After-Abortion Suffering: The Mental Health Issue Hidden by Politics

Michie · Mar 21, 2023

Less than a year after the end of Roe v. Wade, America’s abortion battles are intensifying at all levels. Red state lawmakers are trying to restrict access, blue state lawmakers are trying to expand access, and the federal government is mulling a public health emergency.

Amid the rancor, it is time for a new path that bridges the partisan gap by putting people before politics and compassion over criticism. After-abortion healing elevates liberals’ support for more public and private mental health resources while also acknowledging conservatives’ concern that women (and men) can suffer after abortion.
One woman’s story, which came through Support After Abortion’s helpline, showcases the depth of the problem at a human level. She was stuck between two worlds, concealing her abortion from pro-life parents while also hiding her abortion-related mental health issues from pro-choice friends. She told our team that she was “hurting … depressed … [and] very alone.”

Continued below.

After-Abortion Suffering: The Mental Health Issue Hidden by Politics - Intellectual Takeout

America spends billions on mental health. If a fraction were directed to after-abortion healing, we would see more restored women and men.

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starchysocks · Apr 24, 2023

Unfortunately, abortion has moved from a private medical and moral issue to a political football whose players demonstrate little to no regard for the dignity of all human beings. Instead it is simply a lust for power and control.

Michie · Apr 24, 2023

starchysocks said:
Unfortunately, abortion has moved from a private medical and moral issue to a political football whose players demonstrate little to no regard for the dignity of all human beings. Instead it is simply a lust for power and control.

The Catholic Church teaches abortion is a grave sin.

starchysocks · Apr 24, 2023

Yes it does. So no one has abortions.

Michie · Apr 24, 2023

starchysocks said:
Yes it does. So no one has abortions.

Michie · Apr 24, 2023

These findings illustrate that our culture needs a new approach to healing. We can’t just tell women to “shout their abortion” and dismiss men from the conversation by telling them their opinions don’t matter. We can’t just say the solution lies in God, either.

People in after-abortion pain need personalized options that meet them where they are – such as anonymous or individualized healing for those who prefer that approach over in-person or group Bible studies – or counseling which only validates the abortion experience.

Whether 2.5 million women (The Turnaway Study) or 22 million women and men (Support After Abortion’s studies) suffer after-abortion pain, it’s clear a real human problem is buried by a culture that too often sees only politics and religion instead of people.

Dedicated resources are the final step toward healing. America spends billions of federal, state, and private dollars on mental health. If just a fraction of those resources were directed to after-abortion healing, we would see restored women and men who build stronger relationships and become healthier versions of themselves. Their ripples of pain would become rays of hope. Abortion wouldn’t be their first or last option because they would not be in the traumatic states of life which Guttmacher Institute research makes clear is often the launching pad to terminating a pregnancy.

As America navigates the new legislative, cultural, and political realities of abortion, we have a choice. We can continue creating chasms which prevent solutions, or we can build bridges to create safe, compassionate places in our homes and communities to achieve real human healing.