A mother who had an abortion at the age of 23 has described its devastating emotional impact.  Abortion is not the answer, she tells women.

In 2005, Spring found out that she was pregnant. Her abusive boyfriend pressured her to abort the baby.

“I was afraid, and I felt like I had no other choice”, she recalls.

At the abortion clinic, Spring was treated coldly. “There was no emotional support offered”, she explains.

“When I was waiting for the doctor to come in the room, all I wanted was to run out. I remember feeling paralyzed and unable to stop my tears… When the nurse came in the room, she told me I needed to be quiet and still, so I wouldn’t disturb any of the other ladies in nearby rooms.”

Attempted suicide three times

While the abortion did no physical harm to Spring, the emotional cost was devastating.

“Life after the abortion was awful. I had instant remorse, guilt, and shame… I had a very difficult time functioning in everyday life. I had nightmares about the [abortion] experience regularly. I fell into an extreme depression, and I was suicidal.”

Spring attempted suicide no less than three times.

“I believed I deserved to die for what I had done”, said Spring.

Since 2005, Spring battled to come to terms with the loss of Amariah Grace, her aborted child whom she had subsequently named. It was a part of the recovery process, she says.

“A piece of my heart… will always long for the baby I never met”, she reflects. “There’s not a day that goes by that I don’t think about my Amariah.”

Eventually, Spring attended abortion recovery classes and a post-abortion healing retreat.

“Not the solution” 

Although Spring says she will “never be the same” because of the abortion, she is now a happy mother to two other children. She has also found love and forgiveness in Jesus Christ.

Spring’s message to pregnant women considering abortion is this: “Your life is not over. There is support available… Abortion is not the solution to your current circumstances. Abortion only creates more problems that often have a life-long effect.”

Abortion and mental health

The evidence-based review Abortion and Women’s Health reveals the horrific impact that abortion can have on the mental health of women.

Key findings include:

• A woman who undergoes an abortion is six times more likely to commit suicide than a woman who gives birth.
• A woman is 30% more likely to suffer from depression compared to a woman who gives birth.
• A woman is 25% more likely to suffer from anxiety compared to a woman who gives birth.
• A woman who has had an abortion is at a higher risk of psychiatric admission compared to a woman who gives birth.

Fighting for women

Michael Robinson, SPUC Director of Communications, said: “Apart from killing an unborn child, abortion inflicts a devastating emotional toll on the woman involved, which often goes unreported by the mainstream media.

“SPUC will continue to highlight the link between abortion and mental health, as it did when reporting on United States hurdler Brianna McNeal, who recently spoke out about the devastating aftermath of her abortion.

“As Brianna’s story attests to, as well as Spring’s, the effect of abortion can haunt a woman for the remainder of her days.

“The best solution to such heartbreak and trauma is to campaign for a world without abortion.”