Posted on 01/23/2004 3:11:04 PM PST by Federalist 78
Washington, DC (LifeNews.com) -- The post-abortion movement is picking up steam and women who are sharing the tragedies of their abortion experiences are rapidly becoming the face of the pro-life movement and encouraging young women not to make the same mistakes they did.
Led by actress and model Jennifer O'Neill, women who regret their abortions participated in the March for Life, where they held hundreds of signs saying just that. They also planned their own rallies to promote their message.
O'Neill was joined at a rally at the Supreme Court on Thursday by actress and singer Melba Moore and Dr. Alveda King, niece of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
Luana Stoltemberg, a 43 year-old from Iowa, attended the rally. She said she began regretting her abortions when she realized they had robbed her of the ability to have children. Later, she adopted children.
"I've had three abortions and that hurts women like me,'' she told the Associated Press. "It devastates us physically, mentally, spiritually and emotionally.''
Similar rallies were being staged by the group across the country.
Vikki Raymond attended a rally in California and told how she was 22 and already had one daughter when she decided to have an abortion.
"They put us on gurneys and lined us up in the hallways," Raymond, now 43, told the Press Enterprise newspaper. "I remember lying there, and we couldn't even look at each other because we all knew what we were there for."
Raymond grew up in a family that backed abortion but said, "I wish someone would have told me about the shame and guilt and remorse."
The Silent No More Awareness Campaign is one of many organized efforts to focus on women's negative abortion experiences.
It is a joint project of Priests for Life and the National Organization of Episcopalians for Life, seeks to raise awareness about the harm abortion does to women and their families, and about the many healing programs available.
Another organized post-abortion effort is Operation Outcry. They also held numerous events across the nation Thursday.
"We represent women who are not yet ready to break the silence: women who are suffering from their choice to end the life of their unborn babies but who cannot yet face the pain, the hurt, and the guilt they feel and have caused themselves and others. Shame and fear keep them quiet. Others are alone and convinced that they are the only ones hurting," said Joyce Zounis, Colorado state leader for Operation Outcry.
Susan Renne Mosley, director of Women's Outreach for Operation Outcry, who had an abortion at age 15 shares, "It's time to speak honestly about the pain we've lived with. Abortion hurts and it is a much harder choice to live with after the fact than adoption or child rearing. I know because I have lived with all three.
Mosley said her group wants to help women and men who are hurting from abortions to find peace.
"This effort will let them know they're not alone; they don't have to live their life in pain anymore," Mosley said. "There is hope and healing after abortion. We've found help and they can too. They need to know about the programs, books and resources available to help them."
Related web sites:
Silent No More - http://www.silentnomoreawareness.org
Operation Outcry - http://www.operationoutcry.org
They may be able to tout something "positive" for which to be "grateful"...but they wouldn't deny that it would be better if the abortion "could" have been avoided.
JMHO
I can't believe that so many hearts are so black and hard.
I disagree with that. All of the women I know who have had abortions have done so in the "cloak of darkness and secrecy". They knew it was wrong, and they tried to keep the truth from everyone.
I worked at an abortion clinic as an internship for my degree in social work.
I have seen it all, and I will offer them no easy road out.
That as a young, confused student I thought I could really make a difference with people by working in the field of social work?
Surprised that I was forced to take an internship counseling other young girls at Planned parenthood?
That I accepted it at first because I thought I could really help young girls explore all of their options before they killed their baby.
BTW, I insisted that they change my internship after 4 months, and started an internship for a Democratic Congressman, who also advocated making excuses for people.
Are you not surprised that I speak out my experience.
I guess you give hero status to women who have killed a baby and regret it, but not for an ex social worker who speaks out about regrets , because no one really wants the help or information. They want to be able to make excuses and find people who believe their BS, and who allows them to wallow in self pity.
That is interesting to me. You don't think it is a noble endeavor of mine to speak the truth with facts. Or is that just when I disagree with your opinions?
BTW,I found it much easier to work with developmentally disabled people. At least they makes strides to better themselves and rise to challenges.
People will always rise to your expectations of them. Set your standards and expectations low enough, and people will step all over you and feel sorry for themselves at the same time.
I am not flaming you, nor am I following you around, if you notice I do not know which threads you psot on, nor doIread your psots on threads where I am not posting.
I am trying to make a point, and I am responding to your posts to me. I have never flamed you once. We just seem to always be on the opposite side of these issues. I have been very civil here, and I am not interested in a flame war, nor have I ever been.
I happen to have some experience and strong feelings about this issue, and about politics in general.
As for the Canteen thread. You are welcome to post there, it is not my thread. If you would like to support the troops and send messages to them, I am sure they would appreciate that. Everyone can help by showing their support.
You may use my name to post to, or anyone else's screen name that you see. It is a very welcoming group of freepers, and our objective there is to support the troops, vets and their families. The thread does not belong to me, nor would I ever want to discourage anyone from expressing their support to our troops there.
Everyone is welcome.
As for my personal information. I am not worried one bit about that, or I would not have posted it. I don't take threats over the internet seriously, because it would be very easy to trace where the threat came from.
To summarize, DO WHAT IS RIGHT. END ABORTION, END ILLEGAL IMMIGRATION. If the Reps do this, soon we will have all the AMERICAN workers we need, with our values etc. and no regrets.
One of the reformed women either is still for abortions, having had three but reformed without specificity as to her current position (BTW, the kids are still dead).
The problem I think really is , is that the liberals have made it "uncool" to be anti-abortion. Many pro-life people buy into this "we can not judge" mentality.
That is my reason for speaking out about my experiences, and my regrets on this issue. I think that asmuch truth andfacts get out there, the better off young girls will be if faced with an unwanted pregnancy.
In the end though, it's still a lot more the girl's fault than the guy's. She bears the child, she nurtures the child, she can't change the biology of that as much as she might like to. Women gave men the ability to choose, and so they have. It was much better when if you knocked some girl up, her father came calling waving his 12 guage.
Then these gals want to call pity parties for themselves because their plans backfired. Women bare the burden of responsibility for what happens to their bodies.( In most cases, save rape cases)
Isn't that what NOW has been saying all along?
Thank goodness it is not "for you to forgive".
Oh! Okay.... A bit later Susan chimes in. Interesting.
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