Women facing the decision to have an abortion or have already experienced an abortion exist in the church.

 

A recent American study, “How 1,000 Women Who Aborted Feel About the Local Church,” reveals that 70 per cent of these women claim a Christian religious preference and 43 per cent report attending church monthly or more often at the time of their abortion. This indicates that no church is immune from dealing with abortion grief. 

 

Over 73 per cent of the women either were not sure or did not believe that pastors’ teachings on forgiveness apply to terminated pregnancies. Some 57 per cent of the women who had abortions do not know or believe that it is safe to talk with a pastor about abortion.

 

After abortive churchgoers and non-churchgoers equally reported receiving or expecting reactions from local churches that were “judgmental” (1 in 3) or “condemning” (1 in 4). Over 52 per cent of the churchgoers said no one at their church knows they terminated a pregnancy.

 

For many after abortive women, the silence in the church on the topic of abortion is deafening. The church body in Quebec is no exception. The political climate surrounding abortion in Quebec is polarizing, divisive, and can push Christians to avoid the conversation altogether. We are here to tell you that there's a nonpolitical or confrontational approach that we use at our centre, that we can also offer to you. At Options, we offer training on a grace-filled approach while being a safe place for all to navigate their journeys with these hard topics and decisions. 

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We seek to equip your congregation and leaders on how to compassionately and gracefully open the conversations of unplanned pregnancy and support women who have and are facing this decision.