What Have the Post-Abortive Women We’ve Counseled, for 49 Years, Told Us?

For 49 years, Illinois Right to Life has offered counseling and support for women who have had abortions. Our experiences counseling these women reflect the results of several studies done on the aftermath of abortion.

One woman who was pregnant as the result of rape told us,

“I know this sounds terrible. I’d rather be raped again than to ever have to go through with another abortion.”

She knew we could understand the horror associated with rape and wanted us to understand that abortion violated her even more than that.

Other women share with us that they use drugs, alcohol, and suicidal attempts to cover up the pain of abortion. They stayed in abusive relationships following the abortion because they wrongly thought they deserved it. One woman shared she cannot use the hand dryers in the women’s bathroom because the sound of the hand dryer is the same sound the machine made as it vacuumed out her child. Other women say it’s the song she heard in the waiting room or the smell of the abortion doctor’s perfume that triggers the nightmares.

Women share with us that they struggle to bond with children after the abortion or they struggle with fertility. We’ve dried the tears of women who pour out their hearts to us telling us about the pain of their abortion over the phone, after talks we give, in our communities, and at social events.

The pain and agony we have witnessed first hand along with the firm scientific studies, have brought us to the point where we would never recommend abortion as healthy or good for any woman.

One post-abortive woman once told us:

“I needed just one person. Just one person to be there for me, and I would have chosen life. But I was alone.”

It’s stories like these that are preventable. The pain and the hurt that these women were put through can be prevented. That’s why every day at Illinois Right to Life we work to prevent these stories from happening, and you can too – by being that one person.

But for women who are suffering in the aftermath of abortion, they should know that we, alongside the many wonderful healing ministries available, are there for them. We reach out to them with open arms and offer nothing but help, healing, hope, and love.