This devaluation of children can be tied to our national decrease in childbearing, increase in unwanted pregnancies and subsequent abortions, as well as the marked increase in child abuse. There are some particular things that tend to bring back an awareness of the abortion, such as the woman's admission to a hospital or going into an operating room, her child being taken in for surgery, the birth of her child or seeing a friend's newborn or the death of a child, close relative or friend. But I believe the only person who would not be affected by an abortion would be someone with severe character disorder. Such an individual can form no real attachment to other human beings and therefore has no feeling for how her actions affect others. The better a woman's capacity to repress, the longer the disorder will be put off, but the greater the eventual stress.
Some women can talk quite glibly about the issue.
They build support groups and are not consciously bothered by their abortions, but they spend a great deal of time and energy justifying them. I take the person back through a life review and interview close relatives. I see the patient frequently, but it is important not to overwhelm them by bringing too much to the surface at once. In the process of resolving feelings about the abortion, the individual must understand how and why it happened. The patient must look at how she handles her life.