Post-abortion support at McGill
krisf...@gmail.com
"They're basically having an abortion alone": student
by Liam Churchill, The McGill Daily
MONTREAL (CUP)-After an unsuccessful search for an abortion support
group in Montreal, a McGill student is starting one.
Agathe Gramet-Kedzior has created the Women's Abortion Support Group
after she was disappointed to find out that no such group existed in
the clinic where she had an abortion, or in Montreal at all.
"They basically thought I was a crazy person," she said of the
abortion clinic staff.
She feels that the creation of an abortion support group is important
because it will allow women to talk about their experiences after a
very difficult emotional period - an opinion shared by Marius Wolfe,
Health Promotion Officer at McGill's Student Health Service.
<>Wolfe believes that Gramet-Kedzior's group will be helpful for some
women at McGill.
"This type of group is excellent because it's about women talking to
women who've had the same experience," he said.
Wolfe also said that studies show that some kind of post-abortion
therapy-
ranging from psychiatric treatment to participation in a support group-
helps reduce some possible serious long-term effects of having an
abortion, which can include depression.
Gramet-Kedzior insists that her group is non-political and will not
deal with whether abortion is moral or immoral.
"I'm not trying to cause controversy. I'm not taking a stance...It's
purely a support group, like Alcoholics Anonymous," she said.
But Gramet-Kedzior is aware of the controversy that surrounds the
topic, and she is trying to ensure that her group will be as private
and confidential as possible. She hopes the turnout at the group will
be high and that women will not be "too shy" to come out and talk
about their experiences in a secure environment.
Gramet-Kedzior feels that McGill is a good place to start such a group
because a critical mass exists here.
"I heard from my doctor that there's a lot of young women at McGill
who get pregnant and don't tell their boyfriend or their parents.
They're basically having an abortion alone," she said.
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