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The reality is that abortion weighs
heavy on the hearts of many women, but
the shame and guilt inhibit her from
seeking help, sometimes for many years.
In the African-American community this
is exacerbated by therapists who tell
women they did the right thing, if
that woman is lucky enough to have access
to a therapist. It is a hard thing to
admit for many women because they know
that someone would have helped care for
their baby. To have an abortion is to
reject the other women in their family
circle and so they suffer in silence.
Some of the long-term symptoms seen
in women who have abortions include
suicidal thoughts, increased drug and
alcohol use, especially in subsequent
pregnancies. In a study in California of
12,000 pregnant women, it was found that
those with two or more prior abortions
all consumed alcohol up to three ounces
per day for the entire pregnancy. In
a study of inner city women in Boston
seeking prenatal care, they found that
those reporting cocaine use were twice
as likely to report two abortions
and were three times as likely to report
three abortion compared to a non-cocaine
using group. Women who have previous abortion
losses are highly anxious in subsequent
pregnancies and may not bond well with these
children. Some women become overly protective
but emotionally very distant. An abortion
can cut away at the roots of male-female
relationships because to reject the child
conceived is the ultimate rejection of the
partner. Women are likely to get pregnant
again to try to replace that child and
fathers who lose children to abortion often
try to reimpregnate, also to replace his lost
child. Depression, grief, shame overwhelm women
after an abortion. Domestic violence can erupt.
Faith slips away sometimes because in her heart
of hearts she believes she has committed the
unforgivable sin and she is hesitant to come
to the Church for help, because she fears
condemnation.
There is an awareness in the African American
community that is lost on the white community
and that is the knowledge that what is conceived
in a pregnancy is a child, not a fetus or a blob
of tissues. I believe that this makes the loss
harder to endure, because there is not psychological
game playing about the reality of abortion.
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