Spiritual healing

From a interview with Vicki Thorn. Thorn says there is more awareness today about the long-term negative effects of abortion than when she began her ministry. Yet there is still "huge denial in the psychotherapeutic community" regarding links between abortion and harmful behaviors such as depression, eating disorders and suicidal tendencies.

Although every woman who has had an abortion is "a mother who has lost a child," the circumstances can affect the way a woman grieves. For example, a woman who has had an abortion because a doctor told her something was wrong with the baby "will be a wreck immediately....The woman who has a late-term abortion will probably grieve right away, too, because she bonded more."

Regarding RU-486, known as the "abortion pill," Thorn says, "We have some potential for serious post-traumatic stress disorder there.... You can't be sitting at home, have all this blood, and then pass the baby, and think you're not going to be traumatized by it!"

Thorn refers to women who have had abortions as "aborted women." She says they need to understand some of the things that can trigger painful emotions. For example, an aborted woman might believe that God can't forgive her. Attending a wedding or graduation of someone who is the same age her aborted baby would have been can cause anguish. Early menopause for a woman with no living children is another reminder.

Most aborted women who contact Project Rachel "want to start with a priest," says Thorn. These women feel the urge for forgiveness in the Sacrament of Reconciliation. Some believe they have committed an unforgivable sin and think they are excommunicated (see "Ask a Franciscan").

The woman is given the names of several priests nearby who have been trained in this healing ministry. If a woman has a special problem such as depression or an eating disorder, she may be referred to a priest who is also a therapist. Thorn tells women, "Trust the Holy Spirit to get you to the right person."

In order to protect the priests and the women, "The priest list is highly confidential," explains Thorn. For example, if it is known that a specific parish priest is trained in Project Rachel, people might think that every woman making an appointment with him has had an abortion. In addition, some people might mistakenly think that a priest involved in Project Rachel is pro-abortion.

Thorn believes aborted women feel isolated and have a strong drive to heal: "They think they're crazy because where in the media do you see that there's a problem afterward?" She tells them, "If you give God permission to heal you, God is going to honor your request." When they are healed, these women "are such a gift to the Church because they understand the Church's teaching on abortion. They may even come to understand the Church's teaching on contraception."

Many women were pressured into having abortions, either directly or indirectly, she explains. Thus, it's important that they make the decision to seek healing on their own, without pressure. And that may be many years after an abortion. "The day that she's ready to heal, God is going to put somebody or some book or some Web site there," she says. "It's about bereavement. It's about grieving. It's about establishing a relationship with that lost child. The real gift of our faith tradition is the Communion of Saints, because you can talk about that child as an intercessor for the family."

this can be found at: http://www.americancatholic.org/messenger/jan2002/feature2.asp