#6 The Hidden Emotional Risks of Abortion

FULL DOCUMENTAERY,

DOVE review, Synopsis, further down

Dec. 13, 2022, Producer’s notes: Pastors tell me that they are finding, virtually without exception, that the young evangelical Christian couples they are doing premarital counselling with, are already sleeping together.

This leads to pregnancies in far more cases than people assume.

Because pregnancy before marriage is still shameful in a church, the woman may undergo an abortion.

Is this a relatively rare occurrence? No.

Independent research says that 1 in 4 women in the pew have had an abortion.

The director of a pregnancy counselling clinic affirms this telling me that every time she speaks in a church -someone comes up afterwards and says,

“I have never told anyone this but” …. and her story pours out.

Compared to the women of the world, her shame factor is far higher.

It is so high such women have extreme difficulty even sharing with their best friend. So they keep it bottled up resulting in a diminished relationship with everyone around her and God.

And the marriage bed? It reminds her of the horrible thing she did so that important aspect of life is also damaged. But her husband has no idea of the source of the problem.

We are not here to punish the woman- she has been punishing herself every day since her abortion. My concern is reaching her with Jesus message of hope and forgiveness so that she can be fully restored to Him and her family.

Until she accepts that message- her life is at risk. It can end from suicide, risky behaviour or substance abuse as she battles to end the pain that otherwise does not end.

One of the women I invited to share in this documentary 15 years ago, declined. She said she wasn’t ready. Tragically she recently ended her life leaving behind a shocked church, husband and children.

Please do what you can to reach those around you with this message. You have no way of knowing who has had an abortion.

The women and their families thank you.

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DOVE REVIEW
Women enter into an abortion believing what the media and even their own doctor have told them—that abortion is a safe, fast, and easy procedure to get on with life.

Instead, they discover the emotional pain never leaves and can last “into their 90s.” Abortion research, validated in the courtroom, has found that abortion is emotionally destructive, and among other problems, increases the risks of suicide, relationship breakdown, and addictions.

An additional major issue is that professional counsellors are not trained to probe for abortion when presented with self-destructive behavior, so women have nowhere to turn for help: Women have been “wounded and abandoned” by the medical profession.

The documentary was written in careful cooperation with The American Association of Pro-Life Obstetricians and Gynecologists (AAPLOG), through their director, Dr. Donna Harrison, to ensure accuracy.

Dove Review
Nine women would have done it differently, but they didn’t see the impending emotional consequences of irreversibly ending a life.

“Wounded and Abandoned” is their story, but also that of countless women who have been abandoned in the depressive aftermath of abortion.

One woman describes her experience as a vacuum of help for her “disenfranchised grief” where others can’t understand her despair in not being able to reconcile the type of person she felt she had turned into.

Others related periods of depression, relationship breakdowns, diminished self worth, resulting promiscuity and suicide attempts.

What was supposed to be a quick fix turned into a lifetime of torture. They have found that time does not heal.

This documentary is solidly supported by an impressive panel of experts and doctors who share their findings and experiences with post abortive women. Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, more specifically Post Abortion Stress Disorder, is a lasting phenomenon in post-abortive women and witnessed by a plethora of clinicians. One end-of-life nurse recounts the story of a 92-year-old woman, who after suffering a web of repercussions—nightmares, depression, flashbacks—finally spoke about her abortions, asking God’s forgiveness. Astonishingly her pain medicine requirements diminished 75 percent.

It is quickly apparent that emotional and psychological suffering act as destructive waves invading the future lives of post-abortive women (and some men). It threatens future marriages as women detach themselves. It can impair their children’s emotional development and behavior as they act out at home and school.

Writer and director B. Keith Neely is thorough and truthful in portraying the poisonous aftermath symptoms of abortion which hurl the woman downward until she hits rock bottom.

He also reminds us that God is bigger than any human suffering, as many of the survivors testify that repentance and trust in Christ was their only true healing.

Because of the subject matter and detailed descriptions of the abortive procedure, this documentary isn’t meant for children under 12 years old. The Dove Foundation awards the 12+ Seal to this film.

Dove Take
Backed by extensive research and in-depth interviews, this documentary brings to the forefront the naked truth of the dire emotional risks of aborting a child.

What to talk about

Abortion has an ongoing destructive nature. Many untruths and deceptions regarding consequences are told to women considering abortion. Future repercussions are a fact and invade others’ lives many years down the road.

Content Description
Faith: The film promotes repentance, forgiveness and healing.
Integrity: A central part of the film revolves around expert and tested clinical facts
Sex: Survivors tell of one-night stands, date rape, birth control. No visuals
Language: Soft description of date rape
Violence: None
Drugs: Talk about using drugs and alcohol at a party
Nudity: None
Other: None
Info
Company: B. Keith Neely/Wounded and Abandoned
Writer: B. Keith Neely
Director: B. Keith Neely
Producer: B. Keith Neely
Genre: Documentary
Runtime: 67 min.
Starring: Expert participants in documentary: Byron C Calhoun, MD, FACOG, FACS, MBA// Priscilla Coleman, Ph.D// Jean Echlin RN, MSN// Deborah Zeni, MD, CCFP// plus 7 post abortion women and one man
Reviewer: Stephanie W.