Losing a child can be a physically and emotionally draining experience - whether the loss occurs naturally through miscarriage or through the complex and generally unacknowledged form of abortion.
Some women appear unaffected by the event, while others are numbed by the loss of a new life within them. For others, the grief may surface months or even years later. Click here for further information about post-abortion trauma and effects.
Most people will at some time either have a personal experience of a loss of a child or know someone who has. Yet many women can feel isolated and alone in their pain – with a fear of negative reactions or misunderstandings stopping them from speaking out.
Fathers can grive as well, alongside other friends and family who may need help working through the loss.
But recovery is possible.
It helps to talk confidentially with someone uninvolved, someone who focuses on listening and caring – and has a knowledge of abortion-specific issues and effects.
Below are the contact details for organisations in New Zealand which specialize in post-abortive care and support – assisting women throughout the country heal the pain of their loss. Regardless of the time of day, if you’re grieving over the loss of a child, give them a call – 24/7.
Bethlehem House
Struggling to come to terms with the loss of a child? At Bethlehem House Pregnancy Centre, our caring team can help and support you. We can provide a safe, caring, supportive and completely confidential environment. Our help is provided free of charge and with no strings attached.
Free Phone 0800 367 5433
Post Abortion Trauma Healing Service
PATHS provide trained, empathetic, non-judgemental counselling-support for women and men who have lost a preborn through abortion, either recent or in the past, offering facilitation through a proven 10 Step Programme.
Free Phone 0800 728 470
Buttons Project
“What happened mattered.” The Buttons Project aims to collect buttons, thousands of buttons, to commemorate the babies we never met. It enables anyone affected by abortion – not only women, but fathers, grandparents, siblings, “to do something when there is nothing you can do.”
Rachel’s Vineyard
Rachel’s Vineyard Retreats offer an opportunity for healing to anyone who has struggled with the emotional or spiritual pain of abortion. Forgiveness and healing, including the Catholic sacraments of Reconciliation and Eucharist, are at the heart of these Retreats and they are open to everyone – those of any faith or denomination, as well as those with no formal faith connection.
The Retreat Team includes professional counsellors, Spiritual Directors and those whose lives have been touched by abortion.
The Pregnancy Centre Palmerston North
The Pregnancy Centre offers a caring, friendly, non judgemental environment for young girls and women who find themselves in situations that are just “too big” for them to deal with alone. Our trained staff are able to talk over options and refer clients when necessary to the appropriate Agencies.
- Respectful confidential support
- Problem solving: no problem to big or too small
- Counselling after an abortion
- Counselling after a miscarriage
Miscarriage Support
A website which offers support and information to all women who have experienced a loss at any stage of their pregnancy and for any reason, particularly miscarriage.