By Pat Grissom

Special To The Bulletin

ATLANTA--Debra, a 43-year-old mother of two young adults, had an abortion 26 years ago. “I had dealt with the spiritual issues,” she says. “I realized it was a sin and that God forgave me.”

But Debra began to experience stress symptoms that compelled her to bring closure to her abortion experience. The Crisis Pregnancy Center at Mount Pisgah Church in Alpharetta referred her to Mary Ann McNeil, director of Post Abortion Treatment and Healing (PATH).

McNeil, a member of St. Jude’s Parish, Sandy Springs, with a master’s degree in social work, began her commitment to post abortion counseling in 1987, after hearing a speaker at St. Jude’s suggest support groups for women who had had abortions. Along with Anita Willoughby, then a pastoral minister at the parish, McNeil began counseling women who had experienced abortions. The ministry has continued for 11 years and in the last year alone has assisted 45 women experiencing post abortion stress.

For many women, an abortion leads to post traumatic stress symptoms, including anniversary reactions, feelings of fear and anxiety and troubled relationships. PATH uses a structured, Scripture-based program to take participants through a grieving process and address their need to reconcile with themselves, others and God. Groups use the workbook Forgiven and Set Free-A Post Abortion Bible Study for Women and meet once a week for 10-15 weeks. Final group sessions conclude with a prayer service attended by a priest, and McNeil has observed that “the priest’s presence is very healing.”

Groups are limited to four women and meet with a facilitator who has completed a four session training program and interned with another facilitator. The program is open to women from any religious affiliation. Participants include women who are dealing with an abortion from many years ago as well as women who have had recent abortions. Counseling for men and for individuals who are unable to meet in a group situation is also available. McNeil consults with Sandy McKay, a marriage and family therapist with Catholic Social Services, Inc., to assist people who may also benefit from therapy.

McNeil finds that people are sometimes surprised that PATH is being offered in the Catholic Church. But the organization has received support from St. Jude and Holy Spirit Parishes and groups often meet in Catholic churches. Many of the women who call for information have read about PATH in The Georgia Bulletin or a parish bulletin or been referred by a parish priest or deacon. PATH also gets referrals from crisis pregnancy centers and advertises in Creative Loafing.

PATH has been operating for the past year using a gift from an anonymous donor who offered, through Msgr. Edward Dillon, then vicar general and pastor of Holy Spirit Church, Atlanta, to fund the program for two years. The PATH Board of directors includes Father Richard Lopez, a religion teacher at St. Pius and chaplain at Our Lady of Perpetual Help Home, Atlanta; Peggy Sinanian, archdiocesan pro-life director; Dr. Kathleen Raviele; attorney Richard Farnsworth; Sheila Mallon and June Webb of the Human Development Resources Council and Candee Elrod, former adult ministries coordinator at St. Jude.

According to the Alan Guttmacher Institute, 43 percent of American women will have an abortion in their lifetime. McNeil feels that statistics like these help women to realize that they are not alone in their abortion experience.