Group Helps Former Abortion Providers Rebuild Their Lives

WASHINGTON-A new national organization expects to help former abortion providers heal and reconcile themselves to their past actions. The Society of Centurions of America, based in St. Paul, Minn., is developing a program to assist these women and men in their often difficult transition.

Joan Appleton, who ran a Virginia abortion clinic in the 1980s, told the Register, "The Centurion was the Roman soldier who crucified Christ. When Christ died, he fell to his knees, dropped his sword, and said, 'Truly this was an innocent man."'

"Those of us who have been in the abortion business have dropped our swords against unborn children," she said.

The organization developed from the work of Dr. Philip Ney, a psychiatrist in Victoria, British Columbia. Ney, who had been active in counseling victims of child abuse and post-abortion trauma, began the Society of Centurions several years ago.

Appleton, a registered nurse, met with Ney in 1995 for counseling in her efforts to overcome the guilt and depression associated with her past abortion work. The encounter helped her healing process and prompted an interest in creating an American counterpart to the Centurion effort.

Appleton said, "We have literally thousands of former abortionists and former abortion clinic employees in the United States who need help because we suffer the same as a woman who has had an abortion and experiences post-abortion trauma."

Some who suffer from depression turn to drugs, alcohol, or even suicide, she noted.

The Society of Centurions is active in Canada and flourishing in Europe. The American group held its first conference in August 1998 and expects to hold a much larger one in March 1999 in St. Paul. Besides conferences, the organization will promote outreach, local chapters, and produce newsletters and other forms of communication.

The main effort, however, will be to support those who have had difficulty accepting and dealing with their past roles.

"One of the problems that I had when I got out of the business was that I was very, very much alone. You're lost, absolutely lost. I lost every friend and had nowhere to go. A major reason why people don't get out of the abortion business is this fear of the pain of transition," she said.

Appleton said that former abortion workers are often loners and tend to move in different directions once they join the pro-life effort, as some do. The Society of Centurions, along with providing emotional support, also gives members an opportunity to be united and go forward as a group.

Some of the early members of the organization were people referred by pro-life activist Joseph Scheidler. "I support and encourage this very necessary organization," Scheidler told the Register. "I hope it will grow by leaps and bounds."

Another friend has been Father Frank Pavone, a member of the Pontifical Council for the Family and international director of Priests for Life.

He said the organization accomplishes two things. "First, it's personally necessary for the people who have come out of the abortion industry. What it does for the individual is critical."

"Second, what it does for the movement is to provide a sign of hope." This sign of hope is that even those in the abortion industry, "folks who have reached the end of their rope," can be turned around, he added.

Appleton said "Priests for Life have been absolutely outstanding and very, very supportive of the program." She believes it is essential for clergy of all denominations to be educated to the needs of former abortion workers, many of whom need spiritual guidance.

Appleton, who had been the head nurse at the well-known Commonwealth Women's Clinic in Falls Church, Va., has written in a brief autobiographical booklet: "I have already been in 'hell' and don't want to go back. All I want is to be taught how to be the Catholic woman Christ wants me to be."

In addition to her work with the Centurions, Appleton is a staff member with the Pro-Life Action Ministries, also based in St. Paul. This organization, founded in 1981, promotes local sidewalk counseling, education, and other pro-life outreach.

And, she told the Register, "I now enjoy a peace and tranquility I never had in my life, and it's something that I want everyone to have. But it takes time, effort, and work."

Among other high-level former abortion providers who have joined the pro-life movement are Dr. Bernard Nathanson, Carol Everett, and Norma McCorvey, who was "Jane Roe" in the landmark Roe v. Wade Supreme Court decision. McCorvey was received into the Catholic Church Aug. 17.

Appleton said anyone previously or currently involved in the abortion business - including physicians, nurses, lab technicians, counselors, or receptionists - are invited to contact her about the Society of Centurions (651- 771-1500).

Joseph Esposito writes from Washington, D.C.