You are helping women like Kayla heal from the pain of abortion
Those who have worked in the pregnancy help ministry understand that abortion doesn’t just take the life of a pre-born child, it also hurts the woman who makes that choice. Over the years, we’ve heard from hundreds of women who’ve told us their decision left them with deep wounds, sadness and regret.
Kayla* was one of those women. Several months ago, she visited First Care Clinic for STI testing. During the visit, the nurse asked about her reproductive history. “It was the first time anyone asked me how I was doing after my abortion,” Kayla told us.
When she shared that she was struggling, the nurse recommended Kayla join the clinic’s post-abortion support group.
Here, Kayla found a group of what she called “brave women.” Until she walked into the group, she had felt intense isolation, believing that no one would understand why she’d made her decision to abort and how she felt afterwards. Only two people in her life knew about her abortion and she felt like she couldn’t share her feelings of regret because, “It was my decision. So, I can’t complain. If I made a mistake, I have to live with it.”
But the truth was that Kayla was carrying a tremendous amount of pain. “In the first few days after the abortion, I felt relief. Problem solved. Move on. But then later it hit me. I felt sadness and regret. Had I made a mistake?”
But Kayla kept this to herself. When her expected due date rolled around, the pain and tears intensified. ”I would cry day and night,” she remembered. Kayla played a movie she’d always imagined watching with her child and created a shadow memorial box. Now she had something tangible to remind her this child existed. And still the pain persisted.
She began to wonder if the support group could make a difference and, to her vast relief, it did.
“At the support group I felt like my feelings were validated and understood. There was zero judgment,” said Kayla. “It was a safe place to cry and to share. There was true empathy in the room because every woman there had experienced something similar.”
Kayla found the exercises and materials helped her talk through and think about emotions and feelings she hadn’t realized were there.
Kayla learned new coping techniques and began to feel a sense of peace and hope. Best of all, she says, “I started to heal.”
Are you ready to heal from your abortion or do you know someone who needs to heal? Kayla said, “It feels scary. I know. But if you take the time to work through it, you will find it’s an experience that is welcoming and healing. You can feel hope again.”
*names changed