June 24, 2022 a historical day in US history. Five of six conservative justices of the Supreme Court of the United States voted to overturn a decision, made in the same chambers, in 1973. Judge Alito responded to the overturning of Roe v Wade with “how can a decision by 9 men in 1973 be, not just wrong, but egregiously wrong from the start? With damaging consequences.”
Are you struggling with your own decision that may have “damaging consequences” and left your emotions reeling? Does it have anything to do with a court decision made in 1973? That “court decision” is not on anyone’s mind when making their own “personal decision” to choose abortion, but the after effect is very damaging. And now for those who have acted on their decision to choose abortion before June 24, 2022, the question about whether it was right or wrong becomes VERY personal.
Personal decisions matter. The law of the land is there to help guide and direct and stop certain actions, but personal actions are what we live with day to day. An abortion is a personal decision. Facts are facts. Abortion endangers not only one life, but two. H3Helpline wants to come alongside you and help you understand how the court’s decision to overturn Roe V Wade might become a trigger for you and stirred old emotions, even if your decision was more than a decade ago.
One of our own Helpline Coaches responded this way…
“I have been very settled with the healing I received since I began the recovery journey 5 years ago… But the day after the overturning of [Roe v Wade], I began to think about the legal aspect of what I did. I’ve always said I would have never sought an illegal abortion. I don’t seek to do things against the law of the land. …
So now that… I live in a state that has banned abortions altogether, my heart skipped a beat. It took me back to the original thought: if [Roe v Wade] didn’t exist, I would have a 42-year-old child. Once again, it stung.”
This is coming from a woman who had her abortion only 5 years after the decision in 1973. Many emotions run hard and long after an abortion. These are considered ‘symptoms’ of the abortion. These ‘symptoms’ or emotions have been tracked through the years since 1973 and are consistent with post women and men wounded by abortion. Your emotions may vary from sadness to rage, and everything in between. One symptom VERY familiar to abortion is regret. Regret is a form of grieving. Regret is not a unique reaction to an abortion, and yet it is rarely a part of the information given before the abortion procedure. Even so, regret becomes a way of life if not acknowledged or if not allowed to be talked about.
The court decision has brought those feelings to the surface, afresh. Maybe you haven’t thought about your abortion in years. Maybe you had an abortion last week and already feel regret. Whatever the case may be… don’t stuff the feeling. But how?
H3Helpline was created for this purpose. The Helpline Coaches answering your call or text today have had an abortion. Some have had multiple. We understand. We’ve been there. Needing someone to hear your heart and pain may be the very thing to lead you to the freedom you long for. The pain is real. Your journey to healing is as close as your phone. Don’t wait another day to begin that journey.