Life After Abortion

By Amy Martin

Imagine an army of millions of sinners saved by grace marching across the United States sharing the glorious gospel of Christ with the lost and broken-hearted. The wave of voices shouting hallelujah sends tingles down the backs of those who are being freed. In one glorious shout after another the walls holding the captives comes tumbling down. The prisoners are led from darkness to light, from despair to praise and from mourning to gladness. This revival is beginning to take place today as people who once believed the lie of abortion and lived in the darkness of its aftermath and being led to repentance and victory in Christ.

The reality is this: the Alan Guttmacher Institute reports that 43 percent of women under the age of 45 have had at least one abortion. Sixty-eight percent of these women claim to be Christians, (43% -Protestant and 25% - Catholic). We must face the facts: these post-abortive women are sitting in our pews and kneeling at our altars! Abortion and its devastation have decided to take up residence in our churches. It’s time for the Christian community to become aware of the spiritually crippling effects of abortion and prepare themselves to help bind up these brokenhearted women (Isaiah 61:1).

The pro-life, Christian community is acutely aware that over the past 32 years abortion has resulted in the deaths of millions of babies. We are becoming more aware of the detrimental condition of the post-abortive woman. The wounded mother that is left behind after the abortion procedure is often hurting and regretful faced with life-long consequences of the choice she has made. She will be faced with physical risks: the increased risk of breast cancer, fertility problems, miscarriages, etc…. She will be faced with emotional risks: depression, guilt, shame, anger, relationship problems, etc…. But, few people are aware of the spiritual risks involved with those who have had an abortion. The number of Christian women who are being held in bondage to this sin is staggering. I have met hundreds of these women from all over the country. They sit in church for years and years hiding behind smiling faces and anti-depressants fearful of anyone ever finding out their shameful secret. The belief that forgiveness and reconciliation to God is impossible has left them resigned to feeling condemned and alone.

The lives of post-abortive women and their families have been painfully affected by abortion. They mourn the loss of their child, but can’t acknowledge their pain. They are afraid to speak about it because they fear they will be condemned or their feelings will be dismissed. They feel they must be the only women hurting from abortion and there is something wrong with them. Many don’t relate the emotional pain they are experiencing to their abortion at all. The Christian post-abortive woman deals with all this and feelings of deep separation from God. She may know in her head that God forgives her for her sin of abortion, but she struggles with accepting that forgiveness because she can’t even forgive herself. This view of committing an “unforgivable sin” causes the woman to build walls between herself and God. She feels isolated and unwelcome in His Church. The enemy uses this opportunity to keep her begging for forgiveness for something that God will forgive. These women are trapped in bondage to their past sin. They can not comprehend that the Son has come to set all sinners free, even “child-killers” (“for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified freely by His grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus.” Romans 3:23,24).

The Christian post-abortive woman may feel she must work to earn her forgiveness. So, she gets involved in many ministries. She may become a member of a pro-life group because she wants to save babies and keep other women from hurting the way she does. Or, at the other end of the spectrum, some hurting post-abortive women become hard-nosed pro-choice advocates. They feel they must defend the choice they made, because they are so fearful of condemnation and may blame the pro-lifers for the anger and pain they are experiencing. Women react in various ways to the pain of a past abortion, but one thing they all have in common is a need to know the truth about forgiveness and freedom available through Jesus Christ.

Since Jesus came into the world to save, not condemn (John 3:17), those of us who call ourselves Christians have a responsibility to do the same. We must emphasize the truth of God’s mercy, as well as the truth of the horror of abortion. We have an incredible opportunity to reach out to these hurting individuals with the truth of repentance and the forgiveness of Jesus Christ. Sharing the gospel: that Christ paid the price for every sin, even theirs, and there can be peace and joy in their broken hearts.

“Jesus answered him, ‘Simon, I have something to tell you. Two men owed money to certain moneylender. One man owed five hundred denarii, and the other fifty. Neither of them had the money to pay him back, so he cancelled the debts of both. Now which one will love him more?’ Simon replied, ‘The one who had the bigger debt cancelled.’ ‘You have judged correctly,’ Jesus said” (Luke 7:40-43).

The post-abortive women I have met who have accepted Christ’s forgiveness of their sin and experienced freedom from the bondage of it have truly been brought from darkness to light. They know first hand about the healing and love that comes through the grace and mercy of Jesus Christ. These women can’t help but speak out about what God has done in their lives. They seek opportunities to share with others about the grace and forgiveness available to all through Jesus.

Paul speaks about the power of God’s grace in his own life in 1 Corinthians 15:9, He writes, “For I am the least of the apostles and do not even deserve to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the Church of God. But by the grace of God I am what I am and His grace to me was not without effect. No, I worked harder than all of them-yet not I, but the grace of God that was in me.”

Let’s imagine again, that these fifteen million post-abortive Christian women experience the life-changing power of forgiveness and redemption through Christ. Then, being led by the Holy Spirit they begin to speak the truth about the horrors of abortion, which I believe will be the determinant that not only brings an end to legalized abortion in the United States, but will ultimately make it unthinkable. These redeemed women will be even more passionate about sharing the gospel of Christ. His truth will be presented in such a powerful way that a wave of revival will spread across our land.

Please consider that for every post-abortive woman there is a post-abortive man. Although most men bury the pain more effectively, they are equally as hurt by abortion and live with the same kind of shame and guilt. Post-abortive men are often overlooked, but they too, need healing.

Abortion recovery resources are available for men and women. If you have questions or would like more information about how to minister to the post-abortive person in your church please call 636-273-0496 or e-mail amy@clothedwithjoy.org.

Amy Martin is the Operation Outcry Silent No More contact person for the State of Missouri. She has volunteered with Pregnancy Resource Centers where she has been involved with post-abortion recovery programs and crises pregnancy counseling. Through opportunities to speak publicly, Amy continues to expose the pain and imprisonment of past-abortion and point those experiencing it to the grace and mercy of Jesus Christ. For more information visit her web site at www.clothedwithjoy.org.