NOT ALONE: HELP FOR TROUBLED PREGNANCIES

The Problem – Personal Experience

 

Barbara felt alone. She was a young lady who was not ready to start a family.  Being raised in a conservative family with Christian morals caused Barbara to experience some anxiety once she discovered that she was pregnant out of wedlock.   She sorrowfully found herself in a troubled pregnancy and was not able to handle the associated stress, shame, and guilt that accompanied this situation. Not only did she suffer from her own internal shame but also the fear of external shame from her family, church, and local community.  The lack of financial security caused her to make decisions that would not have occurred if she was financially independent, so she decided to have an abortion against her beliefs and suppressed her emotions.  She later married and became pregnant in the marriage union; however, the spouse rejected the idea of a family at the time and forced her to have a second abortion.  Barbara was hurt and disgusted to have encountered this shame and guilt a second time.  Years later, Barbara was still affected by the two decisions to abort her children.  She presents to my church for confidential pastoral care due to the continued shame and guilt she carried for years.  In hindsight, she felt if she had emotional and financial support, she would not have aborted her children.  This was just one testimony from several women who have sought pastoral care for abortion decisions made years prior under emotional distress, and it is from these concerns that I researched the need for a support ministry for troubled pregnancies.  My context is a church within the Seventh-day Adventist Organization that seeks to address the pains of those in the community and displays the love of Christ to them.  It is in the suburbs of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and includes a multi-cultural church of diverse ages; cultures from various Caribbean islands, Hispanics, and Americans; and a gender population of 70% female with 30% male.  It is a midsize church of approximately 325 members where we hold the ministries of Christ supreme.

Understanding the Study

The questions were asked:  In the absence of medical risk to the mother and child and the absence of violence, how can a faith-based support group address troubled pregnancies for women 13 – 45 years old in the State of Pennsylvania?  Can guilt, shame and the lack of emotional and financial support be the catalyst for an abortion?  Are there any best practices available today that aid in treating troubled pregnancies?  This study, using a qualitative interview process, addresses the problems with troubled pregnancies and the need to provide other options for emotional and financial support with the abortion decision.  It assesses statistical data for abortions, the laws, criminal consequences, health risks for unsafe abortions, and the psychological effects of some women who abort.  It finally assesses best practices that provide services to women with troubled pregnancies and how it compares to our ministry, Her Name is Grace – A Faith-based Support Ministry for Pre and Post Abortions.

 

• Statistical Data

Statistical data suggested that there were 35,412 abortions in Pennsylvania and 13,933 in three counties surrounding my church context near Philadelphia.  Data showed that whites [15,822] had more abortions than African Americans [15,474] and Hispanics [4,517]; those more financially depressed [Blacks and Hispanics] than those financially stable; and more single women [31,018] than married [4113].  The most popular age group that obtained abortions were 25 – 29 years old.

 

• The Risk with Troubled Pregnancies 

1. Abortion has become a highly controversial issue over the past two elections in politics, news media, social media, and governmental agencies. In 2024, the reversal of Roe v. Wade occurred where women no longer had the freedom to choose an abortion.  This reversal of Roe v. Wade caused many women to feel emotionally and physically imprisoned and at risk for medical harm.
2. Even though abortion procedures were deemed to be safe in legal abortion states, there are some who have complications resulting in severe illness and even death, such as the cases of Amber Thurman and Candi Miller who both aborted with the abortion pill, but fetal tissue was still present in their bodies causing death to both.
3. Criminalization of the abortion laws with severe abortion bans causes many women to seek health care in other states and sometimes causing a greater health risk with severe bleeding, infections, and high blood pressure. Also, there is the interpretation of the criminal laws causing some physicians to not provide care until the patients are almost deceased.
4. It is believed that psychological changes occur in some women post abortion due to shame and guilt that may be a catalyst for abortions.

The statistical data and risks for troubled pregnancies identify the need for a support ministry to address hurting women.

The Plan – Help for Troubled Pregnancies

Her Name is Grace – a faith-based ministry for troubled pregnancies was developed to address women in emotional pain who may be contemplating abortion, like Barbara and others, who needed emotional and financial support.

Summary of the program:

• It will provide emotional support through on-site pastoral care and professional counseling as needed, pre and post abortion.
• It will provide a support group offering a Big Sister Program to assists with MD appts. or hospital visitation with births.  It will support special events that are important to the patient such as birthdays and anniversaries.
• It will provide financial support through monthly monetary vouchers for women who give birth to aid with baby items of food, diapers, and clothing for the first two years.
• It will assist with job applications and interviewing processes for those in need of employment.

 

These are Best Practices studied to establish our support group ministry:

1. Religious Community for Reproductive Choice

• Online services for pastoral counseling
• Discusses options of Abortion, Adoption, or Parenting with education for each option
• Offers prayers and meditations in writing
• Made up of clergy from many faiths
• Offers resources for emotional healing along the abortion journey
• On-line training classes

2. Catholics for Choice

• Built on three principles: Conscience, Social Justice, Religious Freedom
• Tested and proven by 6000 advocates, 1200 organizations in 41 countries
• Worships and Seminar training for abortions rights
• Political information
• Messages from the Pope
• Testimonials, magazine articles, information for advocacy

3. Standup Girl

• Online services
• Educational classes: dating, love, sex; girl power, teen girls help, young mother’s help
• Pregnancy training and information
• Abortion information
• Faith-based information and resources
• Pregnancy courses and stories

4. First Choice Women’s Resource Centers

• Provides on-site visits for pregnancy tests and ultra-sounds
• Courses and training sessions
• Support counseling for the men of the women
• Training classes
• Provides After-Abortion-Care – onsite care: depression, sadness, eating disorders, low self-esteem, anxiety, post-abortion stress

5. Solutions Health and Pregnancy Center

• Equips women and men to make informed pregnancy decisions together
• Offers pregnancy counseling, pregnancy tests, ultrasounds, STD testing
• Coaching
• Do not provide or refer abortion

6. PreBorn!

• Pro-life Mission
• To glorify Jesus Christ by leading and equipping pregnancy clinics to save more babies and souls
• Uses personal donations from the community for grant funding
• Prayer Initiatives
• Evangelism training
• Courses that promote the life of the child

 

The Partners and Findings

The findings of this study indicated that 35,412 abortions occurred in Pennsylvania with 13,933 occurring in the locality of our context indicating diverse ages, cultures, and incomes.  The lower the income and education, the greater the risk of abortion with troubled pregnancies.  Secondly, some states revealed that states with stricter abortion bans would cause women to have unsafe abortion procedures and put them at greater medical harm.  Thirdly, psychological problems as an aftereffect has been proven to affect only a small group of women.  Study results that most women have no regrets from an abortion procedure except for a small number at approximately 5 – 10%.  Therefore, out of the 13,900, 696 women are 5% who may be affected with psychological issues that we could address in our ministry.  For those who suffer emotionally, it could have been from one’s moral views, religiosity, and psychological health prior to the pregnancy.  Most studies revealed that guilt and shame were not a catalyst for abortion but may be an aftereffect from a post-abortion procedure.  Because of these results, the problem was identified for the need of a women’s support group for troubled pregnancies to provide emotional, financial, and physical support for women holistically.

Future Implications

Her Name is Grace Ministries have received numerous accolades for its mission, value system, and dedication to helping women with troubled pregnancies.  It has partnered with grant funding organizations such as Versacare Foundation, a private organization, that will provide $50,000 a year, but it does request that we partner with other groups to not be dependent on one organization.

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References

Alters, Sandra M. “Abortion – an eternal Social and Moral Issue,” 200 ed., Gale eBooks.

Carleton, Tara C. and Jill l. Snodgrass. Moral Injury After Abortion – Exploring the Psycho-Spiritual Impact on Catholic Women. New York, NY: Routledge, 2023.

Google. “Abortion Statistics-PA General Assembly.” Last modified December 2023, accessedNovember 14, 2024. http://www.legis.state.pa.us.

Google. “Reasons U.S. Women Have Abortions: Quantitative and Qualitative Perspectives.”Accessed February 10, 2025.

https://www.guttmacher.org/journals/psrh/2005/reasons-us-women-have-abortions-quantitative-an-qualitative-perspectives.

Miller, Carolyn. “Evaluation of Success of Faith-based Abortion Ministry Services.” Interview by Marleena Debrough. October 8, 2024. https://rcrc.org.