A Pastor's Message
Abortion: The Truth - The Sanctity of Human Life
excerpts from
by Pastor Robert Hall, January 25, 1998
Besides the children that have been killed, there are millions of women who have been damaged seriously by abortion. And its effects on America have been simply devastating. As a church, we have a responsibility to teach the truth and to live by the truth, and to love the truth and to understand the truth. And that is that we all sin, we all fall short, and those people who have had abortions or have been involved in them are no worse than any other sinners. But there comes a day when we need to talk about it – and today is that day, since this is “Sanctity of Human Life Sunday.
...there are women who are dead because they went into a clinic to have an abortion. There are women who have had uterine lining infections and cervix punctures. There are cases of pelvic inflammatory disease and sepsis. These are women whose insides will never be the same.
There are women who are emotionally scarred and hurt forever because of the world’s lying standards because they went into an abortion clinic. But you won’t hear very many talk about it; it’s too painful; and that shame and guilt must be suppressed. But the bumper sticker is true. “Abortion: one dead, one wounded.” That’s the sum of it, but they don’t want to hear it. The whole abortion system thrives on lust and greed. So they don’t want to hear about it.
...As a church we must proclaim at least these two things: First of all, the truth of sin and the need of a Savior. Yes we want to call black, black and white, white, but we can’t forget to also proclaim the Good News that Jesus came with a message of grace and love and forgiveness. He was offering the world reconciliation to God the Father. And so our ministry is a ministry of reconciliation. It is a ministry of bringing people to know the Lord by hearing the truth about sin AND the truth about forgiveness.
Post Abortion Syndrome
And Why The Church Needs To Know
Post Abortion Syndrome (PAS) is used to define the stress or trauma reaction that some women experience as a result of having an abortion. It is a suggested variant of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). Sufferers are unable to process the event in what would be considered a "normal" manner and are challenged with psychological symptoms that don't simply go away over time.
Women experience abortion as a traumatic event for various reasons. Some may be forced into having an abortion, some may have endured complications during the abortion, while others - regardless how sure they were about having an abortion - may realize the termination of their pregnancy as killing their own child. The emotions associated with the abortion often become overwhelming. For some, post abortion syndrome symptoms occur immediately while others experience the negative impact years later.
Consider the Facts
Every year in the United States over 1.2 million women have an abortion
1 out of 4 women will have an abortion in their lifetime
80% of women seeking abortion believe it is their ONLY option
Every aborted child has a mother and a father
Each aborted child potentially has an extended family - relatives such as grandparents, siblings, aunts and uncles
Over 70% who have had an abortion identify themselves as a Christian
54% regularly attend church
In one state alone - Arizona
There were 13,000 abortions in 2019
75% of women seeking abortion are between the ages of 20-34
In the last 10 years abortions for girls between the ages 15-19 has increased by 35%
Non-surgical medication abortions, Plan C (by mail), are on the rise with 185,000 women needing medical treatment as a result of complications. Women are aborting babies at home and alone.
Considering post-abortion syndrome and these disturbing facts, it's safe to say that the church has many people hurting in silent pain from their involvement in abortion.
William Laywer in his article Post-Abortion Stress Syndrome: Parents Are Victims Too, describes the post-abortion need best: "The trauma they experience both during and after abortion is rarely given the attention it deserves. But that trauma is real, and those who suffer from it need help."
Simply put, our churches are filled with people hurt from abortion and there is no better place than the Church for these people to receive compassionate care and to guide them to hope, healing and purpose after abortion.
PAS Symptoms
Symptoms Include
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Guilt - A mother's heart is designed by God to "protect her child." Abortion may by-pass that instinct, causing feelings of overwhelming guilt. Some women even believe future bad events happen because they "deserve it" because of their choice to abort.
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Depression - Feelings of despair and hopelessness. A woman experiencing PAS may cry uncontrollably for no apparent reason. She may even feel like she is going crazy because she doesn't understand what's causing her depression. Things she once enjoyed before the abortion are now avoided. Some develop eating and sleeping disorders.
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Suicidal Thoughts - Depression can be so severe for some who suffer from PAS that they think it would be easier to die rather than continue to live.
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Anniversary Reminders- The "anniversary" can be the date of the abortion or the due date of a full-term pregnancy. On these dates a woman struggling with PAS can feel miserable for no apparent reason. Many times women who have this PAS symptom go years before they realize these dates are related to their abortion experience.
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Feeling "numb" - To avoid painful thoughts after abortion, a person can emotionally shut down and abandon relationships, isolate themselves from family, and submerge themselves into work. They neither feel sorrow or joy.
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Flash-backs - recurring and intrusive thoughts about the abortion experience or aborted child that occur at unexpected times. Memories can be triggered by simple sounds like a vacuum cleaner, a dentist drill, or even a toile flushing - sounds similar to what they heard during the abortion procedure or medical abortion. Annual OB/GYN physicals can also abruptly and unexpectedly transport a woman back to when she had an abortion.
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Nightmares - Some women who have had abortions experience recurring nightmares that involve children and pain.
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Preoccupation with becoming pregnant again - It's not uncommon for women who aborted to attempt to soon get pregnant again. Some want to out of a desire to "replace" the child they left behind at an abortion facility. Others do so out of fear of infertility. They want to ensure they can still get pregnant.
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Anxiety - Some feel like they just can't relax and constantly feel tense. Others have physical reactions like headaches, stomach pain, and racing heart.
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Interruption of the bonding process with present and/or future children - Present and/or future children can be a reminder of the child they aborted. This remembrance can push family members away, believing they are disqualified to be a mother.
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Development of eating disorders - Anorexia or bulimia are common for the post-abortive.
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Substance use - Engaging in drug and/or alcohol use serves as a tranquilizer. They can calm their feelings, promote sleep, and keep the memories of an abortion at a distance