While abortion advocates made gains in the midterms, even in traditionally red states like Kentucky and Montana, these so-called ‘wins’ are America’s loss.
Research shows that, despite the pro-choice narratives, abortion is never a win. I know this personally, having survived my mother’s attempt to abort me.
Today, I lead The Abortion Survivors Network. The stories I hear every day are chilling — and a direct refutation of the “shout your abortion” narrative.
One nurse, for example, approached me after a recent lecture I gave to tell me how she is still haunted by what she witnessed. After surviving a saline abortion, a baby was left to die in a utility closet. This nurse is not alone. My staff and I have heard similar stories from many other medical professionals.
We have also connected with over 600 survivors — including the parents involved. Every week we hear from adoptive parents who are now caring for children who survived attempted abortions.
We also hear from women who attempted to abort their child with ‘at home’ methods touted on social media. These women come looking for hope that their child will be okay. They’re looking for support in the face of guilt and shame over their actions. Abortion drives loss.
Statistics shared by Support After Abortion show that 63% of women sought help after their abortion, but only 18% knew where to turn. Additionally, 34% of women who experienced a medication abortion suffered from negative self-image afterward. None of this should be a surprise.
As The Guttmacher Institute reports, since 2005 most women seek abortions because of financial fears or relationship fears. The life-changing decision to have an abortion is made under traumatic, stressful circumstances.
Of course, these studies largely go under-reported in the media because it doesn’t fit the popular narrative, as one mainstream reporter recently discovered.
Hayley McMahon’s at Insider, a self-described “public-health scientist who studies structural and social determinants of abortion access,” said Twitter suspended her account, “for tweeting the medication-abortion protocol using mifepristone and misoprostol.”
Ironically, she promoted the World Health Organization’s medication abortion protocol and was shut down by Twitter. While her account was eventually reinstated, the narrative remains.
Stories like mine go untold, stories about women and men needing help after abortion are sneered at, while the pro-abortion narrative goes viral.
The Guttmacher Institute reported that medication abortions made up 54% of all abortions in 2020. These numbers are likely to go up, which means that more women will need the services provided by Support After Abortion, professional therapists, religious groups like Rachel’s Vineyard, and networks like mine. But, again, that reality doesn’t fit the narrative.
Since that fateful June day when Roe was overturned, The Abortion Survivors Network has seen a nearly 40% increase in the number of survivors reaching out to us every month. I hear the same from similar organizations.
In our annual retreat with abortion survivors, I asked a question relevant to today’s climate: “Would your life have been different if your family had received support after the attempt to abort you failed?” Everyone raised their hands.
These stories and statistics show why the impact of abortion reaches far beyond the ballot box.
Abortion affects every aspect of a person’s life, both personally and professionally. The public deserves to hear the stories of those hurt by this kind of ‘healthcare.’ The public deserves honest reporting of data surrounding the complications of abortion and the aftermath.
The true story is that abortion is the driver of loss.
As this year’s tumultuous battle over abortion comes to a close, the truth, however inconvenient it may be, must prevail.
Melissa Ohden is the Founder and Director of The Abortion Survivors Network and the author of You Carried Me: A Daughter’s Memoir. Melissa has testified before Congressional committees and is a frequent contributor to conservative news outlets on pro-life issues on programs like Fox News, Focus on the Family, Hannity, The Eric Metaxas Show, and Huckabee.
The views expressed in this piece are those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of The Daily Wire.
This article has been revised for clarity.