If there’s one thing I’ve come to expect from pro-abortion activists, it’s lies. No matter what factual evidence you can provide, they’ll deny it. They’ve claimed, “it’s not a baby, it’s a bunch of cells.” They reject the fact that an unborn child can feel pain at 20 weeks (or earlier). And they deceive women by not acknowledging the psychological repercussions of abortion. They stand by their deceptions because they know the truth isn’t on the side of those who support abortion.
The newest tactic they’re employing are attempts to end the stigma and shame of abortion by having women openly share their abortion stories. The group, Advocates for Youth, runs a campaign called 1 in 3. It refers to a statistic showing one in three women will have an abortion in her lifetime. Their goal is that these women’s stories will “engage and inspire action and strengthen support for abortion access.” However, the result is just the opposite.
New York Magazine embraced this technique and published a cover story simply entitled, “My Abortion.” It relays the abortion stories of 26 women. Some are desperate accounts of young women feeling they had no other choice. There are even those who felt forced to abort. Many tell of the shame, guilt, regret and pain that has followed them.
Nicole is just 19 and admits that although she wanted her baby, she had an abortion for her boyfriend. She says, “I wanted to show him that I loved him enough to do it for him.” A month after, he said he regretted it, too.
In order to have an abortion, Heather said that she had to “just shut my conscience down.” She reveals that she felt forced into the abortion by her family, stating “shame motivates abortions.”
A woman named Alex has had two abortions and shared her remorse, “It does affect you. Sometimes you regret… You think the baby would be a year old now.”
Mayah had mixed feelings of regret and relief following her abortion. She remained preoccupied by the loss of her child saying, “I tracked the whole pregnancy online, living in fantasies about how big my belly would be.”
The pro-abortion advocates hoped these stories would enlighten further support of abortion access. But that’s hardly been the case. This campaign will backfire. These stories are a testimony to the reality that abortion ends a life. There’s no way this can be seen in a positive light. As women share the truth of their abortion experiences, it’s my hope that the deception of the pro-abortion movement is exposed. Perhaps a woman contemplating abortion will read these sad stories and feel moved to choose life. Or a post-abortive woman might find the strength to seek healing. May the truth set many women free from the bondage of abortion.
This week I’m in Guayaquil, Ecuador where I’m speaking at an international post-abortion stress conference. I’ve been speaking on the pain of fathers of aborted babies. People from several countries are here to learn and share in order to help others struggling with a past abortion. Looking around the room, I see people from all walks of life, representing all kinds of backgrounds—from doctors to housewives. What we all have in common is that our hearts ache for those who emotionally suffer from the aftereffects of abortion. I don’t speak Spanish so a couple of my dear Latino friends are translating the presentations and many conversations to keep me in the loop and to be able to share my expertise with others.
Because of the high attendance, the Mayor of Guayaquil equipped our event with a physician and ambulance should anyone need medical assistance. It’s ironic Ecuador is so concerned about the welfare of human life, yet we still have to address the social upheaval associated with the intentional killing of human life in the womb.
One very good development has been an encouraging early response to our request to interview the President of Ecuador for a TV episode of Facing Life Head-On. I want to have him speak on air about his pro-life stand and where he will lead the country in the future regarding the life issues. Please keep this meeting in your prayers.
LifeNews.com Note: Bradley Mattes is the executive director of Life Issues Institute, a national pro-life educational group.
