Help for Women Considering Abortion 

Return to Catholic Life Section | The Gift of Life

Click link below or scroll down to view all:

Are You Contemplating Abortion?

Help is Available for Pregnant Women

One Last Appeal to Women of Faith

Also Try...

Are You Contemplating Abortion?

Women contemplating abortion should consider the following:

• Abortion will not solve your problem. 

• If you are pregnant, you are already a mother! Click here

• Abortion may leave you with serious physical and emotional problems. Click here 

• Abortion is undoable - it is the brutal killing of your own child within you. Click here

• Your situation is not hopeless. You do not need to have an abortion.

• Many people are out there waiting, willing, and anxious help you. (Scroll down or click here for more information)

• If you have an abortion, you prevent your baby from receiving Baptism and you risk your own eternal soul. Click here

• You wouldn't dream of deliberately killing your child if you could carry him or her your arms right this moment, so why even consider killing him or her now?

• Making another mistake will not solve your current problems, but will only add to them.

Won't you take a few moments to consider what other women who have already had abortions have to say?

Actual testimonies of women who have had abortions have been titled...

• "Nobody said it would hurt so much"

• "Something died inside me that day"

• "I can never have those 2 children I aborted"

• "You never fully recover"

• "I have spent 19 years regretting and resenting the decision"

• "I had 20 years of intermittent hell on earth"

• "I'd rather have 12 kids than kill one"

• "I've never known a feeling so bad"

• "Every time the vacuum was used I thought about how my baby died"

• "I murdered a part of myself"

• "Abortion is not the answer"

• "There is no second chance"

• "I saw my baby in pieces..."

• "My 'tissue' had arms, legs, and felt pain"

• "I am now 66 years old and childless"

• "The feeling of the loss of a child will always be there"

• "They didn't give me any other choices"

• "I still grieve and it's been over 10 years"

• "They had left over half the baby in me"

• "You have to tell other girls that the pain never goes away"

Source: PFL

Please carefully think about the advice of other women who have had abortions. It has been said that "most mothers eventually regret their abortions and often suffer permanent physical and/or emotional injury." Clearly, abortion is not an 'easy solution' - there are many negative, long term consequences. 

Ask yourself...

• Are you willing to risk your relationship? (As many as 70% of couples' relationships may end within one month of an abortion.)

• Are you willing to risk sterility? (As many as 1 in 10 women who have an abortion may end up permanently sterile.)

• Are you willing to risk breast cancer? (Abortion may increase your risk by as much as 50%, whereas carrying to term may actually reduce your risk of breast cancer.)

• Are you willing to suffer various possible complications (e.g. infection, cervical incompetence, scarring, hysterectomy, perforation of the uterus, second degree burns, chronic abdominal pain, etc.)?

• Are you willing to put future pregnancies at risk? (Women who have had an abortion may be more likely to experience miscarriages, stillbirths, premature deliveries, low birth weights, infant deaths, labor complications, etc.)

• Are you willing to risk your future health? (Abortion may be associated with breast cancer, liver cancer, ovarian cancer, cervical cancer, as well as overall lower health and psychological problems.)

• Are you willing to offend God by killing the child made in His image?

Click here for more information on regarding abortion-related risks.

Pro-lifers argue that there is no beneficial effect to the body from an abortion, that it is always negative. They point to the "health risks that may result from unnatural disruption of hormonal changes that accompany pregnancy". They warn of the many serious and painful physical and emotional complications of abortion and point out that abortion is dangerous and may even cause of death of the mother. They point out that abortions may affect a woman's entire life, even if she "wanted" the abortion at the time she had it. Pro-lifers also try to show the mother that the child is really a human (click here for more information) and is fully capable of feeling the painful abortion procedure (click here for more information).

Clearly, killing one's child isn't a solution to one's problems. Thankfully, however, there is help for pregnant women.

Help is Available for Pregnant Women

The good news is that there is help for you! Your situation is not hopeless! There are people waiting, willing, and anxious help you.

Despite the media presentation of pro-lifers as caring only about the unborn, those in the pro-life movement care equally about the mothers. They want to help you and the child. There is so much help out there that you might even be amazed what others will do for you. There are literally thousands of organizations and volunteers who will go to extraordinary efforts to help you through this difficult time. They understand how difficult this is for you and what problems you may be encountering. They know your situation is very trying, but not hopeless. They are willing to help you with all aspects of your pregnancy, even providing material help to you and your baby. Whether you will raise your baby or entrust it to the loving arms of adoptive parents, they will help you. They will provide material and emotional support, understanding, and compassion.

It has been said that most women who had abortions would have carried their children to term if they had support (one survey showed this to be true in 91% of cases). The fact is that you DO have support! Even if it doesn't come directly from your immediate family or friends, your wider human family is there to help you. You know that if you have a problem it means that you need help. It does not mean that you should kill. Killing a child is no way to solve your problems. Killing your child will not help you. As one mother who had an abortion said, "Abortion doesn't make the baby go away, it just makes a dead baby". As other said, "Women have been 'had'".

It is true that powerful 'pro-choice' (really pro-abortion) forces want you to kill your baby. They make a living off of it! Not only do they make a profit from the abortion procedure, but they may make even more from selling your aborted fetus (click here for more information). They are not really interested in helping you personally and they are definitely not interested in helping your child. All they want to do is have you kill it. To this end, they will use deceptive terminology (click here for more information) and may even provide you with misinformation (click here for more information).

You may even be fooled by their arguings for a little while, but you will not be fooled forever. If you have an abortion, you will one day realize that you killed your own child and that there is no going back. You may realize this right away (as some do) or later on. You may realize it as the doctor removes the fetus and then refers to your "blob of tissue" as "he", you may realize it when you see the swelling wombs of other pregnant women, you may realize it when you see fetal development pictures of small but fully formed humans only a few weeks old, you may realize it when you see images of aborted children with torn limbs, mangled bodies, and crushed skulls, you may realize when you find out that you will never have children (sterility in women who have had abortions is not uncommon).

If it is true that now is not a good time for you to raise a child, do not despair; there is still a loving solution available to you. Thousands and thousands of caring mothers have entrusted their children to the loving arms of adoptive parents. Your child may then be raised by two parents who are ready and anxious to raise the child and love it as much as if it was their very own, looking after it as tenderly as you would if you were able to do so yourself. (Click here for more information)

You see, there is a solution for you, no matter how hopeless things may seem now. Remember that this time will pass. Years from now, you will know that you have made either a loving decision or a decision that may injure and haunt you for your entire life. Since you are already pregnant, you are already a mother. You will either give birth to a live baby or secure the death of your already existing baby. In your heart, you must know that killing babies is not a solution to your problems, no matter how dire they may seem.  

Remember that there is help for you, that you do not have to be alone. Many, many people are willing and ready to help both you and your baby. If you need assistance with an 'untimely pregnancy', contact your local Catholic parish or diocese. (Of course, you may call them for help even if you are not Catholic or if you have not been practicing your faith.) Don't be afraid to seek help. People really want to help you. And who knows, someday you may be the one helping others.

One Last Appeal to Women of Faith

As a woman of faith, you must know that we are made in the image and likeness of God. If you have an abortion, you would be ordering the direct killing of a human being made in God's image. Also, remember what Christ said "...whatever you did for one of these least brothers of mine, you did for me." (Mt. 25:40). Christ also tells us that, "Whoever receives this child in my name receives me, and whoever receives me receives the one who sent me" (Lk. 9:48). Remember that a child is created at the moment of conception, complete with an eternal soul. The child is no more human after birth than it was while still in the womb. 

Even if you feel shame because of the circumstances of your pregnancy, know that abortion will not solve your problem, but will greatly offend God. If you have an abortion you will be killing the child made in His image. That will certainly not make feelings of shame go away, but will greatly increase your guilt before God. If you have sinned, the answer is repentance, not committing another sin to try to cover up a previous sin.

Also, hesitate not to think about your final judgment. Do you really want to meet the awesome Judge and have to explain why you thought it would be okay to kill your child? Despite that fact that the Church has always considered abortion a grave sin and that Holy Scripture condemns the killing of the innocent, do you really expect Christ to say, "That's okay, I didn't mind your killing that one, I know it would have been really inconvenient (or embarrassing) for you"? If the saints tremble at the thought of their judgment, if the Holy Scripture tells us that killing the innocent merits eternal punishment, how can such positions possibly be tenable?

Click here for Scripture | Click here for Tough Love in the New Testament

Also Try...

Abortion (Topic Page)

Life is a Gift From God

Abortion Kills

The Unborn Baby

Abortion is a Grave Sin

Abortion: Its Risks & Aftermath

Abortion Misinformation

The Abortion Procedure

Adoption: The Loving Choice

Life Issues (Reflections)

Catholic Life (Reflections)

More Reflections: Alphabetical | Categorized

Topical Scripture: Alphabetical | Categorized

Tough Love in the New Testament  

Other New Testament Teachings 

Old Testament Wisdom

More Scripture / Parables

Catholic Basics

Can Catholic Dogma Ever Change?

Is the 1917 Code of Canon Law Still Applicable?

Looking for a Catholic organization to assist with an 'inconvenient pregnancy'? Try Here (Commercial Sections) or contact a good Catholic parish near you. You might also consider trying your diocese for assistance.

Didn't find what you were looking for? Try Here

The above is provided for informational purposes only and is not comprehensive. We make no guarantees regarding any item herein. By using this site you indicate agreement to all terms. For terms information, see "Important Notice" above and click here.

Help | Terms of Use | Other FAQs

[top]