Workshop Abortion and Sexual Abuse Anne Lastman

1. Workshop Abortion and Sexual Abuse Anne Lastman BA Psy. BA Rel. Stds., Dip. Ed. (Sec), MA Theol Stds., MA Rel Ed., MACA (qual) FVC. Founder –Victims of abortion (Australia)

2. “Certainly we must do whatever we can to reduce suffering: to avoid as far as possible the sufferings of the innocent: to soothe pain; to give assistance in overcoming mental suffering. These are obligations both in justice and in love, and they are included among the fundamental requirements of the Christian life and every truly human life. Great progress has been made in the battle against physical pain; yet the sufferings of the innocent and mental suffering have, if anything, increased in recent decades.” Spe Salvi, Pope Benedict XVI, 2007.

3. The word “Trauma” has its genesis in Greek word for “wound.” This term may be used interchangeably to imply physical injury or psychological injury that is, some extreme emotional assault. It is the “emotional assault” aspect, which will be used and intended here.

4. “Mourning” • is the process by which an individual • works through the loss • disengages from the individual lost, and • begins the re entry into life without the lost individual. • Grief and mourning are vital process of returning the individual to a state of equilibrium. (Worden, Grief Counselling Grief Therapy 1991)

5. Traumatic losses Occur suddenly and under circumstances of violence. Are associated with heightened fear, heightened arousal. Duration of the effects of the trauma are longer lasting than a normal day to day life incidence. Flight or fight response is stronger and return to homeostasis takes longer

6. Two types of traumatic losses, which render the world of the victim asunder are • sexual abuse of a child and more specifically incest, and • induced abortion. • The population experiencing this abuse is different, that is, one is child and the other is generally (though not always) an adult woman

7. Child sexual abuse “Death imprint” speaks of death of “innocence.” Both these two kinds of “death,” that is, death of a fetal child and death of innocence have within them a high degree of unacceptability of death - of prematurity, of ugliness or absurdity. Those women who have been adversely affected by their abortion experience speak of the grotesqueness of their action and those who have been sexually abused speak of the ugliness of their existence and life.

8. Being A Victim Of Post Abortion Trauma This type of victim experiences psychological effects following her abortion. Speckhard & Rue (1992) describe three types of post abortion trauma: Post Abortion Distress.   Post Abortion Syndrome Post Abortion Psychosis.

9. Primary Loss Experienced Through Abortion: • FetalChild • Secondary Losses. • Personal assumptions • Loss of sense that I am a “good” person and the world is a “good” place. • Loss of self-esteem and self-trust. •  Loss of Control. •  Loss of freedom. •  Loss of reverence for one’s own body and bodily integrity. •  Loss of personal integrity.

10. Loss of sense of peace and life without sense of shame and guilt. • Loss Joyful intimacy with another human. • Loss of sense of the sacredness of sexuality. • Loss of joi de vivre • Loss of independence and new sense of neediness. • Loss of, or absence of peace and persistent suicide ideation. • Loss of innocence • Loss of confidence in medical profession and or health care workers/counsellors • Loss of belief in herself as a future good mother or motherhood skills. • Loss of parental role. Loss of concept of self as protector and nurturer. • Loss of a sense of fertility

11. Being A Victim Of Sexual And Physical Abuse Sexual abuse can be defined as any contact or interaction (visual, verbal, physical or psychological) between a child/adolescent and an adult, when the child/adolescent is being used for the sexual stimulation of the perpetrator or any other person” (Allender, 1995). It is thus defined because cognitively, emotionally and physically the child is underdeveloped and cannot make an informed decision to consent.

12. The most destructive element of the sexual abuse is that trust is destroyed. From the time of the first violation, trust is “seized.” Erikson’s (1963) ideas about trust emerging as a consequence of safe and friendly world and mistrust as a result of experience of betrayal, rejection, hostility, hostile place, appear to resonate in this experience of abuse. Sexual abuse, especially by a trusted individual introduces into the ontology of the human person a deep sense of betrayal from which thereafter the child is unable to trust because she cannot trust another person. A sexually abused person (especially child) cannot trust because an individual, whom she has trusted, has betrayed that trust The child remains suspended within a time frame and whilst in other ways her physical and even cognitive development proceeds, her affective and her spiritual domains remain frozen at the time of abuse and thereafter.

13. Primary Loss Through Sexual Abuse • Innocence, Trust, And Childhood. • Secondary losses. • Loss of normal family relationship and interactions. • Loss of sense of exploration and development of new sense of neediness. • Personal assumption • Loss of sense that I am “good: and that the world is a “good” place. • Loss of self-esteem, self trust, confidence, judgement. • Loss of Control. • Loss of freedom.   • Loss of reverence for own body.   • Loss of personal integrity. •  Loss of sense of peace and happiness in the family setting. •  Loss of joyful intimacy with another human.

14. Contrast Between Sexual And Phyiscal Abuse And Post Abortion Syndrome. Population experiencing these traumatic losses are different. Sexual abuse is usually systematic and prolonged. Abortion is usually a once off procedure (though multiple abortions appear to be markedly on the increase). The post-aborted woman is generally accompanied (at least for a time) and permitted to speak about her feelings (Selby, 1990) A sexual abuse victim lives in enforced silence through either threat and at times through privilege. Continue.....

15. Social Context Of Traumatic Losses The context in which elective abortion is performed appears to have widened... Sexual abuse is different...

16. Range Of Reactions To Abortion And Sexual Abuse Range of reactions to abortion go from disquiet through to depression, guilt, shame remorse, eating and sleeping disorders, substance abuse, anxiety attacks, emotional withdrawal, future relationship difficulties, memory loss, flashbacks, avoidance, tendency towards violence, sexual dysfunction, frequent and at times unexplained weeping, suicide ideation. (Selby, 1990, Ney, 1997, Peppers, 1992, Miller, 1992)

17. Range Of Reactions To Child Sexual Abuse (Incest) Range from: depression, guilt, shame, learned helplessness, powerlessness, unnameable sadness, loss of self esteem, loss of sense of pain, loss of or never learned sense of judgement, mutilation, confusion, isolation, betrayal, aversion to intimacy or alternatively promiscuity, pervasive unhappiness, anger, distrust, rage.

18. GENERAL PRINCIPLES Treatment Counselling of individuals affected by abortion grief presents many difficulties not least of which is the perception by the aborted woman that she is judged...... Counselling of individuals (adults) with sexual abuse in their history also presents many difficulties because when counselling is sought, many years after abuse has ceased, the intervening years will have served to further strengthen and deepen the already fragile mental health.....

19. Conclusion.....

20. Thank you for listening. Questions?