Post-abortion Presence Felt Deeply at NRLC Convention  -- Part One of Two

Editor's note. On Friday we'll pick up on the discussion begun yesterday. The following remarks are so important I wanted to make sure you had a chance to read them--along with Part Two, which is a discussion of how pro-lifers beat the censors.

By Olivia Gans, director
American Victims of Abortion

With no fewer than ten workshops and twelve different speakers contributing, those who have known the true depth of Roe v Wade's damage were major contributors to NRLC 2007. The convention helped  remind the more than 1,200 attendees of truths we already know: abortion kills unborn babies and is often devastating not only for their mothers but their fathers as well. That message came through loud and clear at NRLC's three-day annual convention in Kansas City, Missouri, June 14-16

Workshops on post-abortion covered a wide variety of subject matter: new tools and programs to assist those in crisis, learning what to say to someone who shares their story with you, the pain that fathers feel about abortion, and what we know about the physical and mental problems after abortion. All of these themes are a critical part of spreading our pro-life message.

Many attendees had themselves been through an abortions experience. A big part of any NRLC convention is the new friends that are made, and this emotional area of the movement is no different.

NRLC has always known that abortion has more than one victim.  American Victims of Abortion, NRLC's post-abortion outreach, tried again this year to provide the kind of vitally important information that can help build a better understanding of how to help those in pain from an abortion tragedy. When pro-lifers are better educated about abortion's second victim, they can share the truth that lies behind the pro-abortion lie of "safe, legal abortion."

Many outside of the Movement may not be aware of how NRLC and others in the Movement attempt to reach out with compassion and understanding to provide care and support to women and men hurting because of the life and death abortion decisions they've made. Sadly, some men and women who are seeking to find their place in the Pro-life movement after this tragedy don't know how much understanding they'll find at an NRLC convention or in the heart of the typical pro-lifer anywhere.

2007 is the sixth year in which NRLC has offered a separate track of workshops that deal with Post-Abortion Syndrome (PAS). With interest growing, next year will no doubt see even more information and speakers.

And there be even more to share. Solid, peer-reviewed research is demonstrating what pro-lifers know by intuition and experience:  there has been, and continues to be, enormous fallout from the deaths of over 48 million unborn children.

There is a devastating ripple effect from the decision to end that child's life, with damage not only to  women's health and psyche, but also to her relationship with the baby's father. It will be the job of steadfast pro-lifers to get that word out there.

The good news is that as more post-abortion  healing and helping takes place, there will be more mothers and fathers to stand beside us and spread the word that abortion kills children and hurts their parents.

If you have any comments or questions, please write Dave Andrusko at daveandrusko@hotmail.com.

Part Two