Ms Jarrett couldn't leave her bedroom for 3 months following an abortion
One woman’s agonising account of mental health trauma following an abortion, has emphasised the need for more information to be made available regarding the effects of abortion.
Chandra Jarrett, underwent two abortions during her life. Speaking to CBN news show, Prayer Link, Ms Jarret gave her testimony, describing how abortion had a destructive impact on her mental health.
Chandra's testimony
Speaking to Prayer Link, Ms Jarret said: "The first two years I cried a lot and tried to process it. I just became numb, tucked it away, like I’ve learned many people do. I could be shut down for days, sometimes weeks. I couldn’t function… couldn’t go to work. I couldn’t care for my son. It was the trauma. My body was really traumatized from the experience of my abortion. At one point my mom thought she would have to put me in a mental institution because I didn’t come out of my bedroom for three months."
Ms Jarrett continued: "No one talks about the emotional trauma. No one talks about the physical trauma. No one talks about the spiritual trauma. And this is what I wish someone had told me. I didn’t even understand Roe versus Wade [USA abortion rights.] I wish someone had told me that when you say ‘you’re pro-choice’, what you’re saying is you believe in taking the life of your child. I didn’t know that."
The escalating demand for information
Ms Jarret’s account is distressing, yet sadly it is not uncommon. Earlier this month, urgent calls were made for more information regarding the reality of abortion, after the BBC Victoria Derbyshire Show, aired Laura Mann’s post-abortion testimony, where she revealed that she was not properly informed before her abortion procedure.
Ms Mann questioned: "Why are women not informed? If I went for an operation, I would get the full download. Why is it with abortion it’s a secret?"
Ms Mann’s testimony also made it clear that there are many women who are having the same experience following an abortion. Ms Mann said: "I come across many women today that tell me the same thing, that were dying in secret. Because I tell my story so openly, they can speak up to me and say ‘I experienced the same thing as you and felt I couldn’t speak to anyone at the time. What can you do to help me?’ There are still women today experiencing the same thing."
Obscuring the truth
Misleading language can often be used by the abortion industry to obscure the truth surrounding abortion. This means that women are not being fully informed, which can have a detrimental impact on the health of some women, and not just on their short-term experiences. BPAS, one of the UK's largest abortion chains, gently suggests that after abortion, ‘most women feel relieved but some also feel sad.’
However, evidence-based review, Abortion and Women’s Health, reveals the truly horrific impact that abortion can have upon the mental health of some women.
Key findings from the review are that:
- 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.
Women must be trusted with the truth
Michael Robinson, SPUC Director of Communications said: "Society is selling abortion off as a quick and easy fix, but the reality is far from that. What we are now witnessing is the fact that the abortion industry is lying to women regarding the reality of abortion and the feelings it can induce."
Mr Robinson continued: "The destructive impact that abortion has upon the health of some women can be life-changing. Yet women are not being fully informed of this, and consequently it is devastating the lives of so many. Women deserve facts and should be trusted with the truth. It is entirely unacceptable that any woman should undergo an abortion without being fully informed of the truth regarding the procedure and thereafter. If a woman is not informed of the truth, she is not making a legitimate choice."
If you, or anyone you know has been affected by abortion, please contact the Abortion Recovery Care and Helpline (ARCH) for free, non-judgemental, confidential support: 0345 603 8501 or email: info@archtrust.org.uk