Many of us have seen the bumper sticker that reads, What does an abortion cost? One human life. True words indeed because each abortion stops the beating heart of an innocent unborn baby. Since 1973 the carnage has reached nearly 40 million babies who have died on the altar of choice.
Tens of thousands of pro-lifers and millions of people involved with an abortion decision are painfully aware that the cost is considerably higher. Abortion’s wake of destruction is wide and long. Like a vicious tornado, it shows no mercy, destroying everything and everyone in its path. In reality, the price paid for abortion is far more than one life.
The obvious second victim of abortion is the mother of the unborn child. There may be immediate repercussions resulting in physical complications like a torn cervix, perforated uterus or severe infection. Longer-term ramifications include ectopic pregnancies, breast cancer, sterility or even death.
Then there are the psychological effects that can be worse than the physical. Some of them include: guilt, shame, nightmares, insomnia, flashbacks and anniversary reactions. She may be unable to tolerate the presence of babies, or she may kindle a hatred for men. She may suffer from sexual dysfunction and even consider or act on a suicidal impulse.
Yes, women pay a high price for the so-called liberation of abortion. Ironically, she isn’t liberated at all but is often bound by the heavy chains of physical and mental torment, which greatly diminishes her quality of life.
The father of the unborn child is another casualty of abortion. He is at a greater disadvantage of dealing with the psychological aftermath than the mother because modern society, at best, barely acknowledges his role of fatherhood in an unexpected pregnancy. Further, he is often taught from a very young age that it is less than manly to show emotional weakness or cry. Instead he is encouraged to bottle-up his feelings while his partner exercises her celebrated, exclusive freedom to kill their unborn baby. The destructive emotions mount with no constructive way to relieve the pressure.
Men often heap torment on their psyches as a result of helplessly watching their children die while having absolutely no legal recourse. Or, if he is forcing abortion on his partner, the guilt may be overwhelming. Anger, alcohol and drug addiction, panic attacks, poor coping skills and self-imposed isolation are prevalent symptoms. This post-abortion anguish has destroyed many loving relationships, careers and friendships.
Grandparents, aunts and uncles of the unborn child add to the growing list of those who pay a price for abortion. They are perhaps the silent mourners who have little or no standing in the abortion decision, but can be greatly affected nonetheless. Their hearts ache for the hugs, kisses and smiles that will never be. Their call to fill the role of a family member who offers assistance, advice and love throughout this child’s life will go unanswered. The silence can be emotionally deafening.
Siblings sometimes pay a dear price for their parents’ abortion decision. If a child becomes aware that her brother or sister has been gotten rid of, she may come to see her mother as an avenue of death instead of a nurturing, life-affirming parent, and fear her. Real-life examples have demonstrated that children as young as two suffer as a result of the abortion of a sibling. Some of the anxieties she may suffer from include irrational fears, guilt, self-hate, anger, hostility toward the parents, or withdrawal. The abortion experience may skew the child’s view of her parents as role models, adversely affecting her parenting abilities later in life.
There may also be a far-reaching, hidden cost of abortion in the future of these families. Survivors of abortion are taught from youth that their brother or sister is expendable if the time isn’t right for a larger family. The parents may gently convey to their child that Mommy’s and Daddy’s jobs simply won’t permit the added time needed to invest in another child. Or Mother may tell her little one that she wants to save all of her love for the family she has now. Whatever the excuse, the chilling truth will be conveyed to the child.
Let’s jump to the future. Now these children have families of their own. Mom and Dad have become elderly parents, increasingly dependent upon their children. Euthanasia may be a logical decision for adults who have grown up with a disposable-life mentality. Baby boomers may be a prime target for this deadly philosophy that they helped to create. The adult child may gently convey to her parents that she and her husband’s jobs simply won’t permit the added time needed to invest in caring for physically demanding parents. She may tell the aging couple that she needs to save all of her love for her young, demanding family. The chilling truth will be conveyed and the circle of abortion will be complete.
Yes, the cost of abortion is higher than any price tag we can imagine. Thankfully, there is a compassionate grass roots pro-life movement to assist those who struggle with an abortion decision. We certainly have our work cut out for us.
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