In a recent “Dear Abby” column, a woman shared about an experience she had with a friend who was incredibly insensitive after she told him that she had an abortion when she was 18-years-old.
The woman, known as Stunned in Pennsylvania, wrote, “Two years ago, I met a gentleman, and he eventually decided we were ‘soul mates.’ I agreed. Over time, we shared our life stories, good and bad. I confided that I’d had an abortion at the age of 18, which has haunted me all my adult life. Recently he was reciting a chronology of my life. When he got to the abortion, he said, ‘… and then you became a child murderer.’ His comment stunned me. He finds nothing wrong with it. Was this total disrespect, or am I overreacting?”
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Obviously, this man’s comment about his friend’s abortion was uncalled for, inconsiderate and judgmental. However, Abby’s response wasn’t helpful either because it made a bad situation worse by telling a hurting woman that there’s nothing wrong with the decision she made. She also told Stunned in Pennsylvania that abortion is a right American’s “fought hard to achieve.”
Abby explained, “It is not against the law to terminate a pregnancy in this country. It is a right that many women — and men — fought hard to achieve. Because each woman’s circumstances are unique, this deeply personal decision is made for a variety of reasons. Like yourself, women experience a range of emotions afterward — including feelings of sadness and anger, but also relief. For this person to have made such an insensitive comment should be a clue that he may not be your soul mate after all.”
She added, “Because of stigma that, not surprisingly, can cause feelings of shame, many women choose to remain silent about their decision to have an abortion. A resource that could be helpful to them — and to you — is Exhale (exhaleprovoice.org), a nonpolitical, nonjudgmental support organization for women who have had an abortion. Please check it out.”
As LifeNews previously reported, Exhale is a pro-abortion group that celebrates abortion and believes it improves a woman’s physical and emotional health. After abortion, the group encourages women to focus on “well-being, connectedness and compassion” because the procedure can be a “healing and empowering experience.”
Regardless of what Exhale claims, abortion is never “empowering” because it always destroys an innocent human life and has devastating effects on families. In fact, studies show that over 65% of women who have abortions suffer from post-abortive syndrome, 31% have health complications, and post abortive women are six-times more likely to commit suicide than women who give birth.
In April, “Dear Abby” promoted Planned Parenthood for the second time this year and encouraged a teenager to seek the abortion company’s advice. A 16-year-old known as Uncertain in the South wrote Abby looking for advice on how to proceed after finding out she was pregnant. The teen explained she had not told her father yet because she’s afraid he will make her have an abortion.
She wrote, “I have had a very strained relationship with my father for many years. My mother and I are not close because she was incarcerated for most of my life until recently. I am 16 now, and just found out I’m pregnant. No one knows except the father of my child. For some reason, he is thrilled for us. I, on the other hand, am terrified of the uncertainties. I know what my father will say. He will want me to get an abortion, but I would never choose that for myself or for my baby. My mother is struggling since she was released from prison and is still trying to get on her feet. I live with my grandparents, who don’t have the means to support a child. It seems like my only option is to move in with my boyfriend and his family while I finish school and then get a job. Please give me an unbiased perspective.”
Initially, Abby tells the teen that she should tell her dad because she may need his help but follows it up by encouraging her to go to Planned Parenthood. She says, “You must also be sure to have the best prenatal care possible, so your child will be born healthy. Planned Parenthood has clinics where this care is offered, and you should contact it as soon as possible. If you check its website, www.plannedparenthood.org, you will also find information about adoption.”
Planned Parenthood is not the place to go to find out about sex, prenatal care, or to find out more about adoption. Unfortunately, over the past three reported years (2011-2013), Planned Parenthood has performed nearly one million abortions (988,783). In 2013, abortions made up 94% of Planned Parenthood’s pregnancy services, while prenatal care and adoption referrals accounted for only 5% (18,684).
Additionally, Planned Parenthood’s top executives were recently caught negotiating the sale of aborted babies’ body parts, admitting to altering abortion procedures to obtain palpable organs for harvesting and discussing ways to avoid legal trouble for their questionable practices. Instead of going to Planned Parenthood, teens should go to one of the 2,500-Pregnancy Resource Centers in the country to receive scientifically accurate, truthful information about sex and pregnancy.
