4th anniversary of student who hung herself after terrible grief following her abortion
It has been 4 years since the tragic death of 21-year-old student, Jade Rees. Jade very sadly took her own life, just three weeks after her abortion, at her home in England on November 3rd 2015.
Jade left a handwritten note for her parents, saying that she was struggling because of her abortion. She wrote a second note to her 2-year-old son. “He means everything to me,” she wrote.
An inquest into her death is ongoing. Rees reportedly had been struggling with eating disorders and depression for years and sadly had tried to kill herself previously. According to the court hearing, Rees felt “upset and distressed” after aborting her unborn child.
Dr Easodhavidhya Elango, a trainee psychiatric specialist, told the inquest how Jade had “told me about the abortion she had just three weeks earlier, and how the split from her ex-partner had been very distressing for her. She told me she believed he had a new girlfriend and was struggling to come to terms with it.”
According to authorities, before Jade killed herself she had listened to the song “Small Bump” by Ed Sheeran. The popular song is an emotional tribute to a friend’s baby who was miscarried.
Suicide and abortion are often connected. A 15-year-old British girl named Ashli Blake killed herself after her mother pressured her to have an abortion. After the abortion, her boyfriend reportedly made fun of her, even sending her a mock Mother’s Day card.
Women who have abortions are at a higher risk of depression and suicide. There is an 81% increase in mental health issues in post-abortive women with, at least, 10% directly attributed to abortion as exposed in the British Journal of Psychiatry (Fergusson 2008 study & Coleman 2011 study). The Coleman study found that 35% of suicidal behaviours may be attributable to abortion. Another study published in August 2003 edition of the British Medical Journal found that women who had abortions were six times more likely to commit suicide than women who gave birth.
Our thoughts and prayers continue to be with Jade’s family and friends. We also pray that Jade has found peace.