Culture tells women abortion is their choice and they need to decide what’s best for them. It says abortion is a simple, easy procedure that will enable them to go on with their lives just as before.
For many immediately following their abortion, they may perceive a sense of relief. They feel they can jump back into life as if nothing ever happened and are determined to keep this secret safely tucked away.
However, what often surprises many are their feelings that creep in following their abortion. Sometimes it’s right away and sometimes it’s years down the road. Often there will be something that will trigger them and they find themselves spiraling downward in a mix of confused emotions. Society told them abortion wasn’t a big deal but they began to see it simply wasn’t true. Often it seems there was a “before-abortion” person and an “after-abortion” person.
We do women and men a disservice by being dismissive about the emotional affects of an abortion. The Elliott Institute has been researching the emotional aftereffects of abortion for decades. Here are just a few ways they have discovered how abortion impacts women. *
- 6 times higher suicide rate*
- 65% higher risk of clinical depression*
- 65% report symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder*
- 39% report subsequent eating disorders*
- Five-fold higher risk of drug and alcohol abuse*
To read more of this study about the aftereffects of abortion, please click HERE.
Many times women and men don’t understand why they are struggling following an abortion because the aftereffects are never discussed so they feel they are the only ones hurting. Our churches are a place for healing and individuals need to hear from leadership their emotional pain is real, they are seen and most of all, there is healing through Jesus Christ.
The more we embed a message into our sermons of grace and healing following an abortion and offer them a place to find healing, the more we will see our congregants completely healed and made whole.
To find resources to bring post-abortion healing to your church, please click HERE.
*http://www.theunchoice.com/pdf/OnePageFactSheets/PsychologicalRisksSheet1.pdf
