July: Survivors and Friends

In July we take time to acknowledge that many abortion decisions involve a wide number of people. Think of the friend or family member who drives the woman to the abortion clinic and/or offers her money for the procedure. Some may wonder whether this loss really impacts those who are not directly involved in the abortion.

Instead of an abortion decision, imagine if it were a bank robbery:

Your close friends are planning a bank robbery. You agree to help them escape by driving the get-away car. During the robbery an innocent victim was shot. Would this death impact you emotionally and spiritually? Would you have any sense of responsibility?

When family and friends are aware of the abortion decision, but fail to help the mother find alternatives, voice their objection or if they simply express ambivalence or silence in response to her decision…such reactions are deadly for the unborn. The mother experiences a growing chorus of support, silent or vocal that confirms for her that abortion is the only rational solution to her unplanned pregnancy. Shockwaves will sound a loving call of reconciliation and healing for all involved in abortion decisions.

This month also touches on a number of different subgroups within the survivor population and the unique issues of each group, including but not limited to the disabled; children threatened with comments such as I should have aborted you; those who survived an actual abortion procedure performed on them; and those whose parents thought about aborting them, or actually scheduled an abortion, that was later not carried out either because of a change of heart or because of chance circumstances. A number of categories touch on parental ambivalence about their pregnancy. This is an extremely important and rarely discussed example of the collateral damage from the abortion blast. In this month we will again rely heavily on the expert testimony and research from Dr. Ney to draw attention to this issue.