*Publisher's note: this personal testimony is being reprinted in light of the upcoming vote in South Dakota on Initiated Measure 11 and the recent statement by the American Psychological Association that abortion does not threaten women's mental health.
By Kelly Roy
Campus Outcry Team Leader
Operation Outcry
When I was twenty years old, I learned that I was pregnant with my second child. I was paralyzed with fear that my parents would never forgive me and concerned about what people would think of me having another baby out of wedlock.
My boyfriend and a relative insisted that an abortion was the only choice. I made an appointment under a great deal of pressure. I had been raised pro-life, but my fear caused me to believe the lies of those around me.
I went to the abortion facility scared and not knowing what to do. The workers processed my paperwork, and I waited in the waiting room to be "counseled." I was not offered any other options; I was only told about my reproductive organs (information that I already knew). Nothing was said about my baby, except that "it" was a mass of tissue that they would remove. I was about 9-10 weeks pregnant at the time. The abortion facility actually made sure I was at least eight weeks or they wouldn't do the procedure. I was “persuaded” that I was doing the right thing.
A vacuum device was used to do the abortion, which was extremely painful and distressing. After the "recovery time," I was allowed to leave. A few days later I was experiencing painful cramping and went to the bathroom.
After I used the bathroom, I looked down because I felt as though I passed something. To my extreme horror there was a fully formed, small baby in my hand. I was devastated at what I saw and realized what exactly I had done.
I called the clinic and all they said was, "too bad." I was lied to and completely blinded as to what abortion did. I thank God that He allowed me to see what abortion is, so that after healing I can now share my story.
Following the abortion, I didn’t eat, I lost weight, quit taking college classes, lost motivation and was depressed. I began to have severe stomach problems and would pass out from the pain. I didn’t know it was because of my abortion at the time.
More than six months after the abortion my parents confronted me about what was happening to me and I confessed to my parents about my abortion and repented before God. This began my healing. I then had one-on-one counseling with close friends (also counselors) and my parents and of course the Holy Spirit.
I am happy to share my story to help end abortion and to protect the sanctity of life and the unborn. I don't want anyone to go through what I did.
Kelly is a single parent of two children. She is the Operation Outcry State Leader for New Hampshire and Co-Team Leader for Campus Outcry and has returned to college to get her degree in English.
*Reprinted by permission of Operation Outcry.
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