Healing - Life Outreach Center Houghton MI

When you were little, a Band-Aid and a kiss made the pain go away. Now, the pain is in your heart. The wound from an abortion can be jagged and deep. You may not heal with time. You need to feel understood - and forgiven. We can help. We offer support and the help of people who have been there and have been healed. Deciding to seek help may be one of the toughest decisions you have made, but your future is worth the effort.

If the following list reflects problems you've experienced since your abortion, and you feel stuck, you may need help recovering. They tell us abortion is a quick answer to the problem of an unplanned pregnancy. We know, from experience and from research, that this is simply not true for everyone. Take a moment and read about some of the issues other women have dealt with after their abortions. If you can identify with any of them, you may be suppressing emotions that need to be dealt with for healing. Please consider getting counseling to help preserve your future quality of life.

Have you changed as a person since your abortion? What were you like before the abortion? What are you like now?
If your sister or best friend were thinking about having an abortion, what would you tell her?
At the time of your abortion, did you believe abortion was right or wrong?
Do you struggle with an eating disorder?
Do you find yourself in abusive relationships?
Are you having increased unprotected sex?
Are you using drugs or alcohol to distract yourself from your pain?
Do you often feel sad?
Do you often think of hurting yourself?
Do you shut down or feel numb when you're in a highly emotional situation?
Do you experience explosive emotions?
Has your relationship with God changed since your abortion?
Do you feel you must hide your abortion or your feelings about it?
Have your relationships with men changed?
Do you avoid people or situations that remind you of your abortion?
Did someone pressure you into having the abortion(s)?
Do you feel like you're all alone with the emotional pain you are feeling?
Are you interested in a support group for women who've had abortions to work through some of these problems?

Don't Allow Anyone to Trivialize or Dismiss Your Grief

Many women are surprised to find themselves grieving an aborted child because the abortion was more or less a voluntary act, but that is all the more reason to grieve. The added dimension of responsibility (or guilt) intensifies the grief. Your grief is not only justifiable, it is normal. Your grief is a healthy sign that you are facing realities rather than internalizing or burying them where they fester and become morally and spiritually malignant. The first step to being healed of emotional wounds is to admit that the wounds exist and to acknowledge the cause of those wounds.

Don't Be Too Hard on Yourself

You were called on to make an important life decision at a time when your decision-making abilities were hampered by the hormonal changes going on in your body. In addition, it is likely you did not make your decision in a vacuum. Perhaps the father was unwilling or unable to be supportive and accept responsibility for his child. He may have suggested abortion, perhaps even used emotional or financial leverage to persuade, pressure, or coerce you to abort. Frequently parents, in a desire to protect their child from embarrassment, pain or disruption of plans (education or career) by an untimely pregnancy, urge abortion as a solution to problem pregnancy. If a woman is unmarried, she may feel that because her sexual behavior has been somewhat irresponsible that she has abdicated her right to make a decision to bear her child against her parents' expressed wishes. She may feel she has no right to further embarrass her parents and postpone their plans for her future. You have a right to seek healing.

Finding Forgiveness is the key

Forgiveness of those who may have influenced your abortion decision is a difficult, though important, step to experience healing. You probably need to forgive yourself first of all. Don’t allow anyone to tell you that what you did was unforgivable. Forgiveness is possible. A fresh start is available for you.

Please don’t continue to suffer any longer

We urge you to seek counseling with someone who is trained and sympathetic in the area of post-abortion stress. We care, and we want you to know that there is hope and healing for you. You can call us and talk with our counselors at 482-8681.