The ministry of Project Rachel arose in response to the stories women told about the hurt they experienced after their abortion. Stories recounting suffering that has lasted months and even years after an abortion continue to be expressed by men and women in our offices and others the world.

Whether they are told in support group settings, in many published books (see Resources), or on the Internet, the pain of abortion continues to emerge. Even those who advocate for the right of a woman to choose abortion tell of the grief, sorrow, confusion and struggle to cope with the aftermath of the most common surgical procedure performed in the United States.

Reading and listening to what they have to say, it soon becomes apparent that a great number of these women have experienced the same kinds of suffering after their abortions - that there is, in other words, a kind of pattern of loss that they share.

The following are quotations from women expressing, in their own words, the grief they experienced after abortion. They are drawn from the types of sources noted above.