Legitimacy of Grief Related to Abortion

I am a pro-life advocate, and my prayer is that women choose life for moral as well as health – both physical and psychological – reasons.

Unfortunately, the legalization of abortion pills has made obtaining abortions easier than ever. But we do not know the impact that pill-facilitated abortion has on women’s’ long term physical health because the research is just not there.

There is, however, much research on the harmful impact abortion has on women psychologically. Theresa Burke and David C. Reardon’s book titled “Forbidden Grief: The Unspoken Pain of Abortion” reveals the emotional and psychological impacts that an abortion can have on a woman.

The book discusses how society often expects women to move on from an abortion without acknowledging the possibility of lingering emotional distress. The loss of a child is a traumatic event that requires a passage through the stages of grief: denial, anger, bargaining, depression, and acceptance. Some may move on quickly, but for others it can take years. There is no stopwatch when it comes to grieving.

Post-Abortion Stress Syndrome (PASS) is a diagnostic term describing a wide range of symptoms intimately tied to an abortion experience.  Whether an individual has directly or indirectly experienced the termination of life on an unborn child, PASS sets in.

PASS finds its origin in the continued denial, repression or rationalization of thoughts or feelings.  Eventually these unresolved thoughts and feelings start exhibiting themselves in a number of symptoms. These symptoms mask the unresolved guilt, grief, regret, and loss.

Abortion Pills

In 2023, the use of abortion pills significantly impacted the landscape of reproductive health, with approximately 1,026,690 abortions reported in the United States. Notably, 63% of these procedures, equating to 646,380 cases, involved the abortion pill.

The National Institute of Health estimates complications as the result of an abortion at about two percent.  But this number goes up when the abortion pill is used.  “The FDA’s own label for mifepristone says roughly one in 25 women who take it [4 percent] will end up in the emergency room and up to 7% will require surgery” notes an article at the Bloomberg Law website.

My guess is that the FDA most likely underestimates these complications because of their data gathering process.  Nevertheless, this statistic underscores the importance of understanding the potential risks thereby forming a strong basis for seeking out pro-life alternatives to abortion, e.g., Pregnancy Crisis Centers and Adoption Agencies.

What is not healthy is that people who have experienced abortion bury their emotions or feelings about the event only to suffer from the symptoms noted in PASS and a host of other emotional and physical effects. Abortionists most often do not discuss the negative side of abortion.

The Catholic Church’s Position 

The Catholic Church maintains a firm stance against all forms of abortion. This includes the use of abortion pills. According to Church doctrine, life begins at conception, and any action that terminates this life is considered morally unacceptable. This viewpoint is based on the belief in the sanctity of life, and the Church actively advocates for policies and practices that support this belief. The Catechism of the Catholic Church states:

“Since the first century, the Church has affirmed the moral evil of every procured abortion. This teaching has not changed and remains unchangeable. Direct abortion, that is to say, abortion willed either as an end or a means, is gravely contrary to the moral law” (2271). 

Understanding the Risks

There are a host of health complications associated with abortion, medical or surgical.  The most common medical risks include excessive bleeding, infection, incomplete abortion (requiring a surgical follow-up), and severe abdominal pain.

But the decision to terminate a pregnancy can have profound emotional consequences. Women may experience a range of feelings from relief to regret, and psychological responses can include depression or anxiety.  As such, an integral part of the process should include pre- and post-abortive counseling and support. The goal always is to protect life.

After many years of legalized abortion the myths of health, freedom, choice, etc., are being debunked.  Abortion continues to violently take countless lives of unborn children, but now more and more people are seeing how it negatively impacts them and their loved ones.

Many women (and men) are waking up to the fact that abortion is not liberation.  Rather, those who silently suffer years of PASS see it as an “inner enslavement.”

Conclusion 

Unresolved grief is a vicious circle that can weigh on the mind, body, and soul. These burdens can affect one’s life by impacting families, careers, personal relationships, and health. It would help if you never go through these traumatic events in the first place.   If there ever was a biblical scripture that focuses on Jesus’s gentle, helpful message, it is this:

Come to me, all you who labor and are burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am meek and humble of heart; and you will find rest for yourselves. For my yoke is easy, and my burden light” (Mathew 11:28-30).

The Church is Jesus’s bride, and as such, she is the voice of hope for abortive people.  The church is steadfast in its stance on the sanctity of life, yet it also insists on the immensity of God’s forgiveness and mercy. Dioceses throughout the US are establishing post-abortive reconciliation and healing programs like Rachel’s Vineyard and Project Rachel.