I had an abortion. Actually 1 in 4 women have one. You might have had one, too. It’s a hurtful word, isn’t it?
Especially when no “choice” was made.
You see, by the terms of my insurance papers and by medical standards I had an abortion.
Did you know that a natural miscarriage is actually called a spontaneous abortion? Jarring isn’t it?
It’s especially jarring when your pharmacist scolds you for taking “abortion” medicine, your physician demands to know why you had a “prior abortion,” your insurance won’t pay for a procedure because it’s an “abortion,” and your Sunday School teacher accuses you of horrors because you ask for prayer after your ectopic pregnancy.
These are just a few examples of stories women have shared with me. Yes, those people are to blame for their reactions, but women shouldn’t be put in this situation. Period.
We’ve got to stop this extra shame.
As a society we’ve given this word too much power, and it’s hurting many already grieving women.
It’s a word that brings misguided blame to many of us because by societal standards “abortion” equates with “choice.” And we sure as heck didn’t choose for our babies to stop growing.
After loss many of us are not thinking rationally and trying to wrestle with these powerful words is destructive to our souls.
Perhaps adding to the taboo topic of loss.
In the community of loss there is also a threatened abortion, incomplete abortion, therapeutic abortion, and even recurrent abortion.
I can actually raise my hand and say I belong to the tribe of women with a recurrent abortion. Not by choice, I must add.
Keep reading this article at Her View From Home.
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100% yes! I HATE seeing “spontaneous abortion” on my medical records….especially seeing SAB on the ultrasound screen when we were confirming everything was back to normal after my first miscarriage. That was most definitely not helpful with the healing process.