This is the testimony of Rebekah Berg, who was raped and chose to give life to her son, who was conceived in the assault.
“My son is the product of rape, and he is the exception to the rule, as they say. Multitudes of women in my situation have had abortions, giving different reasons for their choice. But that child is still a child, no matter how he or she was conceived. I certainly did not choose to be raped and definitely did not choose to become pregnant. No more did my child ask to be conceived. I had no right to take his life because of the horrible situation that happened to me.
The thought that he would bear the same genes of my rapist was one of the questions that continue to linger at my soul during my pregnancy. Was I going to birth another rapist? Was I doing more harm than good with giving him life? My own son’s gentle spirit and thoughtfulness of others confirms that there is not a “rapist gene.” When I look into my son’s eyes, I only have love and have only loved him since he was laid on my chest after birthing him.”
Kristin Hawkins. Courageous: Students Abolishing Abortion in This Lifetime (Students for Life of America, 2012) 16
There has been a 300% increase in ectopic pregnancy in 10 years after abortion was legalized. In 1970 the incidence was 4.8 per thousand births, by 1980 had risen to 14.5 per thousand births.
US Department of Health and Human Services, Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report 33 (April 1984)
Discover magazine had a cover story called “Surgery before Birth”:
“A precise dose of anesthetic had put both the mother and the 24 week old fetus safely and limply to sleep. And now, lifting the little arm gently to rotate the 1 pound body into position, pediatric surgeon Michael Harrison poised his scalpel just under the rib cage. This astonishing intrusion on an unborn life took place on June 15, 1989; it was necessary because this tiny patient’s diaphragm had failed to close as it should have.”
Pat Ohlendorf–Moffat, “Surgery before Birth” Discover, February 1991, 59
Quoted in Randy Alcorn “Pro-life Answers to Pro-Choice Arguments” (Sisters, Oregon: Multnomah Publishers, 2000)
22 – 24 weeks
Surgeons can now perform delicate surgery in the womb. However, babies at 24 weeks can be aborted in any state in the United States.
And Then There Were None reaches out to men and women who are in the abortion field. They have helped over 44 clinic workers leave their jobs and find employment. They offer counseling, emotional support, material help, and help finding a job. See their website here.
Here is an email they received:
“I just wanted to let you know, you’ve touched my heart. For years…too many years to count, I murdered countless children..up until 3 months ago that is. I believed I was doing what was best at the time. I worked for Planned Parenthood.
I became hardened and cold to the fact, I was killing children. How I, a physician who had taken an oath to preserve life can perform abortions — can actually kill defenseless unborn babies — literally ripped out, many times in pieces, from the mother’s womb, is beyond me..but I see it now. Partial-birth abortions was my living. :'(
Finally one day, something hit me…and my hard-heart began to soften. After receiving a pro-life tract, and having read it; I got angry, but I didn’t throw it away. And then for some reason, I couldn’t perform abortions anymore.
I broke down that day and felt like I had died on the inside. Millions of emotions came at me and I had a weight of guilt, on my shoulders so heavy. So heavy, worse than any depression I’ve ever felt.
I felt like, for every baby I had taken from this world, a part of me died as well. I cry as I write this. I cry for the mothers, the fathers..who decided because of “choice” they would kill their children. I cry for the babies, who were brutally murdered at my hand. It takes a lot to admit that. ALOT.
Where is the churches? The outreach groups? Get out there! Do something. Please! Don’t say, “it isn’t my field” Shouldn’t it be every moral person’s responsibility, to defend the defenseless? And don’t tell me pro-life outreach doesn’t work, or tracts don’t help. It certainly did for me.
There’s not a day that goes by now, where my heart isn’t heavy with grief, or I don’t angry. I can only hope God can forgive me. If anyone deserves a hell, it’s the one who murders children.”
Please keep reaching out to clinic workers with kindness and compassion.
An article in the New York Times describes how abortion clinics compete for customers and discusses how they try to maximize their profits. From the article:
Abortion clinics are not so different from other specialty services, said Dr. William Ramos, who runs an abortion clinic in Las Vegas.
“In the entire state of Nevada, there is only one Lexus dealer and only one Acura dealer,” he said.
GINA KOLATA “As Abortion Rate Decreases, Clinics Compete for Patients” The New York Times December 30, 2000
NJ Acting Consumer Affairs Director, Jeffrey Burstein said this about abortionist Flavius Thompson of the Pleasant Women’s Pavilion after the state pulled his license:
“During our investigation, we found that medical waste material was being improperly disposed of down the sanitary sewer at that location.
“If proper procedures are not followed, patients are potentially put in danger. That is wholly unacceptable. The Board of Medical Examiners expects its licensees to adhere to legal and professional standards of conduct, as does the public.”
Jeffrey Burstein, Acting New Jersey Consumer Affairs Director
Tri-Town News, “Doctor surrenders license“:2/16/2005 Tri-Town News, “Doctor awaits hearing on future of license” 2/2/2005. Quoted by Life Dynamics
“I grew up the oldest of four in a loving family in the midwest. My father is a retired MD, my mother was an RN,. I grew up feeling loved, regularly attending the Presbyterian Church, collecting pets and plants. Loved living things and the outdoors. Fascinated with science. Became an RN myself, and started my career in the ICU.
Later I was a traveling nurse, so I could see some of the world. Settled for a time in Florida, had a boyfriend. That friendship ended badly, and I decided to get a fresh start in Colorado, where one of my best friends from nursing school lived. At that time, there were many nurses, but not many jobs. I saw an ad for a “Women’s Reproductive Health Clinic.” It was a day position, four days a week. Day jobs are not always easy to find for nurses, and that sounded good to me. I quickly discovered it was an abortion clinic. I did not have strong feelings about abortion at that time…my parents are quite liberal politically, and had supported Planned Parenthood with their time and money. I always felt abortion was not something I could ever do myself….but if someone else wanted/needed to…well, that was her right. So, in the clinic environment of friendly, warm, supportive female employees (with the exception of the often prickly physician) I pushed down any negative feelings I had about the “procedures” and learned how to be an abortion clinic nurse. I learned how to prepare women for procedures, set out sterile instruments, turn on suction machines. And of course, I had to always be sure the little cloth drape was around the glass bottle that held the “products of conception” after the suction abortion.
Another unfortunate staff member had the job of examining those bottles’ contents, to be sure all the parts were there and nothing was retained in the patient’s uterus. A macabre jigsaw puzzle if you will. Gradually, I learned how to assist with “late cases” which at that time were pregnancies from weeks 16-24. These were much more involved, requiring ultrasound, two days of laminaria, and removal of amniotic fluid to be replaced by concentrated urea. Then…after a few hours, the RN would listen for heart tones. We had to be certain the “heart tones” had stopped before the procedure was “completed”. I never witnessed “partial birth” abortion while I was employed there for two years. It became more and more difficult to ignore my feelings when we had particularly egregious situations, such as the young, wealthy married couples expecting twins who, after careful
16 week twind
research, determined twins would not fit their lifestyle. So they aborted their 17 week old babies. And the woman who was having abortion #5…birth control was too much bother for her. I still didn’t feel strongly against abortion, but decided to move on to other employment. Interestingly, I ended up being a nurse in a Level 3 ICU Nursery, where premature babies are cared for. I loved it there. But I am not sure the irony had hit me yet, or maybe my denial system was still to strong. Somehow along the way, I would occasionally listen to Dr. James Dobson on Christian radio. Oh, how he irritated me when he talked about the sacredness of unborn life, all life! How aggravating that was to hear! He just didn’t understand! He was a man, after all! Still…I even accompanied my sister in law, and a good friend, when they had abortions, because it was “the wrong time” for them. But gradually, our great God was turning my heart. He was melting the ice that kept me from feeling the pain and reality of abortion. I had gotten married to a wonderful man, and we had our first daughter. And not long after, I realized how indescribably precious parenthood was. It was a new, scary feeling, to discover…I was one of THEM! The Pro Life people! How strange to have your identity change. I realized that none of the arguments “for abortion” that I used to believe in had any merit at all. I felt very sad for my friends back at the clinic, who still lived in blindness.
I will be forever sorry for my participation in the abortion business. I know I am forgiven by Jesus, but the sad burden will forever be on my heart, and I am not sorry about that. I deserve to “feel” that, I do not believe “guilt” is necessarily a bad thing…and it helps motivate me to work towards a world where unborn life is treasured, and no one considers abortion to be a viable option.”
Note: Religious beliefs expressed in testimonies are not always endorsed by website owner
“In December of 2010 I had an abortion. It has haunted me ever since.
… I was pregnant and I chose not to continue the pregnancy even though deep down I desperately wanted a child.
I made this choice based on my relationship with the baby’s father, who dropped me off at the clinic and I never saw again, despite having a three-to-four-year, on-and-off relationship. He promised me marriage and more children when we were ready for it, i.e. five or 10 years from now.
His last words to me were, “Don’t worry, I’ll be back.” But that never materialized.
….I haven’t dated, least of all had sex with anyone, since that day. It feels like a part of me died that day and will never return.”
“My Abortion Traumatized Me” Salon Magazine SUNDAY, JUL 17, 2011
Pro-Choice author Joyce Arthur talks about the Center for Bio ethical Reform’s GAP demonstrations, where activists on college campus set up photographs of aborted babies. She discusses the violence that sometimes surrounds these events, when pro-choicers attack the activists or the signs. However, she does not seem to be concerned about the morality of such attacks – rather, she blames the pro-lifers for inciting them. Tacitly, she excuses the pro-choice violence and vandalism.
“… The unstated goal is apparently to anger, offend, and incite violence – then use the ensuing publicity to make pro-choicers look bad.… The GAP display also has been met with pro-choice counter protests at almost every campus where it has appeared. On at least five campuses, violence and vandalism have occurred, with students attacking the displays or GAP staff members and volunteers. At Ohio State University, about 30 protesters rushed the display in an incident that Associated Press termed a “riot”; a female student was arrested after trying to slash a poster with a knife. At the University of Kansas, an African-American student rammed the display with his truck and a female Jewish student physically assaulted a GAP staffer; both were arrested. As Cunningham vowed at one campus, “We will make an example out of lawbreakers.”
“Abortion Is Not a Form of Genocide” Joyce Arthur in Mary E Williams. Abortion: Opposing Viewpoints (San Diego, California: Greenhaven Press, 2002)
