It is written:
“For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.” (John 3:16)
One of the great blessings of the Word of God is that the Lord cares for the well-being of men and women. We should also love our fellow human beings (Leviticus 19:18).
This is perhaps one of the reasons why we as Christians should firmly and vigorously stand against abortion.
In my years of ministry, I have been blessed and fortunate to work with men and women who have dealt with the aftermath of abortion. Each one has been devastated spiritually and psychologically.
Some of the men that I have worked with have gone through the trauma of having their children killed before being born, unable to defend to protect them while the world uttered the mindless mantra, “it’s a woman’s right.”
HOGWASH.
These men know the falsity of this argument. After all, that child has a completely different independent genetic code then the woman. That child would not have been conceived without the man’s sperm!
They would have been willing to raise their children, yet they were rendered powerless to intervene, crippled by an unjust government and those devoted to the satanic slaughter of the unborn.
(Interestingly enough, why do we never hear of the father’s rights in this regard? Shouldn’t a father have some say about the survival and raising of his child? Even more importantly: why do so many not consider that child’s rights?)
What psychological effects does abortion have?
Let’s ask some experts.
“The Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, in a survey of available psychiatric and psychological studies, found that there were serious psychological problems that developed in many women after their abortions. The Royal College reported, “The incidence of serious, permanent psychiatric aftermath is variously reported as between 9 and 59 percent.” 83 Even Washington psychiatrist-obstetrician Julius Fogel, a doctor who performs abortions, admitted in 1971 before the Supreme Court decision, “I think every woman … has a trauma at destroying a pregnancy … she is destroying herself … a psychological price is paid… Something happens on the deepest levels of a woman’s consciousness when she destroys a pregnancy. I know that as a psychiatrist.” 84 In a 1989 interview he noted (by this time he had performed some 20,000 abortions), “There is no question about the emotional grief and mourning following an abortion. . . . Many come in [to the office even years later] —some are just mute, some hostile. Some burst out crying. . . . There is no question in my mind we are disturbing a life process.” 85 This whole phenomenon of psychological aftereffects which take place following abortions is known as the “post abortion syndrome. 86 Early studies have assumed that this syndrome would appear within a few months after the abortion, but it appears that with the majority of women it can be 5 to even 35 years later. Since abortion has only been legalized in this country since 1973, of course no one can “scientifically, statistically” prove harmful long-term effects. But the data currently being gathered are more and more pointing to the devastating effects of post-abortion syndrome: A European study reported negative psychiatric manifestations following legal abortions in 55 percent of the women examined by psychiatrists. In the American Journal of Psychiatry, researchers reported that of 500 aborted women studied, 43 percent showed immediate negative responses. At the time of a later … up to 10 percent of the women were classified as having developed “serious psychiatric complications.” In one of the most detailed studies of post-abortion sequelae: “Anxiety, which if present after an abortion is felt very keenly, was reported by 43.1 percent … Depression, one of the emotions likely to be felt with more than a moderate strength, was reported by 31.9 percent of women surveyed… 26.4 percent felt guilt… [and] 18.1 percent felt no relief or just a bit. They were overwhelmed by negative feelings. Even those women who were strongly supportive of the right to abort reacted to their own abortions with regret, anger, embarrassment, fear of disapproval and even shame.” In another paper, the same group of psychiatrists reported that when detailed interviews were performed, every aborted woman, “without exception” experienced “feelings of guilt or profound regret. . . . All the women felt that they had lost an important part of themselves.” One doctor reports:“ Since abortion was legalized I have seen hundreds of patients who have had the operation. Approximately 10% expressed very little or no concern… Among the other 90 percent there were all shades of distress, anxiety, heartache and remorse.” 87 Abortion cannot help but produce feelings of guilt and depression in most women. But in some women this also increases the risk of suicide. Studies concerning abortion and suicide reveal: Feelings of rejection, low self-esteem, guilt and depression are all ingredients for suicide, and the rate of suicide attempts among aborted women is phenomenally high. According to one study, women who have had abortions are nine times more likely to attempt suicide than women in the general population. The fact of high suicide rates among aborted women is well known among professionals who counsel suicidal persons… There has been a dramatic rise in the suicide rate since the early 1970s when abortion was first legalized. Between 1978 and 1981 alone, the suicide rate among teenagers increased 500 percent. 88 Abortion has also been identified as the cause of psychotic and schizophrenic reactions. Symptoms frequently include extreme anxiety and feelings of paranoia. 89 Although most abortion peddlers promise us that it is the women they are most concerned about, it is the women they may also help to destroy. Anyone who has examined only a few dozen of the 300 + studies conducted on the psychological aftermath of abortion cannot doubt that abortions cause psychological problems to women. 90 What is difficult to believe is the irresponsibility of those who claim it has been “proven” that there are no psychological dangers. If so, why are there now tens of thousands of women in groups such as American Victims of Abortion (AVA), Victims of Choice, Women Exploited By Abortion (WEBA), Post Abortion Counseling and Education (PACE), Healing Visions Network, and others? Why do hundreds of health-care workers attend annual conferences at the University of Notre Dame on post-abortion counseling when there is no need? 91 On March 16, 1989, Congress itself heard testimony of the psychological dangers of abortion from psychologist Wanda Franz, Ph.D., in a special hearing on the medical and psychological impact of abortion: 92 Women who report negative after-effects from abortion know exactly what their problem is. . . . They report horrible nightmares of children calling to them from trash cans, of body parts, and blood. When they are reminded of the abortion,” she continued, “the women re-experienced it with terrible psychological pain… They feel worthless and victimized because they failed at the most natural of human activities—the role of being a mother. 93 Other studies, such as the Report on the Psychological Aftermath of Abortion94 concluded: The list of psychological abreactions [later responses] to induced abortion is lengthy [in the research literature] and worthy of explication : guilt, depression, grief, anxiety, sadness, shame, helplessness and hopelessness, lowered self-esteem, distrust, hostility toward self and others, regret, sleep disorders, recurring dreams, nightmares, anniversary reactions, psychophysiological symptoms, suicidal ideation and behavior, alcohol and/ or chemical dependencies, sexual dysfunction, insecurity, numbness, painful re-experiencing of the abortion, relationship disruption, communication impairment and/ or restriction, isolation, fetal fantasies, self-condemnation, flashbacks, uncontrollable weeping, eating disorders, preoccupation, confused and/ or distorted thinking, bitterness, and a sense of loss and emptiness. 96 Further, this report cited several of the same problems found in other reports concerning the reluctance of women to report serious problems. 97 Finally, the report concluded that the studies with the most flaws are those most likely to report positive outcomes. 98 Also, it is likely that even the data currently available “under-represent the extent of the negative psychological aftermath of post abortion.” 99 In conclusion, the promoters of abortion may claim that abortion is always safe, but this is a lie. (There is also good evidence that abortion even affects the siblings of the pre-born child. 100)” (John Ankerberg & John Weldon, The Facts On Abortion, 460-518 (Kindle Edition); Atari Publishing)
One of the reasons we should oppose abortion is for the mental and spiritual health of those who would undergo such a procedure.
Let me be clear: there is salvation and healing available to all, including those who have had abortions. The God of Heaven loves you and wants to bring you salvation and healing. Jesus came to heal the broken-hearted and to set the captive free (Isaiah 61:1-3).
If we can help you, please call upon us. The churches of Christ stand ready to help you in any way that we can.
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