[The face of] "Abortion is the nurse so haunted by the gruesome images of the abortuary that she is driven to drink to erase them from her mind. It is the physician so scarred by her own dark secret that she is unable to lay healing hands upon another."
Karen B. Stevenson, M.D. [see page 14]
"Their stories are haunting and, at times, hard-edged, the testimonies of those once deeply involved in performing abortions and who, for varying reasons, were jarred by what they were doing. They felt compelled to not only leave their practices but also to work against abortion."
National Catholic Reporter, Jan. 16, 1998,
reporting on a conference of ex-abortionists
"They told her that it [the abortion] would give her control of her body," he wrote. "But what kind of tradeoff is that, to gain control of your body and lose control of your mind?"
Letter written to Frederica Mathewes-Green,
from which Green
quoted in her Jan. 12, 1998, article in Christianity Today
The
25th anniversary of the wretched Roe v. Wade decision has had an
unexpected silver lining: it has enticed me to revisit, re-examine, and
rethink two and one-half decades of swimming against the tide. What a labor
of love it's been to browse through the mini-library of books written by
pro-lifers. What encouragement there is to be found in leafing through a
treasure trove of newspaper articles that document your tenacity. While
there are many tears when you read the many powerfully moving stories of
triumph in the face of adversity, they are tears not of sadness but of admiration
and respect. And then there is what can only be described as the awe you
feel when considering that army of steadfast grassroots activists who have
faithfully carried out the unglamorous day-to-day labors of this Movement.
For me, these many hours of reflection have been a richly rewarding refresher
course. Lessons? For one, our people are amazingly articulate, all the more
persuasive because they are so unassuming. For another, these trips down
memory lane have fortified me with the sure knowledge that our Movement
is irrepressible.
What do I mean? For many reasons, as different as they are intensely personal,
pro-lifers will never be stopped nor ever turned away. Ask
your typical pro-lifer how she found herself on the frontlines of the battle
against abortion and be prepared to enjoy a fascinating story of breathtaking
dedication and unswerving self-sacrifice.
But what sustains and animates us first and foremost? My answer is no better
or worse than any other suggestion but, ultimately, I believe it is our
utterly invincible conviction that what we do rests upon and is in conformance
with immutable truths - - verities - - that are as timeless as the tides
and as unchanging as Mt. Rushmore. When the winds are howling around you
it is deeply comforting to know that you have built your house upon a solid
rock.
To be sure, if one were to lend an ear to the anthems of the militantly
anti-natalist population control zealots or the anti- life hymns of much
of the modern women's liberation movement one would hear a far different
sermon preached from their secular pulpit. Relax, they reassure their parishioners.
What pro-lifers insist is the most sacred bond in the human family
- - that between a mother and her unborn child - - is, at best, overrated,
and, at worst, another (what else?) patriarchal imposition foisted upon
women by men.
Granted, there may occasionally be some slight, unspecified evidence to
the contrary, but that is only because pro-lifers insist on making women
feel guilty about a decision that is often a "catalyst for personal
growth." Stop harping about abortion and that will be that.
But as the quotations that begin this column dramatically illustrate, abortion
tears and rips and shreds essential human bonds in so many different directions
that the circle of destruction grows wider every year. In that vein, may
I highly recommend you read Dr. Stevenson on page 14?
Dr. Stevenson's essay is a beautiful example of the marriage of professional
experience and shrewd intuition. We have often spoken of the constellation
of self-abusive behaviors that women who've aborted can manifest. The label
for this rage and anger is post-abortion syndrome (PAS).
It is to her enormous credit that Dr. Stevenson makes this familiar concept
come alive. It will be a long time, for example, before I forget the picture
of the teacher gazing at her young charges - - children the very same age
her own child would have been.
But is PAS limited to the woman who has silenced her own child? What about
the nurse who assembles the body parts after the abortionist finishes his
nauseating work? Most of the few war stories that have leaked out from the
abortion industry focus on the devastating effect trafficking in dead babies
has on nurses and support staff. One wonders how they survive the guilt,
the fantasies, the grotesque dreams.
What about men? Dr. Stevenson invokes the hard-charging lawyer, busy night
and day fighting for "justice," the very same justice he refused
to extend to his own unborn child. Speaking as a dad, I
confess that nothing has ever moved me the way stories of fathers rendered
utterly helpless to save their children have. For me that is as close to
hell on earth as I can imagine. But to stand idly by or, far worse, coerce
your wife or girlfriend into killing your child? That kind of cold-blooded
complicity in pure evil must exact a price deep in the recesses of a man's
soul, too terrible for the conscious mind to admit. The abortionist? As
angry as we are with him, as determined as we are to legally, peacefully
end his hideous trade, as much as we loathe what he stands for, is he not
the most pathetic creature of all? But there is reason to hope even here.
There are a small but growing number of men who've sworn off executing unborn
babies. With all my heart, I not only hope but am convinced their ranks
will multiply in the years to come.
Most ex-abortionists are former abortionists because pro-lifers prayed for
them - - often large numbers of people over a very long time
- - or because some tragedy in their personal life opened their eyes to
the fragility of life.
Amazingly, even Norma McCorvey - - the "Jane Roe" of Roe v.
Wade- - is now pro-life. How could that have happened? She was,
in her own words, "won by love" - - the love of pro-lifers who
cared about her!
And that is the reason we will prevail. Pro-lifers do care - - about
unborn children, their mothers, their siblings, their fathers and grandparents.
We care for two reasons. First, because it is only right that we do.
Second, because abortion is a peculiar evil, one that victimizes the child
who dies, the one who takes his/her life, and all those involved (actively
or passively) in this all too sad, all too typical story. The more thoroughly
that the frightened and abandoned woman realizes we are her friends, not
her enemies, the quicker unborn babies will once again be safe in their
mother's womb.
dha