Jon's Testimony
I was 17 years old when we made this decision. I felt there was no possible way that I could raise a child. I remember sitting in the abortion clinic, thinking to myself, “This isn't right.” I never said anything to Della. I just sat there saying nothing, feeling shame. I hoped I was doing the right thing, not knowing the horrible regret from this decision.
We went on with our lives and got married, but never talked about it. I tried to forget about it, thinking it would eventually go away. I was wrong. I blamed myself for not standing up for my baby. Inside, I felt shame, and I blamed myself for being a coward. But we never talked about it.
I am not making any excuses for what we did. I totally take blame for this abortion. There are many days of regret for this decision. I have much sorrow and despair.
Later in life I was baptized in the Catholic Church. When I was baptized, the abortion, the loss of our beautiful child who I miss so much, was the one thing that I was ashamed of. But I am so thankful to God for forgiving me for this terrible sin.
Please don’t ever abort your child. Life is so precious. Abortion will change your life forever, and if you have had an abortion please turn to Jesus for his forgiveness and mercy. Rachel’s Vineyard is where Della and I began our healing journey. You can have a peace in your heart knowing someday you will meet your child in Heaven. Again a child is the most precious gift from God. A precious child is the ultimate gift that we all share together in our world. We should always stand for life and not the emptiness of the culture of death through abortion.
If our story can save someone else from having an abortion, that would be so great. Because, to this day, I still wonder what kind of person our child would have been.
That is why we are Silent No More.
Della's Testimony:
I am the facilitator for Rachel’s Vineyard in Michigan. I would like to say something pertaining to the abortion pill. This is of great importance to the conversation, as medication abortions have become very common.
I received a call from a 22-year-old woman. She was screaming. She had confined herself to a closet and was considering taking her own life. She had been given the abortion pills that you take at two different times that cause a woman to go into labor, and bring about the death of her child. The woman told me that her labor started on Good Friday and her baby was born on Easter Sunday. She was 11 weeks along. She wailed, over and over again, “It’s a baby!” She had been pro-choice a few days earlier, unbelieving of the humanity of her own child. But once she saw her precious baby and beheld every part of his tiny body, there was no denying reality.
She told me how her baby would not detach, and that she had to cut the umbilical cord herself, as she was screaming and distraught. There was blood everywhere; evidence of the brutality both she and her child had suffered.
She told me, “I have my baby in a little wooden heart box and named him Roman.” Praise God! I prayed and asked our Blessed Mother Mary to help me console this young woman through everything. I told her I would come to be with her, as she was by herself.
I thank God that she called for help. I have done Rachel’s Vineyard for many years, and never believed that I would be called to face a devastating incident like this. I met her at her home and found a priest as soon as possible. Then I took her to receive Christ’s mercy in the sacrament of confession. After this, we were blessed to be able to bury her baby and have a small funeral service. In the midst of everything she had been through, she was able to find some peace. She went on to attend a Rachel’s Vineyard retreat and experienced great healing.
I know that precious Roman gave his beautiful life for his mother, who had a total conversion after she saw her baby. Now she understands that every baby conceived is a life and a gift from God. No woman should ever, ever have to deal with this great evil, and their babies should not pay this innumerable price. I am crying out today to our government: that it would recognize the horror through this glimpse of what one young woman has gone through, and ban abortion pills. And I plead with everyone listening: know that medical abortion is every bit as terrible as surgical abortion. The sooner our nation realizes this, the sooner we will see real care for women and their babies.