As an abortion healing provider one of the biggest challenges we face is the acknowledgement by mainstream society that an abortion decision creates lasting impact on the person who makes that decision. While relief may be the first emotion felt, sometimes quickly or days, weeks or months later a greater sense of regret and grief sets in. Sometimes even the realization that physically one’s body may never be the same.

We recognize that this regret and grief is tremendously complex and often stretches far before the abortion decision was made. The reality that many people are not protected and cared for growing up, that they are exposed to addictions and harmful environments too young, and that abuse and neglect are rampant in our culture play a part in harmful decisions made as they mature. We are more than the sum of one decision and our emotions, and thought processes are set in motion based on the totality of our life choices and experiences.

We say all this to say, we recognize that symptoms experienced after an abortion are likely not completely related to the abortion decision, but are often triggered by the abortion due to past trauma, abuse and neglect. When a woman or man makes the decision to abort they are most often not informed of the vast impact on their minds, bodies and emotions. 

A decision that is widely advertised as a solution that then leads to negative and difficult emotions is confusing at best. Then when those negative effects set in, those experiencing them are not given education and resources to turn to to process them. If anything they are being gaslit into believing that all their struggles must be from a past mental illness and are not being triggered by their decision.

So what is trauma? Our best definition is:

Trauma is a lasting emotional response to a distressing or life-threatening event that can have adverse effects on a person’s well-being. Traumatic events can be a single incident or an ongoing experience that’s difficult to cope with or out of a person’s control.

It’s important to know there are differing opinions in the mental health field as to what can result in trauma.. 

• • First, the field of diagnosing and treating trauma did not start until the 1970s after Vietnam War veterans began to exhibit symptoms that were later defined as trauma. Since the understanding of trauma initially focused on war veterans, it has taken many years for the mental health field as whole to acknowledge the many other events and situations that can result in trauma. Some organizations and professionals have been slow to accept this broader understanding of trauma. 

• • Second, many mental health professionals and organizations are specialized so they often understand and explain mental health phenomena through their specialized lens which makes it hard for them to adapt their understanding. 

• • Finally, and tragically, empirical data and valid science is distorted or ignored for monetary, cultural or political reasons. Over the years, conditions have been added and removed from the DSM (Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders) based purely on shifts in culture and the worldview of the DSM committee.     

These three observations provide a sliver of insight as to why some mental health organizations and many individual practitioners do not consider having an abortion experience as a common cause of trauma. 

The individuals and organizations that have been helping women, men and families with abortion experiences have no doubt as to the connection between abortion and trauma. A study conducted by Support After Abortion found that 34% of women suffer “adverse impacts” like anger, shame and regret from medication abortions.”  

Thankfully, there appears to be a slow shift towards a more accurate assessment of abortion-related trauma even from some government mental health organizations such as The National Institutes of Health.  Additionally, “a meta-study in the British Journal of Psychology analyzed 22 studies involving 877,181 women, 163,831 of whom had experienced an abortion, and found that women who had undergone abortion were 81% more likely to suffer from mental health problems, including alcohol and drug abuse, anxiety, depression, and suicide (17).   

We know the debate will continue. Our goal and our job is to provide a safe, validating, and  non-judgemental environment for women and men to process their trauma as it relates to their abortions. Through this, we pray many will feel confident to share their stories and lead others into a healing space as well. 

Written by:

Found & Woven: Hope After Abortion

(816) 847-2911

www.foundandwoven.com

1 See “Women’s Research Study and White Paper” on Support After Abortion’s website: https://supportafterabortion.com/resources/research/women/

 2 See https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC10312394/

 3 https://supportafterabortion.com/resources/research/women/