Individuals who experience abortion are often left with something called disenfranchised grief. A definition of disenfranchised grief is a loss that is not openly acknowledged, socially validated, or publicly mourned, in other words, a loss where society itself fails the griever by simply not recognizing their right to grieve.
Imagine experiencing a deep loss but at the same time not being able to express it or often feeling as though you weren’t entitled or allowed to have the right to those emotions. A post-abortive woman or man can spend years trying to suppress, hide or deny these feelings of loss. It’s a shame filled place, and it feels like you are all alone with these thoughts.
Thankfully, PDHC provides a place where individuals can begin to process their emotions in a safe and confidential space with others who understand the pain of abortion through our abortion recovery program.
Recently, a few staff members and abortion recovery volunteers were given the opportunity to take a short trip to the National Memorial for the Unborn in Chattanooga, Tennessee. The National Memorial for the Unborn has a dedicated site to serve those who have experienced the loss and grief that is associated with the abortion of unborn children. It is located on the grounds of a former abortion clinic.
The National Memorial for the Unborn states it, “was literally born from the pain and loss of life to abortion. Caring individuals from ministries, churches, the pro-life community, as well as nameless supporters, prayed, united their hearts and their hands in action to miraculously purchase the building that was occupied for 18 years by the business that ended the lives of children in the womb.”
A note from a grieving mother was found after the abortion clinic vacated the premises. It was a note from a broken mother to her aborted baby. The note spoke of her grief and for those reading it, they said, “it was a cry for a place to heal”. The vision came from a place of pain and now it is a beautiful place to honor lives lost to abortion and bring the hope of restoration.
There is an outdoor space and located inside the memorial is a 50-foot granite "Wall of Names". This wall holds small brass plates from women, men and families from all over the world. These plates hold precious words to remember their children.
This is a place where unborn children lost to abortion can be given dignity and value. They can be named for the world to see, and they can be honored by their mothers’, fathers’ and loved ones.
Our trip was a sweet sacred time where we could grieve and honor our children together. It was also a treasured time to remember what God has done for each of us. He has taken our brokenness and through Jesus, there is freedom. He has given us beauty for ashes and by His grace, restored us. We can now have peace knowing our children are in the arms of Jesus.
If you or someone you know has experienced loss from an abortion, we can help. Please reach out at: aRInfo@PDHC.org or by calling/texting our 24/7 Hotline at: 614-721-2100. You are NOT alone and there is HOPE.
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