The Pain That Follows

Sheila Harper had an abortion in college because she thought it was an easy way to fix her unexpected pregnancy. She said the emotional pain was so deep that she spent every day thereafter trying to numb herself from reality. Sheila looked to alcohol, drugs, and even attempted suicide in order to escape.

As a freshman in college, Carla Simmert found out she was pregnant. Looking only at her immediate situation and feeling like she could not raise a child, Carla chose to have an abortion. The years that followed suffocated her with fear, doubt, and self-contempt.

Pat Layton was already a single mother when she found out she was pregnant with her second child. After going through an abortion, Pat lived in denial for seven years. Until one day all of her thoughts and feelings came crashing in on her.

Mary Comm’s best friend decided to have an abortion. Mary chose to remain silent and support her friend’s choice. In the years following that decision, Mary said the friendship ended and her own guilt began to take center stage in her life.