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Mary
New Jersey,
United States
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Hello everyone. My name is Mary and I’m from New Jersey. It’s a little cold up here. I’d like to say one thing tonight as you leave and go home, remember these testimonies the men and the women that shared their stories today, because you can bring this back into your parishes with your friends, and also remember that at least 50% of the women and men today in the United States have had 1 abortion.
My abortion was in 1972 before Roe versus Wade. Abortion was not a word that was spoken about at all. I was a 17 year old girl. I came from a good Catholic family. My parents were pro-life. What happens to a girl that makes a mistake, an error in judgment? My mistake, my choice was to have sex outside of marriage. That’s where it begins, the choice. Unfortunately, for me, I went to a planned parenthood … you’ve heard many stories today about the lies that are told to go out and sell tissue, and on August 1st, 1972 I ended up in a clinic that was run by Dr. Bernard Nathanson, at the time the largest abortion clinic in New York.
Don’t let anybody tell you that in those days abortion was back alley. It was not. This was a way to get women, like myself, into the clinics. From that day on, after that procedure, my life changed drastically. I lost everything about me that was good as a young person. I was never the same. I went into the drugs, the alcohol, everything that people had mentioned; I’m sure, many times today.
It took me 25 years to get healing, 25 years. All that time went by and what changed … the birth of my daughter, my only daughter. That’s when it clicked. What happens with the post-abortive woman is that sometimes a death of someone in the family, the fact that you can’t have children, or the birth of a child triggers things. This is very very common.
What happened, she was born, and I went into kind of a meltdown. I searched high and low for help and healing. Anybody that’s in parish work or counseling, please, I can’t say enough, approach this with love. Don’t approach it with force, because so many women and men are hurting. This is an opportunity where you can bring the message of love. That’s what we’re about as Christians to others. I also want on a Rachel’s Vineyard weekend. It changed my life completely. I realized the mercy and love, and forgiveness of God and came back into my Catholic faith, which I had abandoned for many many years.
I’m here today to be silent no more, to continue spreading the message of truth, and hope and healing for all those mothers, fathers, grandparents, this extends throughout the whole family. Many of us women that don’t have children or our children are grown; it’s a constant thing that we do think about; anniversary dates, mother’s day, father’s day. These are all things that are all very very important.
I encourage you take the message of love and forgiveness, listen to our testimonies that are online, silentnomoreawareness.org, and share the love and peace with everybody that you meet, okay. Thank you.
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Silent No More Awareness Campaign: Reach Out - Educate - Share
www.silentnomoreawareness.org |
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