Letter from Lumina
Letter Sent to the APA February 2008
As a post abortion referral agency that barely advertises but has referred over two hundred clients in the past year due to negative psychological effects surrounding an abortion experience, I am very concerned with the APA’s Task Force assigned to research the correlation between abortion and mental health.
It is clear that at least three members of the force are strong pro choice advocates and are incapable of being unbiased in their conclusions concerning this issue in spite of the fact that there is growing evidence to confirm the negative impact of abortion on mental health. In light of this fact, this report is likely be a great injustice to the countless women who have suffered psychologically and may very well be, in the end, an embarrassment to the APA.
It is a source of great dismay to those of us dealing with this issue on a daily basis, that countless attempts continue to be made to discredit research showing conclusive evidence that abortion, does in fact, have a negative impact on many women. One has only to listen to the stories of the many women who visit our program to testify to the truth of these studies, yet, members of your force continue to deny this impact. Instead of stating the growing truth, there is an effort to portray a false image that women do not suffer significantly, and if they do suffer is because of other issues, as if having an abortion itself were not an acceptable reason for a grief, rage, depression, drinking, anxiety, sleep disturbances, self blame, obsessive behaviors, or any other reactions women may employ to "cope" with unresolved abortions issues!
In spite of this strong attempt to silence the voices of those who have been hurt by abortion, more and more women, who have in the past been silenced due to the shame and guilt abortion brings, are finding healing and coming forward to voice their experience and concern for other women. They know what it is like to seek understanding and validation for their feeling in a society that refuses to accept the harm abortion does. They also want to provide the entire truth of the psychological risks to those women who may be contemplating abortion. Members of your Task Force as well as others, repeatedly try to make it appear as though these women were suffering because of something else such as religious issues or relationship problems, refusing the accept the fact that many women know and testify from personal experience that abortion itself is the experience that has caused such emotional turmoil in their lives. Moreover, statistical studies examining medical records for associations between abortion and the symptoms reported by women affirm that this phenomena is widespread enough to be statistically significant.
In the past, Dr. Russo and Dr. Major have waived aside statistical correlations between abortion and elevated rates of mental illness with the argument that "causal connection" has not been proven. For women like myself who have had abortions, this is deeply insulting. We are witnesses of the causal connection! We are self aware, and we clearly understand the mental and emotional turmoil which we experienced was directly due to our abortions, and our testimony is true.
Historically, psychologists have listened to women and affirmed our insights into our own emotional struggles. No one would accuse a victim of sexual abuse of being confused about the source of her emotional turmoil. But when it comes to women talking about their abortion experiences, now we are suspect?!
Put simply, for years now Russo and Major have continued to ignore the fact that our experiences and testimony have already proven a causal connection between abortion and emotional problems--at least SOME women. Once that point is accepted, it then becomes clear that the statistical associations found by Fergusson, Coleman, Reardon and others is merely evidence that there are enough women like myself and the women I help that our experiences are statistically significant. There are more than just a few hundred thousand of us. The data indicates there are millions of us!
It is my hope, that you will intervene in this process, recognizing that it is impossible to have an unbiased conclusion with people such as Dr.Nancy Russo and Dr.Brenda Major, both strong pro choice advocates, on the force. In fact, given their records, it is completely ridiculous!
It is a grave injustice to women everywhere to continue to deny the feelings they have experienced as a result of abortion. These women have already suffered enough and deserve to have their feelings legitimized by the mental health field instead of them adding to their distress by denying their feelings and not making them feel crazy but I believe contributing to further mental distress by their irresponsible behavior.
As a women who not only directs the Lumina/Hope & Healing after Abortion referral program, but had herself experienced the negative consequences of abortion and sought to find professional help in dealing with it only to have it dismissed by counselors who were biased by false reassurances like the much quoted claim "abortion trauma is a myth." I believe, as a professional organization, the APA has a responsibility to be certain the information and statements it disseminates is the truth instead of being the agenda of a few who want abortion legal at any cost, even the cost of women’s mental health.
Sincerely,
/Theresa Bonopartis/
Lumina/Hope & Healing after Abortion
http://www.postabortionhelp.org
lumina@postabortionhelp.org