by Sara Dominguez, Affiliate Services Specialist of Heartbeat International
With one in four women in the U.S. having an abortion by age forty-five,1 it is not uncommon for Heartbeat affiliates to be called upon to serve a post-abortive client. Walking with a client, a friend, or a family member on their healing journey after an abortion can seem daunting but learning about resources that can serve as springboards to healing can offer encouragement. One such resource comes from the Institute of Reproductive Grief Care®. The Institute of Reproductive Grief Care provides education, research, and expertise to health professionals and other care providers to offer support after reproductive loss including miscarriage and abortion. The Institute of Reproductive Grief Care also offers a safe place, without religious or political affiliation, for those impacted by abortion at YourAbortionExperience.org® and miscarriage at MiscarriageHurts.com®. As laborers in the pregnancy help movement, we all serve as that invitation to heal. Focusing on our post-abortive clients, friends, and family, we will take time to explore YourAbortionExperience.org – a web-based tool serving as an invitation to begin the after-abortion healing process.
Web-based healing resources help hurt individuals as they can help to reduce the feeling of social isolation, provide round the clock and meaningful activities to work through the grieving process, as well as empowering visitors to tap into their emotional resilience, encouraging a sense of control during a time when many may feel they have no control. The Institute of Reproductive Grief Care has developed Healing Pathways for those suffering after reproductive loss and those who want to support others in their loss. The Healing Pathways include spaces to tell your story, build support, explore emotions, identify losses, recognize unhealthy behaviors, and begin healing.
The flexibility of the healing website, also available in Spanish, offers people the choice to work through healing concepts with a pregnancy help organization representative or in private. The Healing Pathways provide tangible tasks to work through which can provide the feeling of progress. They do not require a particular order, permitting people to grieve authentically. When visiting or introducing the healing website, advocates may find it helpful to first share the stories section, allowing the individual to see how others have shared their stories and quickly see that they are not alone. They may also read something relatable and start to think about their own story. Each healing pathway also includes prompts or tips to assist you, the care provider, to help you best describe the task.
Another feature included on the healing website is a list of life-affirming hotlines for immediate client care:
- National Maternal Mental Health Hotline: 1-833-TLC-MAMA (1-833-852-6262)
- Support After Abortion Hotline: 844-289-4673
- International Helpline for Abortion Recovery: 866-482-5433
- Suicide and Crisis Lifeline: 988
These referral sources include trained peer counselors, professional therapists, individual and group counselors, and weekend retreat workshops. Individual care providers and organizations, clinics/centers, practices, and health institutions who have obtained the Reproductive Grief Care Certification from the Institute of Reproductive Grief Care and have attended Reproductive Grief Care training courses may be listed on the “Find Help” directory of YourAbortionExperience.org. Click here to learn more about the Institute of Reproductive Grief Care's certifications and trainings. We encourage you to become acquainted with the Institute of Reproductive Grief Care's Healing Pathways, consider opportunities for training and certification in your organization, and for qualified care providers to become a referral source on the “Find Help” directory of YourAbortionExperience.org.
YourAbortionExperience.org can mark the beginning of an individual’s healing journey. Keeping in mind that there is no fixed end point in grief, this web-based resource can help you to journey alongside individuals on the path that is right for them. The hope is that while moving forward through this process of healing, we can help individuals create a connection that will prepare them to let go of the pain.
Sources
- Rachel K. Jones, Jenna Jerman, “Population Group Abortion Rates and Lifetime Incidence of Abortion: United States, 2008–2014”, American Journal of Public Health 107, no. 12 (December 1, 2017): pp. 1904-1909. https://doi.org/10.2105/AJPH.2017.304042. PMID: 29048970
