“A voice is heard in Ramah, lamentation and weeping bitterly: it is Rachel weeping for her children, refusing to be comforted for her children, because they are no more. There is hope for your future, says the Lord, and your children shall come back to their country.” (Jer. 31:15,17)
Project Rachel offers free, confidential, non-judgmental help and support to any woman seeking Post-Abortion healing.
What is Post-Abortion Syndrome?
The first clinical evidence of Post-Abortion Syndrome (PAS) was presented in testimony before the US Congress in 1981, although many other mental-health experts had previously identified significant emotional harm following abortion.
Some Post-Abortion Symptoms…..do they feel or sound familiar to you?
Re-experiencing trauma:
nightmares/recurrent dreams
flashback episodes
anniversary reactions (on the date of the abortion /due date)
extreme distress at exposure to events that resemble some aspect of the abortion (i.e. a pelvic examination, sexual intercourse, childbirth, the sound of a vacuum cleaner)
Avoidance/denial:
avoiding thoughts or feelings about the abortion
avoiding situations/activities that cause thoughts of the abortion (i.e. medical exams, sexual intercourse, exposure to infants, conversations about abortion or childbirth)
inability to recall aspects of the abortion – memory blocks
emotional numbing — estrangement from others, inability to have loving feelings toward children, mate, parents, friends.
Increased arousal:
sleep disorders
irritability or outbursts of anger
difficulty concentrating
hypervigilence
exaggerated startle response
Associate symptoms:
depression, frequent crying, anxiety
guilt/inability to forgive self
self-destructive behavior, including drug/alcohol abuse, eating disorders, suicidal urges.
Psychological Effects of Induced Abortion
| Anxiety and Panic | Guilt |
| Depression | Sense of Loss |
| Child abuse | Eating disorders |
| Promiscuity | Frustrations |
| Seizures/tremors | Nightmares |
| Unfulfillment | Mourning |
| Regret & Remorse | Anger/Rage |
| Withdrawal | Lower self-esteem |
| Preoccupation with death | Hostility |
| Self-destructive behavior | Despair, Helplessness |
| Anniversary reactions (on date of abortion) | Preoccupation with would-be due date or birth month |
| Intense interest in babies | Loss of interest in sex |
| Thwarted maternal instincts | Hatred for anyone connected with abortion |
| Hatred with pro-life movement | Desire to end relationship with partner |
| Inability to forgive oneself | Feelings of dehumanization |
| Bouts of uncontrolled crying | Feelings of being exploited |
A Surprising Revelation
A Project Rachel woman from the 2006 Support Group said she had been in treatment for these symptoms for 3 years but not once were they related to her abortion
Let us pray for counselors who will have the wisdom and courage to understand the broken spiritual relationships that abortion brings about in the lives of women and men. Let us pray that they will have the compassion to offer life-enhancing choices to those in need of post-abortion healing by encouraging them to experience the love and forgivness that God and their baby offer them.
Physical Effects of Induced Abortion
| Sterility | Miscarriage |
| Stillbirth | Ectopic pregnancies |
| Menstrual disturbances | Bleeding |
| Infections | Shock |
| Coma | Perforated uterus |
| Peritonitis | Passing blood clots |
| Fever/Cold sweats | Intense pain |
| Loss of other organs | Insomnia |
| Loss of appetite | Exhaustion |
| Constant swallowing | Nervousness |
| Decreased work capacity | Gastro-intestinal disturbances |
| Vomiting | Frigidity |
| Death |