12/14/2005

Women hurt by abortion want Supreme Court to affirm New Hampshire parental notification law

Washington, DC – Women hurt by abortion are speaking out in support of New Hampshire’s parental notification law as the U.S. Supreme Court prepares to hear oral argument on November 30, 2005. “Abortion hurts women, and it is destructive to families. Notifying parents that their young daughters are seeking an abortion is the minimum we should expect in a civilized society concerning a procedure that has far-reaching and long-lasting effects,” said Karen Bodle, Pennsylvania State Leader for Operation Outcry. “We hope the Court will give serious consideration to the evidence that shows the devastation of abortion to women and families,” she said. Karen Bodle and Rebecca Porter, Operation Outcry Florida State Leader, will be available for interviews outside the Supreme Court following oral argument. Other women across the nation who have been hurt by abortion are available for interviews -- read personal stories of abortion.

When abortion became legal in 1973, women were told it was a safe, simple solution. But nearly 33 years later, another reality is evident: Women suffer from grief, fear, anxiety, depression, drug and alcohol abuse, suicidal thoughts and attempts, nightmares, intimacy problems with children and spouses, and other self-destructive behavior. Teens need their parents when facing a life-changing decision with horrific consequences.

“I have suffered immeasurably from abortion,” said Luana Stoltenberg, whose abortions resulted in a hysterectomy. “The grief of knowing that I killed the only babies I would ever carry is devastating. I’m still a mother, it’s just that I’m a mother of three dead children,” she said.

“I suffered through major depression for years and had many anxiety attacks. Mother’s Day is hard for me. Hearing a baby cry anywhere causes a sudden, sharp pain in my heart,” said Maureen Messersmith from Pennsylvania.

“Abortion hurts women and families, and it destroys relationships,” said Caron Strong, National Director of Operation Outcry, a nationwide movement of women who are committed to exposing the truth about how abortion hurts women. “I know. Abortion devastated my life. You can never get your child back,” she said.

“My abortion took my daughter's life, and it took part of mine," said Julie Thomas, an Operation Outcry leader in Georgia, who suffered with depression, anxiety, grief, remorse, and shame.

The physical aftermath of abortion can be horrific. At age 22, Arlene Campbell had an emergency hysterectomy due to a perforated uterus during an abortion. “I have spent many years of regret for my decision to abort my unborn child. Thoughts of suicide invaded my life for many of those years, and I felt I had nothing to live for. My chance of ever becoming a mother was destroyed. The choice I made still haunts me even today, 29 years later,” said Campbell, with Operation Outcry in Pennsylvania.

OPERATION OUTCRY is the project of The Justice Foundation to end legal abortion by exposing the truth about its devastating impact on women and families. OPERATION OUTCRY reaches out to hurting women and makes available a national 24-hour, toll-free Help Line (1-866-482-LIFE) to help women deal with their grief and to offer hope and healing.