“Women and men deserve healing after abortion now and all year,” said CEO Lisa Rowe
NORTH PORT, FLORIDA–As Mental Health Awareness Week ends, Support After Abortion is urging the mental health community, elected officials, and religious and community leaders to support people who face grief, anxiety, and other mental health challenges after abortion.
“Acknowledgement is one of the most powerful antidotes to mental health struggles, and people suffering after abortions are no exception,” said Support After Abortion CEO Lisa Rowe, a licensed therapist and social worker. “The politics of abortion often hide human suffering, and those in positions of power and influence can be voices of change to overcome stigma, isolation, and shame. Women and men deserve healing after abortion now and all year.”
In 2022 and 2023, Support After Abortion released first-of-its-kind research on the impact of abortion on women and men. One in three women reported adverse mental health symptoms like grief, loneliness, and depression after medication abortions, and 71% of men reported emotional harm after a partner’s abortion experience. Nearly 80% of men and 55% of women who identify as pro-choice either sought help or could have used someone to talk to after abortion experiences.
“One of the most heartbreaking discoveries of our research was that the majority of both women and men surveyed said they either sought help or wished they had someone to talk to about their emotional struggles,” said Greg Mayo, head of Support After Abortion’s National Men’s Task Force. “Clergy, elected officials, and mental health professionals already provide many of these resources to other struggling demographics, and can help overcome mental health stigma by raising their voices in support of the humans behind abortion suffering.”
Support After Abortion provides many data-driven resources to help women and men find healing and hope after abortion. They include, but are not limited to:
- An anonymous after-abortion helpline for referral to one-on-one or group support.
- A national directory of abortion healing providers familiar with Support After Abortion’s philosophy of care.
- A self-guided healing toolkit.
- Online and in-person support groups for women and men impacted by abortion.