Book Review: Forbidden Grief

There is a medical procedure that has drastic physical psychological consequences. 10% of patients end up being hosptialized for psychiatric disorders at some point after the operation. The rate of PTSD in patients is similar to that of active duty military coming back from a combat zone. Study after study points to significantly higher rates of suicidal behavior, depression, psychosomatic illnesses, and a host of other maladies. This operation can lead to hemorrhaging, infertility, and even death. And though temporary feelings of relief are sometimes reported, most patients regret having this operation when they come to terms with it. Even those who simply know someone who has had this operation are often deeply affected for years to come.

Obviously we should stop this procedure immediately, make it illegal, and restrict access to it. And I even left out the worst part of all. Whenever this operation is successful, it results in the death of an innocent, defenseless human being. As you might have guessed by now, I am talking about abortion. But at first that might not have been so clear. That is because the media and abortion providers consistently reject claims that abortion has a significant negative affect on huge numbers of women.

The Guttmacher Institute, Planned Parenthood's personal "research" agency, has consistently claimed that "Abortion does not Increase Women's Risk of Mental Health Problems." This is patently false, but it has been repeated often enough to be considered true.

I picked up Forbidden Grief, a book by Theresa Burke about her experiences counseling post-abortive women, as part of our preparations for this club. It was simply one among many books related to abortion that I found on the Students for Life website. At first. But when I opened Forbidden Grief, I had a hard time putting it down. I've read a good number of books and articles about abortion, probably more than the average person. None of them prepared me for this book.

It was shocking. It rattled me to the core. I know abortion is wrong. I know that it takes a life. I'd always assumed that it took a toll on the mother, but I had no idea of the magnitude of the scars left by abortion. Theresa Burke is a medical professional who has worked with post-abortive women and men for many years. Every story she relates is heart-rending. Women who were pressured and coerced into abortion, sometimes even forced, are haunted for decades by the child they lost. Women are flat-out lied to by abortion clinic worker: told their developing child is "just a piece of tissue" or that mental health complications after an abortion are "exceedingly rare." Women think they are going crazy because they were not informed about the very real psychological consequences of having an abortion.

This book proved to me that organizations like Planned Parenthood really do not care for women. If they did, they would provide effective post-abortive counseling services instead of taking their money for the procedure and subsequently forgetting about them. Instead, abortion therapy groups like those led by Theresa Burke are the only recourse for the massive numbers of women haunted by their choice.

Forbidden Grief is eye-opening because it shows you the studies and data that pro-choice supporters do not want you to see. For instance, in a study involving women who were unexpectedly pregnant as a result of sexual assault, Burke writes that 89% of women who aborted their pregnancies regretted it while all of the mothers who carried their children to term did not regret their decision. The cases of rape and incest are often waved around, not with any sympathy for the victims, but as a way of enabling future abortions. Forbidden Grief makes it clear that abortion is simply never the answer, regardless of circumstances.

Everyone involved in any way with the pro-life movement should read Forbidden Grief. It is essential to understanding the very complex issue of abortion. Of course the essential facts are simple: abortion stops a beating heart. But we must also be prepared to embrace and support women who have had an abortion. Because they are suffering. Thousands, maybe even millions of women, are suffering in silence because their grieving has been stigmatized and belittled. Their grief is "forbidden." Therefore, in order to win the war against abortion, we must acknowledge and care for the suffering women in addition to ending the evil that killed their babies and caused all their pain. Forbidden Grief is essential reading because it allowed me to have a glimpse into what it is like for the countless men and women involved or connected to abortion.