Testimony for the March in DC January, 2010
In mid-August of 2008, while praying for our nation with 750,000 people here on Capitol Hill, God spoke words into my spirit, “Remember you said you would stand before the nation for this cause." What cause I thought? … Then it hit me! I recalled back in 1980 how in a restorative moment, I told God that if given the chance, I would tell others in our nation, how devastating and wrong abortion is.
You see in the fall of 1972, about two months prior to the Roe verses Wade legalization of abortion, at the age of 17, I went through an illegal abortion at a clinic in Southfield, Michigan.
I remember the coldness of that day and my request to the receptionist, “Please don’t tell my Mom and Dad." To think that one my age needed to have permission to get her ears pierced. I remember the cold metal table and strange sounds as they did something to my body; the numb feeling and then within minutes, being allowed to dress and leave. I remember seeing a black bag being placed outside the clinic as my boyfriend drove us away from there. Then the horrid thoughts that went through my mind as he asked, “Was it a boy or girl?"
All I could say was, “Does it even matter?” At which point I realized that this was truly a real baby boy or girl that was now gone! This caused a repression of guilt, shame, feeling separated from love and life itself. I lost my happy-go-lucky, upbeat personality. The young girl everyone else new as "Giggles" was gone. I guess you could say on that cold day in the fall of 1972 along with my baby, my spirit died too.
I struggled to face the joy of others who became pregnant and the pain of holding a newborn baby was too much.
Then I broke, yes literally had a nervous breakdown of hellish proportions, was hospitalized, broke the silence and released my deep dark secret to my doctor and my family.
It took time, but through God’s grace and love, and my own mother’s words that if God could forgive me that I should forgive myself, I was restored.
Because of the work of Operation Outcry and the Silent No More Awareness Campaign, I am able to stand here today to warn others of the consequences in their choice to abort a life and to give hope to those facing regret of their decision. God in His infinite mercy and forgiveness wants to set you free. I believe that God wants to give this nation the opportunity to hear either the warning of consequence if we continue to abort the life in our nation or to hear the cry to claim redemption, and restoration of Life to our nation in more ways than one!
Will we respond to His call for Life as I am responding today to the call I received right here in DC just 17 short months ago? As one Nation Under God I pray; Let our answer be yes!