The culture of death and the consequences of abortion

An inaugural, comprehensive white paper on the wide-ranging effects of medication abortion projects that 70 percent of abortions will be administered through pills taken at home by the end of 2022, based on the 2001-2020 growth trend in medication abortion published by the Guttmacher Institute.

The white paper and a corresponding study were published by the organization Support After Abortion. The study reveals that 34 percent of women said their outlook of themselves changed negatively after medication abortion and 82 percent said they didn’t  know where to find emotional support afterward.

With the rise of medication abortions, more women will undergo abortions in isolation, often never telling anyone of their decision. Not only does this increase the risk of medical complications, but it leaves them emotionally distant from any support or vital healthcare considerations. It also prevents them from viewing an ultrasound, which causes 80 percent of those aren’t certain about getting an abortion to continue their pregnancies.

The plain fact is that many women do experience negative consequences after an abortion, though the pro-abortion movement has gone to great lengths to deny the truth. Unfortunately for them, research disproves their narrative.

A study in the Archives of Women’s Mental Health found that the suicide rate of women who had abortions was more than double the rate of those who gave birth. A Finnish study found that suicide rates among women who had abortions was double that of those who had miscarriages and more than five times those who gave birth. Still, another study, out of the U.S.-based Southern Medical Journal found that women who had abortions had a 154 percent higher risk of death from suicide than if they gave birth.

Abortion providers also downplay what women may experience during a medication abortion. They’re told to expect strong cramping and heavy bleeding, including the passage of a “large blood clot,” but it’s quite possible for women actually to see a fetus in the toilet bowl. As the Cleveland Clinic puts it, a medication abortion “causes the uterus to contract, bleed and expel the embryo.” One pro-abortion website was quick to “reassure” readers multiple times that they might see a “very small” embryo, as if the size would lessen the trauma. Beyond this, the physical consequences can be intense.

One study found that medication abortions have four times the complications of surgical abortions. Furthermore, an ectopic pregnancy (2 percent of all pregnancies, or 100,000 per year in the U.S.) cannot be discovered if a woman never goes in for a check-up, leading to high risk of death. Additionally, women are more than 50 percent likely to visit the emergency room after a medical abortion. The rate of visits for this reason increased by 500 percent.

Yet, progressive groups are practically begging women to believe they can and should do this alone. In what other medical situation would they dissuade women from seeking in-person care?

Outside of the physical risks, women suffering from depression or regret after an abortion face many barriers to mental health wellness. According to the Support After Abortion study, 69 percent of post medication abortive women seeking help want to remain anonymous and don’t know how to do that. Most post-abortion services are faith-based or retreat-style models that don’t allow anonymity or that don’t appeal to non-religious individuals.

“There is a huge demand of women who want help after abortion and truly don’t know where to go,” said Janine Marrone, Chair of the Board of Directors for Support After Abortion in an interview with the Daily Signal.

Abortion advocates feverishly portray abortion of any kind as safe and acceptable. To question or regret an abortion would disrupt the cozy story of “reproductive freedom” and force difficult conversations to the forefront. Even for women who claim they do not regret abortions later, there is pain. One woman, 8 years after her abortion, said it was the right choice, but she still has a “tinge of sadness” and wonders about the baby she aborted. Another post-abortive woman said post-abortive grief is “just not really spoken about.”

Processing the grief of an abortion is “imperative,” said Marrone. Sadly, few women are allowed to do that thanks to the militant ideological imperatives of those committed to a culture of death. As Christians, our concern should extend to women dealing with the tragic experience of an abortion. Many of them know, and now know they know, the utter tragedy of abortion firsthand.