The Impact of Abortion on Grandparents

I've recently shared that as many as 30-40 people could be impacted by every one abortion that takes place. Mind boggling...I know! Many people have yet to consider how much pain just one abortion can cause.

You may wonder how so many people could be affected, or even more, who these people are. There is a large demographic of individuals that can end up hurt from an abortion that they did not directly experience. Today, I would like to share about the impact abortion can have on grandparents.

GRANDPARENTS

Grandparents often will carry a deep pain after their child has had an abortion. There are obviously many circumstances behind every abortion that takes place, thus, the role a grandparent plays in the abortion will also vary greatly.

Grandparent trauma can be separated into a few categories:

*Parents who encouraged or forced their child to abort.

*Parents who did not know their child was pregnant and aborted.

*Parents who allowed their child to make their own choice about aborting.

*Parents who actively tried to stop the abortion but had no legal standing.

*Parents who find out later that their son or daughter lost a child to abortion.

For the parents who encouraged or forced an abortion, guilt, anxiety, mourning, grief, depression, etc., can all result. In many cases, the healing process can be similar to a mother's process.

For parents who may never discover that a grandchild was aborted, there may be no specific grief. The family may often experience a turbulent relationship with the aborting daughter/son, but rarely suspect a past abortion could be the reason for the difficulties. This daughter or son might become angry when a sibling presents the family with the first grandchild, secretly knowing that her child should have received this esteemed position.

When the parent allows the child to make the abortion decision, many times the grandparent feels guilt for not being more actively involved. This is especially painful when history shows the aborted child to be the only grandchild.

Parents who actively tried to stop the abortion but had no legal rights are especially open to pain and family trauma. As is the parent who found out later that their son or daughter lost a child to abortion. This is more often the case when their son's girlfriend/wife has the abortion. Denial is not a part of dealing with this pain. Grief is immediate and profound. Especially if the grandparent themselves is post-abortive.

If you are a grandparent who can relate to the above mentioned information, I want you to know that I am sorry for what you've experienced. Quite honestly, at this time, written resources and support groups for grandparents are few. I do know however, that much is being pursued to be able to offer much needed support to you.

Until these tools are made available, I want to encourage you to contact a pregnancy care center that offers post abortion counseling. They will offer a compassionate ear and do what they can to try to connect you with others who can understand and support your healing journey.

The peace that you long for may be obtained by acknowledging the loss of your grandchild(ren), and proceeding through the grieving and recovery process. By grieving your loss, you can find hope for a restored tomorrow for you and your child who had the abortion(s).

The tools on my sidebar can help point you in such a direction.

The fact is, abortion hurts anyway you look at it. It is only Jesus who can mend that hurt and provide the healing that you need. He desires to heal your heart, and He's only a prayer away.

As always, I am praying for each of you!