The Russian government's efforts to reverse the ongoing birth dearth in the former Soviet Union will not succeed until the trauma of abortion is addressed, Dr. Theresa Burke, founder of Rachel's Vineyard Ministries, said today.
"In Russia, 70 percent of pregnancies end in abortion," said Dr. Burke, whose book, Forbidden Grief - The Unspoken Pain of Abortion, explores the dynamics of abortion's aftereffects on women. "In a country where the average woman undergoes three-to-eight abortions, the problem goes beyond a dependence on abortion as birth control. There's a deeper undercurrent at work here."
"After working with thousands of women at Rachel's Vineyard abortion healing workshops and retreats, it's become clear that women who abort and don't experience an effective healing program are more vulnerable to repeat abortions," said Dr. Burke. "The initial trauma of the degrading and painful procedure causes a level of detachment; the abortion experience is so unacceptable that the mind struggles to acknowledge it. This numbness leads to a dysfunctional lifestyle of drug abuse, relationship problems, and multiple abortions. Until the woman's emotional pain is addressed and acknowledged, the cycle of abortion just repeats itself."
"If Russia is to recover from the ravages of abortion, the government needs to do more than offer financial incentives to give birth," added Dr. Burke. "It needs to dramatically increase the availability of healing programs like Rachel's Vineyard so that women and men can both begin to heal from the complicated grief of losing so many children."
Contact: Jerry Horn
Publish Date: December 10, 2008
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