(Note: I normally do not add comments to these testimonies, but the
assertion here about the pressure that this girl's parents put on her to
have the abortion is noteworthy. Often, the sin of abortion is described as
a sacrifice of children to the pleasure or convenience of the mother. But in
reality, it is more often the case that the child becomes a sacrifice at the
altar of the pride and arrogance of the grandparent. Indeed, in such cases,
the parents of the woman who aborts bear the greater guilt.
--Fr. Frank Pavone)
I was raped by a boyfriend while vacationing with him. I wasn't aware that it
was rape, as most date rape victims deny it. Upon returning, I found out I was
pregnant. My mother gave me a lot of pressure to have an abortion. My sister and
father supported it also.
I went in for "indecision counseling" beforehand. I only went to get my
mother off my back. When I look back, she was more a salesperson than a
counselor. They did abortions only on one night of the week. There were about
eight of us girls in there. I was very elated and relieved afterwards.
Less than two months afterwards, the boyfriend who I had had left. I quit
working at a day care center. I began to realize what I had done and what the
boyfriend had done to me, and became really depressed, felt guilty and angry. It
reached a peak about the time of the due date.
About a year after the baby would have been born, I attended a support group
called Conquerors. It helped me a lot. The Healing Visions Conference helped me
tremendously also. I felt like I really realized what I did and what I lost and
I am working through the steps more deeply now.
I have come to be closer to God, and more aware of his forgiveness and his
words and presence. He is more important in my life. I think of him as loving,
and before I did not.
