Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada      1 902 423-9955

projectrachel_halifax@yahoo.ca

"I will give up whole nations to save your life, Because you are precious to me and because I love you." (Isaiah 43:4)

"For many women the aftermath of abortion is not about physical pathology (which the word 'syndrome' implies) but about grief and guilt."
(Vicki Thorn, Founder of Project Rachel and National Office of Post-Abortion Reconciliation and Healing from the book A Time to Speak,
Yvonne Florczak-Seeman, 2005)

Following the Viet Nam war, doctors noted that some returning soldiers were suffering emotionally due to the horrific circumstances they had encountered in this conflict. They termed this condition Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder.

A similar emotional/physical/spiritual response may arise in some women who have chosen to have an abortion.

Immediately following the abortion, most women feel relief. Not all aborted women suffer from their abortion choice. Those who do, however, may develop some symptoms soon after the abortion. In other instances, sometimes due to denial, it may take 5 - 10 years before the woman connects these symptoms to her abortion and realizes that she is experiencing a significant, irreversible loss. She is suffering due to a traumatic life experience and she needs healing.

Some notable symptoms of the aftermath of an abortion may include:

• Anger/ Guilt/ Grief
• Anxiety/ Depression
• Flashbacks/ Nightmares
• Chemical dependency
• Eating disorders
• Failed relationships
• Lowered self-esteem
• A sense of loss
• Separation from God

"I just folded up in shame, self-disgust and depression trying desperately to relieve the pain with alcohol."

"I had hidden the guilt, fear and pain for so long."

"I felt alone, scared that I had let God down, my baby down, my family down."

"I didn’t have a child to bring up for the rest of my life."

"This confirmed my lack of self-esteem - even my friends agreed I was not capable of being a good mom."

"I was angry with myself because I was a coward, instead of taking responsibility for my actions I ran and took the easy way out."

"Self-hatred, depression. I had to be punished and no one was doing that, so I punished myself."

"My husband (who was not the father of my aborted baby) was dumbfounded when he found me drunk and incoherently babbling about a baby."

"I have never been able to let anyone get close to me."

^ TOP OF PAGE ^