Word of Hope

One woman explained, "The reality of my abortion has broken my heart. It has crushed me and left me in despair." This sentence stated by a post-abortive woman perfectly illustrates the pain and regret an abortion can cause.

Though many women who have had past abortions try to forget and rationalize their decision, they still struggle to cope with everyday life and continue to repress painful memories.

One day, something may "trigger" symptoms associated with PAS (post-abortion stress).

Here are some things you may be feeling:

• Guilt: This is a natural response when anyone violates their own moral code.You may feel that because of your past mistakes, you don’t deserve happiness.  These feelings are all versions of feeling guilty.
• Anxiety: Anxiety often has many physical manifestations.  These can include headaches, increased heart rates, difficulty sleeping, and trouble concentrating.  For a post-abortive woman, these anxieties may increase when around situations involving infants.
• Depression: This does not mean you are unable to function.  It does mean however, that at times the grief can become overwhelming.  When this happens, you may feel hopelessness, a lack of excitement and motivation or uncontrollable crying.  You may also have the tendency to pull out of relationships, have an overall lack of self respect, and even consider suicide.
• Numbing: After an abortion many women shut out pain at all costs.  This may cause you to control or cut off loved ones.
• Need to Sacrifice: One woman who chose RU-486 said that, after her first abortion, she felt “the need to pay a price.”  She explained that she chose RU-486 to abort her second child because it was her way of making a “sacrifice” by putting herself through a more difficult ordeal. Many women realize that RU-486, the chemical abortion, is not as simple and easy as advertised.  A synthetic steroid, mifepristone, is given on her first visit to the abortionist.  This disintegrates the uterine lining and causes the child to die.  She returns to the abortionist 36 to 48 hours later and takes a second drug, misoprostol.  Then she goes home, waits for uterine contractions, and expels her dead child.  She must be examined 14 days later to be sure no baby parts remain in her uterus.
• Ideas of Punishment: You may be one of many women who feel that because of their abortion, they can never be good mothers.  It’s also common to fear God will give you a handicap child to punish you for your mistakes.
• Obsession with Pregnancy: Even if you feel your abortion was justified, you may still feel the need to replace your lost child.  Many women who abort become pregnant again within a year.
• Anniversary Syndrome: It is incredibly common for women to feel extreme pain, sadness, loneliness and anger on the anniversary of their abortion or on the due date of their aborted child. One woman explained from prison that in an attempt to end her own life, “I accidentally shot and killed my husband on the anniversary of my abortion.”
• Re-experiencing the Abortion: You may flashback to your abortion during events like a routine gynecological exam or when hearing the suction sound of a vacuum cleaner.  Some women experience hearing the cries of babies, or having nightmares about aborted babies.
• Eating Disorders, Alcohol and Drug Abuse: You could be feeling the desperate need to control or punish yourself in some way. This could lead to eating disorders like anorexia or bulimia. Weight gain, often associated with being unattractive, is another form of self punishment. Extreme weight loss may also be a way for a post-abortive woman to stop her menstrual cycle, and prevent conception in the future.Drugs and alcohol, as one woman explained, are also coping mechanisms. “Drinking and doing drugs helped me cope with the pain of my abortion.”

If you are feeling any of the above symptoms, we are here to help you realize that there is always hope and forgiveness found in Christ. God is greater than all sin, including abortion.