Posted on 08/07/2014 12:05:28 AM PDT by Morgana
She sat across from me, tears streaming down her face. The subject of abortion came up and this woman struggled to discuss it. ‘Emotionally damaging’ was the phrase she used to describe the procedure.
She thought about her child. She wondered how old he or she may be. As she reflected on her past she wrestled with feelings of regret. She admitted to choosing abortion without knowing all of the facts. She felt rushed into the decision, wishing now that she would have gathered more information before she decided.
This woman’s story is all too common. In the decade I’ve been involved in the pro-life movement I’ve heard similar tales. I met a woman who was so affected by her abortion that she couldn’t talk about it for 20 years.
Another lady shared a chilling story of using the RU-486 pill and the absolute horror she faced witnessing her unborn baby pass. I remember the African-American woman who pulled me aside and whispered her confession. The pain of her choice etched upon her face.
Susanne Babbel is a licensed Marriage and Family Therapist who has a P.H.D in Psychology. She is also a psychotherapist with an emphasis on trauma and depression. In an article for ‘Psychology Today’ titled, ‘Post Abortion Stress Syndrome (PASS) – Does It Exist?’ she writes: ‘No matter your philosophical, religious, or political views on abortion, the fact of the matter is, the actual experience can affect women not only on a personal level but can potentially have psychological repercussions.’
Babbel refers to this as Post Abortion Stress Syndrome. (PASS) is based on Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PSTD). It’s the name given to the psychological aftereffects of abortion. Babbel notes that the disorder is real, although the term has not been recognized by the American Psychological Association. Sadly those who support abortion often refuse to acknowledge that long term negative effects that it can bring to many women. The National Abortion Federation calls (PASS) a ‘myth‘ and the popular liberal Ms.Magazine says it’s a ‘bogus affliction invented by the religious right’.
However Babbel asserts “any event that causes trauma can indeed result in PTSD, and abortion is no exception.” Babbel is not declaring this because she’s a pro-life therapist. She further states, ‘Believing that PASS exists does not mean that one does not believe in a woman’s right to choose; it simply means that one believes in supportive and constructive counseling around the trauma symptoms’. Babbel lists ‘guilt, anxiety, numbness, depression, flashbacks, and suicidal thoughts as symptoms of PASS.
Babbel makes no claim that these symptoms will follow after every abortion. She writes: While abortion can induce post-traumatic stress in some, others will suffer no repercussions at all. I can understand that statement.
I personally believe there is a undeniable, emotional, physical, and even spiritual connection between a mother and a child. However, I’ve met a number of post-abortive women who have a range of experiences. I don’t oppose abortion solely because I believe it will cause trauma to a woman’s soul. I oppose abortion because it’s morally wrong to destroy the life of a fetus. Some women will make that destructive decision with little sorrow, regret, or negative emotional consequences.
We live in a society that views abortion as a private decision which women need not regret. Therefore women with seemingly ‘positive’ abortion experiences are often encouraged to share them with pride. However women with negative experiences find themselves in a difficult place. They suffer from the pain of their abortion, all the while living in a society that tells them that pain isn’t real or necessary.
Thankfully organizations like Rachel’s Vineyard and groups like Silent No More are here for that very reason. They are safe places for women who need healing after their abortion. If you or anyone you know has suffered emotional or physical pain from an abortion, there is help available to you. You are not alone. You don’t have to carry the secret or live in shame. Check out resources like Afterabortion.org and take a step towards freedom.
FULL TITLE:
The devastating reality of Post Abortion Stress Syndrome
It’s about time this got a wider airing than help groups and stuffy offices.
One of the biggest causes of PTSD is guilt. You sit there, running the coulda, woulda, shoulda’s through your head all the damned time until it wears a groove in your mind and warps your thinking.
I can’t tell you how many times i’ve dealt with post abortive women. The look of surprise on her face...EVERY time ...she’s told that the grief she experiences is normal.
When a person can kill one of their own children rather than having mercy on that child. without remorse or guilt, that woman is not ‘normal’. It’s VERY normal to regret aborting one’s own child. The love of a mother for her child does rise to the surface. There is NOthing more normal than that, and so is the regret that goes with it.
It’s also very common for a woman to continue to justify her experience in order to try and avoid the guilt she can’t face. Others don’t even realize that the symptoms they do have, are related to the abortion until it’s pointed out to them. Then, it’s an “a-ha!” moment.
I”m glad this topic was brought up. There are a LOT of women out there who suffer and don’t know where to turn.
Run a search engine on Post Abortion Syndrome and you will find help.
Hat tip to you for doing one of the hardest things possible.
My PTSD experiences is more with soldiers and survivors guilt (and battered women, but that’s a story for another time). I shall search as you suggested. Any bit or snippet of information helps.
Thank you!
The first thought that runs through my mind whenever the topic is brought up is “You should have considered this before you had your baby ripped out of you! You made your bed, now lie in it!” The absolute hardest thing for me is feeling any compassion at all for these women who brutally murdered their children.
The second thought is “Repent of it and ask God to forgive you, and work so that no one else has to go through this. You’ve learned that abortion is murder and that’s something you’ll need to deal with until you die. But you can help save others”
Obviously I don’t work in post abortion areas. I much prefer to stop them from murdering their child in the first place.
(I don’t have much mercy for other murderers either)
“The first thought that runs through my mind whenever the topic is brought up is “You should have considered this before you had your baby ripped out of you! You made your bed, now lie in it!” The absolute hardest thing for me is feeling any compassion at all for these women who brutally murdered their children.”
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You forget one thing. This is the (lying) abortion industry. The woman was never told it was a baby, oh no that would be the truth. She was told it was a blob, tissue, or POC (products of conception).
The women who do ask the abortionist if the “baby” will feel pain are told “no it’s too small” or “no it’s not that developed”. Never mind it can feel pain at 12 weeks when most women seek an abortion.
The women are told they will feel better or “relived” after the abortion. They are never told about stress afterwards. Some abortion clinics deny this condition (PASS) exists and say “it was because the woman had troubles before her abortion”.
They murdered their own children. Perhaps they could pray to God for some kind of forgiveness. If they need any kind of treatment, I seriously hope it's nor paid for by insurance coverage that's forced on everyone.
I'm totally pro-life and believe even if it isn't religion, something provides balance to the universe. The slaughter of millions of unborn, I believe, is a major cause of everything the US is facing in our decline.
Someone I dearly love has been through this. Morgana is right. The person was told the “blob of cells” line. Even so she was reluctant, more so at the critical moment, but was pressured by her family to go through with it. And this by a Catholic family. None of that legitimate culpability of her entire family has ever relieved the pain and the regret. If these precious children, as so many of them are, could only believe that things might get better if they just hang in there and wait a little while, that the family pressure is temporary, that the life they save by keeping their child might be their own, then the fear mongerers in their life would lose their power, and God would draw good out of even this. A child is always a blessing from the Lord, even when they come into our lives unexpectedly, and through difficult circumstances. Love covers a multitude of sins, and a child’s laughter is a cure to many an ailment.
Sounds like you been there too. *salute*
I’ve always considered guilt more of a causal factor. People who feel no guilt over something simply do not get PTSD about it. Sadly - yet fortunately for humanity as a whole - they are pretty rare. Most people have empathy and a conscience.
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