For pro-lifers, the most wonderful news is hearing that a mother has changed her mind and decided not to abort her baby. Abortion activists, however, have their own take on this scenario. They claim that women who want abortions are having their wishes denied if abortion is not permitted for whatever reason – for instance, if the pregnancy is too far advanced. In that case, they say, she is effectively “forced” to give birth to her baby. Pro-abortionists claim this has dreadful consequences for women.  

But does the woman denied abortion really end up depressed, steeped in misery and hating her baby?  The answer is no.

A recent US study tracked women for five years after they had been denied an abortion. Far from tales of misery and hopelessness, the researchers heard happy, positive stories. Julia, 26, one woman included in the survey, said: “I bring down tears sometimes when I see him, oh my God, how could it pass my head to have an abortion, and now I have a lovely son, you know, I adore so much, that I love so much.”

Babies are a blessing, not a blight

Life may be tough for women like Julia, and the researchers certainly stressed that there were “negative social and health consequences” for women who were denied an abortion, as well as “worse economic outcomes” compared with women who had aborted their baby.  But, perhaps to their surprise, the researchers also found that the women who couldn’t have the abortion they wanted had “comparatively few negative psychological outcomes”.

So, as we in the pro-life movement know very well, babies are a blessing, not a blight! And it’s helpful to have an academic study to support our position.

We also know that many women are far from certain that they really want to go ahead with their abortion. Women lucky enough to meet a loving pro-lifer outside the abortion facility have grasped a lifeline that saved them from going through with the abortion.  

For some women in the study, it was a relief to be turned away by the abortion clinic. Destiny, 30, said: “When I went to actually try to have an abortion, I was a week too late – which, in a way, I was kind of relieved – but scared still… Because for lack of a better way to say this I wasn’t killing someone and that would be something I would have to live with for the rest of my life. So it was a relief.”

Sue, 26, told the researchers that had she not been turned away from the abortion clinic “then I probably would have done something that I would have regretted my entire life, and that’s not something I’d want to live with”.

Once abortion was no longer an option, the study found that women experienced “increasingly favourable emotions”, especially for the remainder of the pregnancy and during the first year of their baby’s life.

“A sense of peace came over me”

Many pro-lifers who care for women in a crisis pregnancy say that once a woman has made the decision not to go ahead with an abortion, she embraces her pregnancy and looks forward to having her child. And this was also true of the women who had the decision made for them by the abortion clinic. Camilla, 22, said: “It’s just something that opens you up and changes you when you find out that you’re going to be [a mother]… and that there’s nothing you can do about it. You know, this is your new life, and this is just what’s going to happen. And a sense of peace came over me.”

Babies bring joy and, unlike abortion, they are good for women. The study found that giving birth to an unplanned baby brought unforeseen benefits to many of the women, who spoke about the rewards which came from struggling to overcome challenges they faced. A number of women said that becoming a mother made them think seriously about avoiding drugs and alcohol and planning for a better life.

Jenny, 20, said: “Once it was reality, like I’m having this baby, I’m going to be a mom, it was like a kick in my butt to get me motivated to do something, to further my career so that I could support her.”

Family makes all the difference

Jenny also said that her mother supported her until her baby was nine months old, which enabled her to continue her education and become a dental hygienist, allowing her to support her child. Help from their family made all the difference to many of the other women turned away from the abortion facility.

This point shines out from the study and is perhaps a timely reminder to pro-lifers to give encouragement and support to any parent whose daughter is distressed about an unexpected pregnancy. It could make all the difference.

Young women also need encouragement to turn to their parents. It’s surely the saddest outcome when a woman discovers too late that her mum would have been willing to help her with a baby.

May, 21, said: “Emotionally I think being with my friends and my family and them understanding was probably helpful. So, it made me like okay, it’s okay to have this baby. It’s okay… My family’s going to help me.”

May is right; it is okay to have a baby. No one is suggesting that an unplanned pregnancy is easy. Women can find themselves in desperate circumstances, where having a baby seems impossible. Yet, a happy ending is possible. A new baby brings hope and, for many women, a new beginning.