If we think abortion is a problem occurring outside the church we are sadly mistaken. Women identifying themselves as Protestants obtain 37.4% of all abortions in the U.S. Catholic women account for 31.3%, Jewish women account for 1.3%, while women with no religious affiliation obtain just 23.7% of all abortions. 18% of all abortions are performed on women who identify themselves as "Born-again/Evangelical".

Chances are the women in your church have either had an abortion or may consider it an option if they find themselves in an unplanned pregnancy. Most of them are suffering in silence. Most of them with an abortion in their past don’t understand that much of the difficulties they experience in their lives can be traced to that decision and the circumstances that led them to make that one decision. And it’s not just the women who are affected. The men who would have been fathers are equally, yet differently affected.

Research shows that both women and men who have experienced abortion often suffer with emotional, physical, or spiritually difficulties following their abortions. It doesn't matter if the abortion was 20 hours, 20 days or 20 years ago. Abortion crosses all boundaries of age, race and religion. In addition, one abortion decision can have long-lasting consequences for many others – grandparents, siblings, friends. This short video describes the cumulative impact abortion has on our families, our communities, our nation - Abortion-Cumulative Impact

How do we know if we or someone we know is struggling with a past abortion?

How many of the following questions would you answer YES to?

• Do you feel alone?
• Do you have feelings of guilt and regret?
• Do you struggle with feelings of unforgiveness towards yourself or others regarding your abortion?
• Are there certain times of the year you find yourself depressed?
• Do you find yourself avoiding relationships or becoming too dependent on them?
• Do you change the subject in conversations that deal with the topic of abortion?
• Have you experienced a substantial increase in drug or alcohol use?

If you’ve had and abortion or participated in one, and you answered YES to some of these questions, you are probably suffering from Post-Abortion Stress.

What is Post-Abortion stress?

Post–Abortion stress is an adverse emotional reaction to abortion. It is often a delayed reaction and can surface at any time in a person’s life…and when it does, it can be confusing, painful and overwhelming.

• Symptoms and common Reactions
• Instability in relationships with the opposite sex
• Inability to bond with children
• Anger, bitterness, resentment
• Sleeplessness, nightmares
• Avoidance behaviors/addictions
• Sexual dysfunction
• Depression/suicidal impulses
• Loneliness/emotional numbness
• Low self-esteem
• Guilt/regret
• Sense of loss
• Uncontrollable rage

But there is Hope and there is Healing through Bible Studies, Encounter Weekends and support groups where you can:

• Understand why you are hurting.
• Learn how to resolve your emotional conflicts.
• Find healing and the freedom to move forward from the past.
• Find lasting peace.

First Care Family Resources provides abortion recovery counseling throughout Palm Beach County. Please call or email us for information on our caring, confidential program.

All abortion numbers are derived from pro-abortion sources courtesy of The Alan Guttmacher Institute and Planned Parenthood's Family Planning Perspectives.