Torn Temple Veils: Biden and French Prime Minister Reveal Shocking Ignorance of Abortion Loss

At that moment [Jesus died] the veil of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom. -  Matthew 27:51


In his March 7 State of the Union Address to congress, President Biden echoed the call to remove all obstacles to abortion, including chemical abortion pills. To the Supreme Court justices sitting in the first row Biden snarled, "Roe v. Wade got it right." 

Shop Timeless Catholic Gifts

Photo credit: Brian Kairuz

Highlights

By Kevin and Theresa Burke
3/12/2024 (1 month ago)

Published in Marriage & Family

Keywords: Pro-life, Kevin and Theresa Burke, abortion, Joe Biden

In early March France enshrined the "right to abortion."  French Prime Minister Gabriel Attal proclaimed, "To enshrine this right in our constitution is to close the door on the tragedy of the past and its trail of suffering and pain." Following the vote to enshrine abortion, the Eiffel Tower was lit up with the words "my body my choice."

Such words and actions reveal a striking disconnection from the lived experience of many women and men who suffer emotional, physical and spiritual pain after abortion.       

This Lenten season, as we draw closer to the suffering, death and resurrection of Christ, and the anguish of his Mother at the foot of the cross, we have the perfect opportunity to lift the veil, and reveal the heart of abortion loss. This will help us shift the deceptive narratives shared by abortion-friendly political leaders and media about abortion as a simple matter of rights, and choice.  

After the death of Jesus, the massive veil in the sanctuary was mysteriously torn in two. Like that Temple veil, Mary's heart was also torn asunder with anguish and grief. Mary gazes upon the tortured, lifeless body of the child who was once nestled beneath her beating heart and nurtured within her womb.    

The physical, emotional and spiritual relationship that began in Mary's womb entered an even deeper level of intimate mystical communion as she stood before her son at Calvary. Mary offered her maternal anguish, united with the sacrifice of her precious Son, for the salvation of the human family from sin, death and Satan.  

A Mother's Body is Naturally Pro-Life

Those who promote abortion use the language of bodily autonomy and private reproductive rights. Yet this very influential messaging is far removed from a woman's actual experience of pregnancy and abortion. 

The circumstances of the pregnancy, pressure from others to abort, confusion and fear can lead a mother and father to see abortion as the only solution to their unplanned pregnancy. 

Yet, as any mother who has experienced pregnancy understands, a woman's body is strongly pro-life. On a physiological level, once conception occurs, and the pregnancy is developing normally, a woman's body is set in motion to nurture and protect the life within her womb.  

A woman has to sever a perfectly natural and intimate physical and emotional communion with her developing child when that relationship - and pregnancy - is terminated.

This is true even with abortions early in pregnancy using chemical abortion pills. The Charlotte Lozier Institute explains how the pills work; "Mifepristone starves the unborn baby of hormonal support. When used as part of the abortion drug regimen, misoprostol induces contractions to expel the baby and placental tissue from the uterus."

Shop Holy Cards

While some may experience relief after the abortion, deep down there is often a sense of shame, guilt and unacknowledged loss. These feelings are connected to the violation of something deep within a woman's maternal identity (and father's paternal identity.)  There is an intuitive sense that an intimate relationship has been broken.   

Many of the troubling emotional and relational symptoms after abortion, flow from the repression and denial of the pain and grief associated with this wounded relationship.  

Restoring a Broken Relationship

A mother shares her grief:

"The biggest impact abortion has had on me is that every time I look at my children I have now, I think about that little face I never saw and the child I have never known." -  Aimee 

It's a shocking realization when the veil of denial is torn asunder, and mothers and fathers recognize the reality of their aborted child's life, and the horror of their destruction. 

Mary, the mother of Jesus, intimately understands the anguish of mothers and fathers who have experienced the violent separation from their child that is the heart of abortion trauma.  Christians of all denominations can look to her for consolation.  

Mary stands at the foot of the cross, and the empty tomb, proclaiming her Son Jesus, as the One who can bring true reconciliation and healing from the sin and trauma of abortion. 

The path to recovery requires an affirmation of what was lost, and the emotional and spiritual healing of the broken relationship between mothers, fathers and their preborn children.   This is best accomplished in an abortion healing program.  

As we draw closer to the events of Holy Week, pray for those who have yet to reconcile and heal this loss. Share this article with friends, family and especially those in Church ministry, so they can better understand abortion loss, and be instruments of the mercy and healing of Jesus, son of Mary.  

Theresa Burke, Ph.D., is the founder of Rachel's Vineyard and a pastoral associate of Priests for Life. She is the co-author of Forbidden Grief and Rivers of Blood, Oceans of Mercy.

Kevin Burke, MSS, is a pastoral associate of Priests for Life and co-founder of Rachel's Vineyard. An expert on men and abortion loss, he is the author of Tears of the Fisherman and co-author of Rivers of Blood/Oceans of Mercy.