This is the grief you were not supposed to feel. They told you that abortion was safer, both psychologically and medically, than childbirth. Yet now this is the loneliest grief of all. There are no photos, no little reminders of past joys, no shared memories, and no grave to visit. To the outsider there is nothing, but the reality is very different. Now even your happiest moments are shadowed by a secret sadness. People grieve greatly – and sometimes feel guilty – even after a miscarriage, but it is so much worse after an abortion. With an abortion, grief is mixed with real objective guilt.
Written by Peter Barnes, President of Evangelicals for Life, The Forbidden Grief is a pastoral resource for those who are grieving and struggling through past decisions regarding abortion, showing the reader where true forgiveness and restoration can be found.
About the author: Peter Barnes lectures in Church History at Christ College Sydney.
