Are you worried about a friend or loved one after their experience with abortion? Maybe they seem overwhelmed with grief and sorrow. Your support is essential as they will need to lean on their support system during this time.
Ways to provide the help they need include giving them time to process on their own, being there for them, and leading them to professional support. At Life Choices, we offer free and confidential post-abortion support to be a much-needed resource for women.
Give Them Time
Your friend or loved one is probably experiencing a whirlwind of emotions right now. If necessary, offer them space to process each emotion as it comes. You may need to gently ask what she needs, as some people are more communicative than others.
Sometimes, women experience grief and other emotional effects of abortion right after, weeks later, and even months and years later. It’s important to initially give your friend or loved one space, as she may not even caught up to her emotions yet.
Offer Them Your Support
Once your friend or loved one has had a moment to themselves, offer them a listening ear. Do your best to listen without responding right away. Ask questions to help her expand on how she is doing.
Once she has opened up and shared with you, encourage her to the best of your ability, go on a walk, bring her food or gifts, and spend time with her. All of these little gestures will mean the world to her as she seeks healing and support.
Suggest Professional Support
The National Library of Medicine shares, “…abortion is consistently associated with elevated rates of mental illness compared to women without a history of abortion.” This study concludes that “some women have significant mental health issues caused, triggered, aggravated, or complicated by their abortion experience.”
It’s vital to your friend or loved one’s emotional well-being and health to speak with a trusted professional or physician to better understand how abortion is affecting her emotional health.
Free Post Abortion Support
At Life Choices, we provide free and confidential support and care after a woman’s abortion experience. We offer both individual and group settings, depending on what feels the most comfortable.
If your friend or loved one wants to discuss her experience one-on-one, she will meet confidentially with someone trained to support women and men affected by abortion and offer hope and compassion. With a group option, she will meet people with similar stories and experiences. You can share as much or as little as you feel comfortable.
Learn more about our free post-abortion support today. We’re here to walk with women after abortion and help them find healing and hope.