(TCT) April is nationally known as Abortion Recovery Awareness Month. It is an opportunity to share that there is HOPE and HEALING available after an abortion experience.
The facts are staggering …
One-in-four women will experience an abortion by age 45 and nearly 50 percent of women who have had one abortion will go on to have multiple abortions. For every woman’s abortion experience, there is also a man.
An abortion experience can leave lasting emotional, physical and spiritual wounds. Women and men can struggle with feelings of sadness, regret, guilt, shame, fear, anger, anxiety and depression.
They often suffer in silence. Recent studies revealed that 82 percent of women and men did not know where to go for help after their abortion experience. More than one-in-three women and five-in-10 men were attending church at least once a month at the time of an abortion.
Pregnancy Decision Health Centers (PDHC) (in Franklin County, Ohio) is a safe space for women and men to experience healing through abortion recovery (aR) programs that are both therapeutic and biblical.
“The most important piece that hurting women and men need to know is there is a compassionate and forgiving God who loves them – despite their sin and brokenness. He is eagerly waiting to redeem them and their story,” said Toni, PDHC’s abortion recovery program manager.
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Ava was in college with big dreams after she graduated – starting a business, building a future and in a relationship she believed in.
Then everything changed.
She discovered she was unexpectedly pregnant. Fear consumed her. She and her boyfriend, both shaped by past traumas, felt unprepared. He withdrew emotionally and demanded she not tell her parents. The abortion clinic told her time was running out. “You only have 48 hours,” they said.
Feeling trapped and alone, Ava took the abortion pill.
Ava’s emotions unraveled. She felt waves of regret and panic. Her boyfriend grew distant and their relationship crumbled.
Following her abortion experience, she felt alone and believed she didn’t deserve healing. Fortunately, Ava found PDHC’s aR (Abortion Recovery) program and made that frightening first step to reach out for help. She was encouraged to attend a weekend recovery retreat for those suffering after an abortion experience. She arrived at the retreat covered in shame, as shown in the layers of clothing and the physical way she carried herself. Session by session, God peeled away the layers of shame, guilt and unworthiness. By the end of the retreat, she didn’t feel alone. She was able to honor her child and entrust her sweet baby to the Lord. “I found Jesus Christ. He saved me from myself, and He showed me His forgiveness,” she said.
Tweet This: It's important for hurting women and men to know there is a compassionate and forgiving God who loves them–despite their sin and brokenness
Ava is one example of a woman seeking help soon after a completed abortion pill experience. At aR, we offer women and men a variety of healing opportunities tailored to meet them where they are. Each participant is introduced to therapeutic and biblical healing that will show them we have a compassionate and forgiving God who loves them and desires a relationship with them.
Abortion Recovery is one of PDHC’s four pillars of service, operating a 24/7 CareLine for calls and texts, at 614-721-2100. Visit www.abortionrecoveryinfo.org for more information.
PDHC also provides Abortion Pill Reversal (APR) services to women who regret starting a chemical abortion and want a second chance to save the life of their baby. But time is of the essence and PDHC stands ready to help during this critical time with APR services. Nationally, APR services are successful 64 percent-68 percent of the time and over 6,000 lives (and counting) have been saved. To learn more about APR and PDHC’s four pillars of comprehensive care, visit www.SupportLifePDHC.org.
Editor's note: This articlewas published by The Catholic Times and is reprinted with permission. Heartbeat International manages the Abortion Pill Rescue® Network (APRN) and Pregnancy Help News. Heartbeat is currently the subject of two lawsuits brought by state AGs concerning sharing informaiton about Abortion PIll Reversal.
