No matter how hard we try to simplify and justify abortion, the truth remains that its reach affects all of us. This story is a haunting example of just how deep the psychological wounds of abortion can be:

Dr. Philip Ney, a Canadian psychologist, has studied the psychological effects on siblings of aborted children for decades. He tells a story of a woman who came to him for counseling for her six-year-old child who was having nightmares, wetting the bed, and suffering from separation anxiety. Dr. Ney, in his interview with the mother, asked her about any pregnancy losses. She told him about two abortions that she had prior to giving birth to this child. Then in a separate interview with the child, Dr. Ney asked the child to draw a picture of her family. She was an only child, and yet she drew a picture with her mom, dad, brother, sister, and herself. She had a sense of the missing siblings.

We are grateful this week for the chance to give thanks for the impact and influence of siblings as well as the chance to remember those lost every day to abortion.