America Loses One Million Children A Year But How?

Storytelling likely began when humans first learned to communicate meaningfully, making it tens of thousands of years old. It is a fundamental part of communication because it transforms information into something meaningful, memorable and emotionally engaging.

 

Rather than simply presenting facts, stories give those facts context, allowing people to understand not just what happened, but why it matters. It also builds empathy and connection.

 

Jesus was a storyteller; the Gospels are filled with his parables. And in the battle against abortion, we have plenty of stories as well.

 

April is Abortion Recovery Awareness Month, and for people hearing for the first time the stories of those who had abortions, it can be life-changing.

 

We are told a million children die from abortion annually in our nation. Behind that tragic statistic is a sea of men and women unprepared to deal with the emotional trauma abortion brought to them.

 

And we’re not just talking about the Moms and Dads. We’re talking about grandparents of the aborted child, some of whom tried to save their grandchild, and others of whom, tragically, consented to or pushed for the abortion.

 

We’re talking about siblings, and other relatives, of the aborted child, of friends who bring their friend to the abortion clinic, and of former abortion clinic workers.

 

They all have wounds, they all need healing, and they all have stories.

 

In the pro-life movement, we have long recognized the power of stories. In 2002, Priests for Life and Anglicans for Life came together to form the Silent No More Awareness Campaign that invited mothers who had abortions and came to regret that choice to share their stories. The following year, fathers joined the campaign. In 2015, we expanded the campaign to include “The Shockwaves of Abortion,” that is, the multiple groups I referred to above.

 

Since the early 2000s, an integral part of the March for Life in D.C. and the Walk for Life West Coast in San Francisco has been the Silent No More gathering, where mothers and fathers tell their abortion stories. These stories are not sugar-coated or tailored for any particular audience. These courageous women and men tell the circumstances that led them to make the choice for abortion, and the unexpected impact on their lives that followed the loss of their children.

 

High-achieving students dropped out of school. Many tried alcohol and other substances to help mask the pain.

 

Abortions intended to save relationships often led, instead, to the end of those relationships. Some attempted suicide. And many mothers found themselves at the abortion mill a second time, a third, a fifth. We’ve helped people who have had as many as 26 abortions.

 

The people of Silent No More now can be found speaking out all over the country, at statewide marches, at churches and outside abortion mills. Their abortion stories put a human face on abortion. These stories help educate the public about the lived reality of the decision to end a child’s life by abortion.

 

Abortion advocates can say abortion is essential, that it’s health care, that it is “reproductive justice.” But as Silent No More co-founder Janet Morana says, experience trumps rhetoric. No one can dispute the stories from mothers and fathers willing to say in public what abortion did to their children and to themselves.

 

Even in the legislative and political arenas, these stories are valued. Men and women of the Silent No More Awareness Campaign sometimes testify at legislative hearings for bills that seek to protect people like them from the damage abortion does.

 

And political campaigns often look to stories as ways of motivating voters. In this way, candidates can connect effectively with those they seek to serve.

 

The month of April, therefore, the pro-life movement focuses on promoting awareness that abortion devastates everyone in its path, and that healing and forgiveness are available. So many who need this healing do not know it’s there.

 

That’s where each of us comes in.

 

We can use the tools like AbortionForgiveness.com to help people find the healing programs closest to them, and WhatFollowsAbortion.org to learn more about the damage abortion does. Moreover, those powerful stories can be found at AbortionTestimonies.com.

 

We who reject abortion do not reject those who have had abortions. Rather, we embrace them with forgiveness, mercy, and peace. Let’s spread that good news together!

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