You are reading the pro-life issue of Align. Our perspective on different people and perspectives in the anti-abortion movement. See also communications from OneLife LA and March for Life. March for Life Preparation Guide for College Students.Interview with comedians JP Sears and Nicholas De Santoand skyscraper construction activist Maison Deschamps. Robin Atkins talks about how to talk to pro-choice advocates. And Kevin Ryan talked about the brutal culling of people with Down syndrome through abortion.
Robin Atkins is the Mental Health Section Chair for the American Association of Pro-Life Obstetricians and Gynecologists. Robin has been a certified mental health counselor for over 15 years specializing in reproductive issues including infertility, high-risk pregnancies, traumatic childbirth, postpartum depression and anxiety, perinatal hospice and palliative care, pregnancy loss, and infant loss. I did. , adoption, abortion.
Last week, Robin appeared on an episode of “.Girlboss, interrupted“To discuss her work as part of a larger group of pro-life advocates and how she answers the question pro-life activists often ask: “Who cares about mothers?” is. Spoiler: Robin does.
We offer this interview to more clearly and deeply explore her field, her unique focus, and motivations.
Ask yourself. Should the law be based on unprocessed emotions and a narrative constructed to remedy them, or should it be based on sound human rights principles?
Aline: I think many people will be surprised and interested in your field of expertise, “reproductive mental health.” Why do you think there is a need for specialization, especially when it comes to reproductive trauma?
Robin Attikins: Reproduction is a subject of endlessly complex medical and social concern, yet in most states it is not even possible to obtain birth or death certificates for children lost during pregnancy. As a culture, we are deeply confused about reproduction. Under normal circumstances, our reproductive facts are turned into material for commerce. If our reproductive system is healthy, we will be exposed to endless products to minimize physical inconveniences such as menstruation, pregnancy, childbirth, and breastfeeding. On the other hand, when things go wrong, the grief and shame that countless men and women in America experience around reproduction is usually handled in isolation, like so many other things.
The abortion movement is not helping women or men grieving the loss of their reproductive abilities. Terms such as “cell mass,” “product of conception,” and/or “fetus” refer to the very real relationship we have with our children in the womb and the biological changes we undergo during pregnancy. belittle it.
The truth lies outside the story. Reproductive events are life events that change us to our core, and are in any case too deep to be commercialized or ignored.
Sympathy: The pro-life movement (earned or unearned) has developed a reputation for lacking empathy. Women need to be pro-life, especially to those who have had abortions, and even to those who have had abortions, in a time when abortion and political language have become so ambiguous. It is said that they may be afraid of imagining what kind of judgment people will make. What message would you give to women who fear the judgment of the pro-life movement?
RA: I can empathize with women who fear criticism from the pro-life movement. I was pro-choice for years. When I was pro-choice, I never talked about abortion. That was in her early 2000s, when the pro-abortion movement was not as well-received as it is now, but the risk of being labeled a “baby killer” was too high. To this day, I remain adamantly opposed to abortion, but I receive the most intense hate and vitriol from self-proclaimed anti-abortionists who believe that all women who have had an abortion are prostitutes. That anger still remains.
Even if a pregnancy ends in loss, elective or not, a woman is forever changed by the changes that have taken place in her mind, body, and soul.
On the one hand, the pro-abortion movement seeks to use women’s experiences (consensual or not) to justify the legality of abortion. Pro-choice messages are designed to quickly make women feel better about their abortion experience without getting to the truth of the matter. Ask yourself. Should laws be based on unprocessed emotions and narratives constructed to remedy them, or should they be based on sound human rights principles? That, of course, is about protecting all people from unjust violence. My personal experience has nothing to do with whether abortion is legal or not. It is an ethical issue based on biology and morality, not an “emotional” issue.
The exploitation of women like me by the pro-abortion movement and the ignorance of the hardships faced by women like me by the anti-abortion movement are two sides of the same coin.
your Only by coming together as women (pro-choice and pro-life) can we change the narrative around abortion and face the truth of the issue.
My advice to women who have had an abortion is to understand the truth. It’s about talking about abortion. I’m not encouraging anyone to “scream abortion,” as if abortion is as easy as ordering a bagel at a delicatessen in New York. I encourage women to be honest.
reality Whether it is a chemical or surgical abortion. Women need to critically consider their choices. Under what economic, emotional, and social conditions and expectations was that choice made? We need to understand what the process of seeking an abortion is like, when, where, and where. You need to be honest with yourself about how it was done and by whom you felt forced to have the abortion. I encourage them to think about what life will be like after the abortion, from the first day of the abortion to her 20 years later. Recognize trauma.
Even in the best of circumstances, it’s painful and sad. Private abortion recovery groups are filled with story after story of how awful women’s abortion experiences are, and my patients’ stories are no different. Even women who are fervent supporters of abortion have had terrible experiences with it. If abortion is to be legalized, everyone should be concerned about how abortions are performed and care for women and men post-abortion. If abortion were to become illegal, everyone would need to be attentive to the healing needs of those who have had abortions, and the circumstances faced by women who led them to consider abortion in the first place.
Align: In an interview about “”Girlboss, interrupted“You mention how women are forever changed by motherhood. Women often find that change transformative, but they may not know why.” .How exactly do women change as a result of motherhood?”
RA: During pregnancy, a woman’s pituitary gland regulates the levels of hormones (such as progesterone) to support the pregnancy and change the woman’s perspective from self-directed to child-directed. Biologically, a woman becomes a mother when she becomes pregnant. During pregnancy, a woman becomes increasingly a mother physically, relationally, mentally, emotionally, and financially. To read about changes in women during pregnancy and how it affects a woman’s body, I found the following:
this CNN articles are accessible and helpful. (Yes, I know. CNN. Broken clock, etc.) As Mary Harrington explains so expertly in Chris Williamson’s book, men primarily They experience their own changes in between. podcast. Even if a pregnancy ends in loss, elective or not, a woman is forever changed by the changes that have taken place in her mind, body, and soul. The focus shifts from self-preservation to the preservation of offspring. Love changes from an act exchanged with another person to an act on behalf of the other person. In a relationship that is inherently unbalanced, the woman becomes the primary giver. Your perspective on priorities, needs, and desires changes. It is a love that can only be compared, if not equaled, to God’s agape.
Align: What role can reproductive mental health care play in the pro-life movement?
RA: Unfortunately, much of reproductive mental health care, like other mental health care, has been eroded by critical ideologies. I’m trying to bring it back to medicine based on science and research, rather than the ideologically destructive concept of “oppressed versus oppressors.” I wrote a curriculum based on biology and research and included several evidence-based case studies. This curriculum refuses to promote an all-or-nothing view of the abortion experience, and for that matter the reproductive experience. I believe the pro-life movement would benefit from accepting the truth about reproductive trauma and fighting for better support for everyone experiencing reproductive events. If our society continues to refuse to recognize women’s biology, we will continue to see femininity disappear.
Align: What is the theory of REACH Healing Therapy and why is it so important to thrive in a culture of sexual dysfunction?
RA: REACH Forgiveness Therapy is a thoroughly researched and perfected therapy developed by Dr. Everett.
worthington. Dr. Worthington experienced the murder of his mother and the subsequent suicide of his brother. As he comes to terms with the devastation of her mother’s death and the forgiveness of her killer, he begins to ponder the intersection of justice, faith, virtue, and forgiveness. REACH is an acronym for Recall, Empathy, Altruism, Commitment, Holding On (or as I describe it, Healing It Forward).
We can remember with truth and vulnerability the hurt we have inflicted on ourselves, we can find empathy for how the criminal got to the place where they commit such crimes, and we can heal ourselves with altruistic gifts. By having a forgiving heart and committing to maintaining a forgiving heart and spirit, we can release the debt we owe to others and the bitter poison that comes with it. If we hold on to that forgiveness by growing in love for ourselves and our community, we will be freed from fear, anger, and anxiety. The hurt we experienced. We take back our agency and our power to live fully. We also cease to be a barrier to accountability for criminals.
In our sexually dysfunctional culture, there is a lot that can be tolerated. Previous generations, both women and men, believed that the sexual revolution would liberate them at a time when it bound us all to the degradation, degradation, objectification, and exploitation of women, men, and children. You have to forgive your innocence. Women must forgive men who try to degrade them through pornography. Exploitation and commodification of women by purchasing their bodies for personal pleasure without responsibility. Violations of bodily integrity and autonomy through sexual assault and genital mutilation. And they don’t fully support women’s biology and use abortion as a way to escape responsibility. Men must allow women to become men and remove their biological right to produce future generations. Men are seduced to objectify and degrade women through fashion, music, and the media. Violations of bodily integrity and autonomy through sexual assault and genital mutilation. And destroy millions of children while allowing our biology to be scapegoated. On a more personal level, both women and men are concerned about our attempts to separate sex from attachment and bonding, and our biological rights to pregnancy, implantation, conception, birth, feeding, protection, and nurturing. You must forgive your partner for the ways in which they have confused or denied you. My children.
