Research has shown that having an abortion does not increase a womans risk for depression, anxiety or posttraumatic stress disorder. It started with a pregnancy, one that was unexpected to say the least. Stories recounting suffering that has lasted months and even years after an abortion continue to be expressed by men and women in our offices and others throughout the world.
Forgiven and set free has been our goto book for post abortion recovery for several years. I had gone on a date with somebody that i didnt know particularly well but we had been talking online and i thought he seemed like a nice guy. Post abortion stress syndrome pass is the name that has been given to the psychological aftereffects of abortion, based on post traumatic stress disorder ptsd. An oral history project documenting abortion stories. Post abortion syndrome pas or abortion ptsd symptoms and. I started a blog yesterday to share my story of 3 abortions nearly 10 years ago which almost ended my life through depression and suicidal thoughts. It is biologically clear that post abortive women endure the fallout of this hormonal shift immediately after their abortion because the pregnancy is lost. The story i want to tell first is of the abortion i didnt get. To prospectively assess womens risk for post traumatic stress disorder ptsd and of experiencing post traumatic stress symptoms ptss over 4 years after seeking an abortion, and to assess whether symptoms are attributed to the pregnancy, abortion or birth, or other events in womens lives. Rarely does the post abortive person suffer every scenario. Posttreatment counselling is also available any time if you need to talk. Depression, worrying about not being able to conceive again and abnormal eating behaviors were reported as dominant psychological consequences of abortion among the respondents. Deciding to have an abortion can be a source of depression when facing an unplanned pregnancy.
Oil of joy for mourning, named after a verse from the book of isaiah. But for all the regulations and protests, despite safe, legal, and rare and abortion is murder, abortion is part of our everyday experience. Here is a longer excerpt from the book forbidden grief that is another word to the wise as you think about seeking help with any post abortion issues you may be experiencing. Three years ago, i knew i couldnt afford a baby on my own. She is inspired by seeing wounded postabortive women restored to vibrant life. Some specific symptoms of post abortion syndrome include bouts of crying, depression, guilt, inability to forgive oneself, intense griefsadness, angerrage, emotional numbness, sexual problems or promiscuity, eating disorders, lowered selfesteem, drug and alcohol abuse, nightmares and sleep disturbances, suicidal urges, difficulty with. Used in a oneonone or group setting linda cochranes transparency and compassion directs our ladies to a new depth in christ and to recovery of the deepest sort. When we invited readers to share their own stories, more than 0. Instead, the scientific evidence strongly shows that abortion does not increase the risk of depression. A similar, but longer list is published in the text book on abortion most highly. Even in countries where abortion is legal, it can still be hard to talk about. You can never go back to being the person you were before the abortion, is a familiar statement from post abortion women. Im grateful to have it as a resource while counseling with and helping post abortive women. Sometimes women feel that it is necessary to have an abortion.
Crisis, resource, and referral line for teens and parents with any concern suicide, depression. As their stories show, the experience of abortion in the united states in 20 is. My postabortion trauma mind, the mental health charity. While some women do indeed experience relief after an abortion, others find. Although the primary focus of the study was on womens experiences, we also. He suggested pas be used to describe and classify stress disorders related to abortion. Some women who have abortions feel peaceful about their decision beforehand, relieved afterwards, and then live the rest of their lives with no regrets.
979 1302 1313 1153 19 1403 1419 1443 376 51 1052 381 1368 709 1130 465 567 674 173 459 421 566 1202 1441 84 635 984 812 1003 845 889