Since she cannot go back and "undo" the abortion, a woman will employ one or more of the following defense mechanisms to protect her from uncomfortable or frightening thoughts and feelings.

Rationalization

This involves finding logical reasons for plausible explanations or excuses for having had the abortion. (Example: "It wouldn't have been fair to bring my baby into the world because I wasn't ready to be a mother--I probably wouldn't have been able to be a good mother at this point in my life.")

Repression

A way of preventing unconscious information from reaching the conscious mind -- blocking out memories of the painful emotions surrounding the abortion. (Example: "I did just fine with my abortion. Sure, I may have been  upset a little at the time, but it doesn't bother me at all now.") Sometimes a woman can push down not only the painful emotions but the actual details of the experience, as well. Some have even "forgotten" that they had a second or third abortion.

Compensation

An effort to make up for the abortion by "doing good things." (Example: being overly involved in church activities, working in the pro-life movement, becoming a "super-mom," having an "atonement baby" soon after the abortion.) It can also mean working  very hard to prove that the abortion was really necessary. (Example: If a woman sacrificed her baby for a promising career, she might be heavily invested in making that career a great success.)

Reaction Formation

The pushing down of frightening feelings and thoughts connected with a past abortion by vehemently professing the exact opposite of those feelings--as if by expressing the contrary thought enough times, one can begin to believe it. (Example: becoming militantly vocal in the pro-choice movement.)

From "Identifying and Overcoming Post-Abortion Syndrome"
Reprinted with permission from Focus on the Family