Silent Tears, Hidden Rage:
Abortion's Aftermath

By Karen B. Stevenson, M.D.

The heart of a woman bears the aftermath of an abortion. When a child is torn from his mother's womb, it triggers a tragic chain of events. Because a woman was created to be a giver of life, she must now justify her actions toward her child.

Denial initially allows a woman to feel relief and she believes that her problems have been solved. This defense mechanism slowly evolves into anger and rage. When this anger is directed toward herself, it becomes depression, suicidal thoughts, anxiety, fearfulness, and lack of motivation. She vividly relives the event through intrusive thoughts, nightmares, or flashbacks of the abortion itself. It becomes difficult to see babies, to hear their cries, or to view anything relating to them. Substance abuse and eating disorders are also common in post-abortive women.

When a woman's rage is directed outwardly, she lashes out at loved ones. Her relationships become chaotic, and she may have difficulty bonding with her other children.

The exact numbers of women suffering from Post-Abortion Syndrome (PAS) are unknown. Society does not allow women to openly acknowledge or grieve their loss, so they shed silent tears alone. Because of her "choice," she is in a secret sisterhood of many. Black women are especially susceptible to PAS because of traditional cultural prohibitions, an increased perception of social isolation, lack of adequate supports, and the increased numbers of later term abortions with their associated complications. Because of the isolation and stigma, these women may struggle for years without finding consolation and healing.

Grieving for the lost child is not the exclusive domain of the woman. There are many faces of abortion.

Abortion is the nurse so haunted by the gruesome images of the abortuary that she is driven to drink to erase them from her mind. It is the physician so scarred by her own dark secret that she is unable to lay healing hands upon another.

Abortion is the silent tears of a teacher as she gazes upon her bright-eyed and eager pupils while she mourns her own child whose eyes she will never see. It is the lawyer who fights for justice for the downtrodden, but finds none for his own child - - this precious little one - - struck down in a world where innocents die.

Abortion is the abiding sorrow in the empty arms of a grandmother, who will never cradle the promise of a new generation. Abortion is the nightmares, the self-recrimination, the reckless destruction, the cold indifference of a community, a people without hope.

Healing is a spiritual process. A woman who begins to recognize and acknowledge her pain begins the process of renewal. It is a holy flame, the Baptism by fire, that replaces the flames of self-hatred and allows each one to recognize her own self-worth.

No longer must the African-American community scream silently in torment. Crisis pregnancy centers all across this country offer individual and group counseling to assist women, men, grandparents, and children struggling with the aftermath of abortion.

Dr. Karen Stevenson is a child and adolescent psychiatrist in Brentwood, TN, and an outspoken defender of innocent preborn children threatened by abortion.