Spanish Version of “Forbidden Grief” Now Available

Get 25 percent off until Aug. 31

A Spanish-language translation of the book Forbidden Grief: The Unspoken Pain of Abortion by Theresa Burke and David Reardon, is now available.

The new book is entitled Duelo Prohibido: El dolor no expresado del Aborto.

Read the back cover text in Spanish.

The book is based on personal insights from Burke, the founder of Rachel’s Vineyard post-abortion ministry, and the experiences of women whom she counseled who were struggling after abortion. It describes various ways in which the often traumatic experiences surrounding abortion can manifest themselves in women’s lives.

The authors describe the enormous pressures many women face before abortion, in which they are often abandoned by those from whom they need support and pushed, pressured, coerced or even forced into abortion. Indeed, one survey of women who had abortions found that 64 percent reported being pressured to abort and 79 percent did not receive counseling about alternatives to abortion, even though more than half reported feeling rushed or uncertain beforehand.

For example, “Paula” was pushed into an abortion by mental health workers whom she was seeing after being raped six years before she became pregnant. “Maureen’s” mother insisted on abortion when the teen became pregnant “because she didn’t want me to ruin my life by having a baby.” “Mary” described how her husband trashed their apartment and called her names when she told him she was pregnant, insisting she “get rid of it, NOW!”

Pre-abortion isolation abandonment, and betrayal are frequently compounded after abortion, when many women — including those who may have been traumatized by the experience — are left to deal with the aftermath on their own, Burke and Reardon note. They point out most people feel uncomfortable talking with someone who is struggling after abortion, either because they don’t know what to say or are unwilling to confront the issues a woman or man might be facing after abortion.

“There is no social norm for dealing with an abortion. . . . ” they write.  “The silence and isolation that typically surround the abortion experience leave women and men with no place to process their grief.”

They describe the experience of one woman who wrote:

Friends who appeared to know what was best for me at the time of my unplanned pregnancy now appear afraid and unsure of the person the abortion has made me.  If I bring up the subject they avoid me like the plague.

The goal of the book is to help readers — whether professional counselors, pro-life activists, or those who have had abortions or their loved ones — gain a better understanding of the dynamics and trauma surrounding pregnancy and abortion issues and to take the first steps toward helping themselves or others heal.

This is the first time that the Spanish language version of this book is available outside of Spain. To celebrate the publication of the book, we are offering a special 25 percent off sale until August 31.

Read the back cover text in Spanish.
Buy Duelo Prohibido (get 25  percent off until Aug. 31)

Forbidden Grief: The Unpsoken Pain of Abortion (English version)