Rape Victim’s Book Recounts Added Horror of Abortion After Sexual Abuse

National   |   Steven Ertelt   |   Jan 1, 2009   |   9:00AM   |   WASHINGTON, DC

Rape Victim’s Book Recounts Added Horror of Abortion After Sexual Abuse

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by Steven Ertelt
LifeNews.com Editor
July 30
, 2008

Washington, DC (LifeNews.com) — A majority of Americans take a pro-life position opposing most or all abortions, but polls show one-third to one-half of pro-life people believe abortion should be okay in cases of rape and incest. A new book from a rape survivor shows the added horror abortion is that only compounds sexual abuse trauma.

In a gripping personal account of pain and redemption, author Nicole W. Cooley offers a candid look at her rape as a young military officer by a trusted friend.

She relates the devastating emotional consequences of her decision to abort the child conceived during the attack.

"I felt that the abortion was like being raped again," says Cooley. "Only this time, it was much worse because I had consented to the assault."

Cooley is the author of "Into the Light: Rape, Abortion and the Truth that Set Me Free" (Pleasant Word, 2007), which provides an intimate look at the trauma associated with abortion – even in the case of rape.

"At the time of my abortion I believed that I didn’t have another choice. It’s devastating to believe you have to choose between your life and the life of your child – and then live with the aftermath of that decision," she explains in a statement to LifeNews.com.

"Into the Light" is striking a chord with women who are victims of abuse and assault and one woman who has also experienced the pain of an abortion says women can relate to it.

"Every person who reads this book can connect with some part of Nicole’s story and learn as she did about God’s healing grace," says Georgette Forney of the Silent No More Awareness Campaign. "I strongly recommend this book; it teaches us to have more compassion for one another and encourages us to face our traumas."

Cooley is now active in pro-life ministries and she was featured in the documentary "Choice of a Lifetime" produced by Focus on the Family in 2003.

Her work with crisis pregnancy centers has included post abortion counseling as well as abstinence education.

"The bottom line is that abortion hurts women," says Cooley. "I hope to give readers hope in the knowledge that just as God healed me, there is hope for them as well."

A former Captain in the United States Army, Cooley is now a military wife, homeschool mom and manager of an active Longaberger® basket business. Cooley and her family currently reside in Fort Irwin, California.

 

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