Tanya's traumatic coerced abortion led to a post-abortion healing mission

Just over three decades ago, Tanya Humphreys was coerced into an abortion she didn't want. The experience left her with lasting trauma, and it was many years before she found post-abortive healing — along with experience she now uses to help others.

Key Takeaways:

• Tanya Humphreys shared with Live Action the story of how she was coerced into an abortion she didn't want 31 years ago.

• She said the abortion left lasting trauma, and it was 22 years before she found post-abortive support and healing.

• She now counsels young women at a pregnancy resource center, and she wants abortion-minded women to know that there is help and support available to them.

The Details:

Coerced to abort

Humphreys was 21 years old when she found out she was pregnant. Though she was initially excited about becoming a mother, her boyfriend at the time demanded she get an abortion. Seeking support, she turned to her parents, but her mother simply told her, "Now is the time to get rid of it."

"I Did Not Want To Be Alive" | Tanya's Abortion Coercion Story

Humphreys tried to resist the pressure, but her boyfriend continued to demand an abortion, going so far as to make an appointment for her. Her parents also did not relent.

"The feeling of being so isolated and having no help was the most awful feeling I've ever felt," she said. "I felt like I had no support system. I felt alone, abandoned, and that I didn't have anybody that wanted to help me, or that would tell me that it was going to be okay and that I could raise a baby."

The morning of the abortion, her boyfriend forced her into the car and drove her to the abortion facility. Inside, he stood behind her and made her sign the paperwork. The abortion workers offered her no counseling and no information about the procedure, nor did they confirm that it was something she really wanted.

"They gave me a drug that made me black out," she said. "And that was the end of my child's life."

"The worst feeling in my whole life"

After the abortion, Humphreys and her boyfriend broke up. She soon started dealing with the trauma caused by the abortion.

"I felt abandoned and abused and coerced, and it was the worst feeling in my whole life. I hated myself to the point that I didn't want to live. I had suicidal thoughts. I didn't think I was worth anything," she said.

Humphreys suffered for 22 years before finally seeking healing, which she eventually found through a post-abortive program at Dakota Hope Pregnancy Center.

The healing she found was so restorative, she knew it would become her mission to help other post-abortive women to find healing as she had.

"I knew that I had to help other women," she explained. "I felt like I needed other people to realize that there was life after abortion. I didn't even know I could feel good again."

A mission to help others

Humphreys is now an abortion recovery counselor at Dakota Hope, and said the reason she works there is because she knows firsthand how destructive coerced abortion is. She explained:

Out of all the women that I peer counsel, I would say that 80 to 85% of the women that I deal with have been coerced into having abortions.

The coercion that happens at abortion clinics is that they will tell you that it's just tissue and that it's not a big deal and that it's for the best and that you should just go ahead and do it.

They don't tell you what to expect or what could happen afterwards. They tell you that there's no side effects, and they don't ever tell you about all the mental side effects of abortion.

She spoke of the importance of pregnancy resource centers like Dakota Hope as a lifeline for moms who may feel like there is no help available to them. To those moms, she has a message: "I know that for a fact, you can do this. You do not have to have an abortion. You are strong, you are worthy, you are beautiful, and you can do this. We are here for you. I am here for you."