Abortion workers, nurses need ‘pep talks’ to help them cope with gruesome job

A British doctor who commits late term abortions explains how nurses who work in abortion facilities are often ashamed of what they do. In the book Abortion: The Whole Story by Mary Kenny, he says:

Working in an abortion facility is not something many abortion workers are proud of. Even though they may be committed to their work, they often feel compelled to keep it a secret from others. Pro-lifers have done a very good job of reminding the public that abortion is a bad thing. Even some people who call themselves “pro-choice” are uncomfortable with it.

Abortionist David Zbaraz noted this stigma when he said, “I’ve become one hell of an abortionist. But it’s not something I tell my kids about.”

Another abortion facility worker said:

Turnover rates in abortion facilities are very high, as workers come and go. Another abortion worker comments on how hard it is to talk about her work:

Abortion work is not only isolating, it is emotionally draining. Another nurse in Abortion: The Whole Story talks about how she struggles with feelings of guilt:

The two quotes from Kenny are from people in two different abortion facilities. In the first facility, abortions are done by induction – the mother goes through induced labor and the baby is born stillborn. In the second, the baby is dismembered. I wrote about this facility and the way abortions were done by D&E:

2nd Trimester Surgical Abortion: Dilation and Evacuation (D & E)

In both cases, abortionists have to justify abortion work to employees who feel uneasy about what they are doing. The graphic nature of abortion, especially late-term abortion, takes an emotional toll on abortion workers and sometimes causes them to question their principles.

One abortion worker’s dream illustrates the kind of emotional struggle some abortion workers go through:

Abortion work is socially isolating and emotionally draining. Between the stigma attached to abortion and the gruesomeness of abortion procedures, abortion workers must harden themselves and struggle with their consciences.

1. Mary Kenny Abortion: The Whole Story (London: Quartet Books, 1986) 166

2. Mary Kenny Abortion 154