Hello. I had an abortion 27 years ago and it has taken me a long time to come to terms with it. In retrospect, counselling would have been good! However, my faith in God has helped me to find forgiveness, and finally to forgive myself. An important part has also been to face and deal with shame which had lasting effects. My advice to anyone is don’t let it be locked away as a source of shame but deal with it so that you can hold your head high and enjoy the rest of your life. I know it would be what God would want for you, so please get the help you need to be whole again. God Bless.

Editor’s note: Thanks for writing in…you have obviously drawn a great deal of strength from your faith in coming to terms with your abortion experience. Shame is a devastating emotion that tells us, ‘You are a mistake’ or ‘You are a bad person at the core’ and it causes us to have contempt for ourselves or others or both. Forgiveness helps us to come from behind the wall of shame and live our lives freely again. Thank you for sharing your experience.