Pro Life/ Pro Women?

[Donna]

God Bless you all who thoughtfully bring your views to this…

I am Pro Life. I have two close family members that 1. had an abortion and 2. encouraged and paid for the abortion. My concern is getting them to Heaven.

Talking to them about the Pro Life cause, about killing babies has not been taken well. I was looking for a way to reach them (I do pray everyday). I looked up www.postabortion.com and it deals with the affects of abortion on women.

What do you think of being Pro LIfe and reaching out to the women who have had abortions with compassion? This does not mean we condone the act but there could be reasons why a baby was killed that made the woman/girl feel like there was no choice.

It seems to me that Pro Choice people don’t deal with them becuase they don’t see it as a baby being killed and yet Pro LIfe people just condemn these women. Doesn’t God want us all to help them get to Heaven. Won’t He forgive anything so long as the person is repentant? Then if that is so, can’t we in Pro LIfe reach out to these women?

Please let me know what you think.

May God Bless you,

Donna

 

[mercygate]

They will probably be offended by anything you might do actively, but if the subject comes up and they seem to deny that there could be a problem with abortion, you might say, “I understand. But if you ever change your mind, there’s a ministry called Rachel’s Vineyard where people help each other come to terms with post-abortion issues.”

Come to think of it, you might contact Rachel’s Vineyard to ask if there is any information for people like you who would like to reach family members who are not uncomfortable about having had an abortion.

Probably the best thing you can do is pray and do penance for them.

 

[legeorge]

One of the major slogans for pro-lifers is that abortion kills babies and hurts women. You are correct in assuming that we should be concerned for women in these situations, and that is why Project Rachel exists. I have never run into a pro-lifer who condemns women who have had abortions. A lot of their motivation is based on protecting women from this pain. Spread the word!! Abortion Hurts Women!!

 

[thann]

Pro-life also means supporting women who made the unfortunate decision to have an abortion, and by extension, those who gave misguided aid to those women.

If your family members aren’t hurting now, they will – and they will be angry at the decision they made, and ashamed. Be there for them, but let all this work in God’s time.

Check out the following Web site:

silentnomoreawareness.org/

'thann

 

[1ke]

Donna:

It seems to me that Pro Choice people don’t deal with them becuase they don’t see it as a baby being killed and yet Pro LIfe people just condemn these women. Doesn’t God want us all to help them get to Heaven. Won’t He forgive anything so long as the person is repentant? Then if that is so, can’t we in Pro LIfe reach out to these women?

Donna, you are absolutely correct that the “pro-choice” side of the equation ignores post abortive women because to acknowledge the need for healing indicates that ther is something wrong with having an abortion. This is a sacred cow in the pro-abortion world-- they cannot admit someone has emotional trauma from abortion and at the same time send the message that abortion is just like getting your tonsils out. So, women who’ve had abortions cannot turn to the pro-aborts for help after their abortions.

However, the second part of your statement indicates to me that you might not be aware of the numerous pro-life organizations whose mission is to specifically help women heal after abortions.

There are several Catholic groups including Project Rachel and Rachel’s Vineyard as well as Protestant healing ministries and activist groups such as Silent No More. Also, the local Crisis Pregnancy Centers will also assist women by refering them for counseling after an abortion. Lastly, for women who might have been injured physically or experienced unethical treatment at abortion clinics Life Dynamics in Dallas has a referral for assistance.

Yes, the Church opens her arms to women who have had abortions. God forgives anyone who asks, and the Sacrament of Reconcilation is open to anyone who is in need. That is the beginning of healing.

 

[chrisg93]

Donna,
I am an average guy so my thoughts my be different from some others. They have committed murder and will have to repent of that sin before anything else can happen. The Pope says they should also ask their dead baby for forgivness. If they don’t repent then all the healing ministeries are usless. God bless you for trying to win them out of Hell and back to God. Keep trying, never give up, be bold, don’t be afraid. Their eternal souls are at stake and seems that God has given you this opportunity to try to save them.

God bless you.

 

[MamaGeek]

How long ago was the abortion? As you may know, post abortion syndrome will often surface not immediately, but years after the abortion. It may take that kind of stress and trauma to return her to God. Please be patient and loving, as you said, don’t condone it, but don’t judge, either. You could give her anonymous information about Project Rachel. Check out their site. They have a list of books on the topic. You could buy one and leave it around the house. It might get read.

Most importantly, PRAY, PRAY, PRAY! You could say a novena to St. Jude (patron saint of hopeless causes), and to St. Monica, who converted her son, St. Augustine, through prayer:

Remember, dear St. Monica, the joy that flooded your heart when Augustine, the son of your prayers and tears, turned his life over to the Lord. Please present our novena petitions before God in Whose presence you stand. Obtain for us, if it be His holy Will, the graces we request through your intercessory power, that we may experience the happiness of answered prayer.

 

[Regi]

Another good organization with a view that abortion HURTS women is Feninists for Life.

‘http://www.feministsforlife.org/’

Even though it is not necessarily Catholic, it may be a good starting point towards Rachel’s Vineyard or some other healing process.

 

[Didi]

Donna:

It seems to me that Pro Choice people don’t deal with them becuase they don’t see it as a baby being killed and yet Pro LIfe people just condemn these women.

The idea that those who are pro-life don’t care about the women is a gross misrepresentation by those who approve and support abortion.

As others have written, they are countless ministries (many Catholic) who help with post-abortion stress syndrome. Pro-lifers who are well informed are just as concerned about the women as the babies.

Whether or not the woman realizes it, having an abortion affects her physically, emotionally and spiritually. It is often manifested in different ways (depression, eating disorders, promiscuity) but can be traced back to the abortion.

We need to pray for all those who are receive, perform or support abortion that the scales can fall from their eyes and they see this horrendous act for what it is. I often think of the medical assistant who has to check the “contents” of the abortion to make sure all the body parts are there so the woman doesn’t get an infection. Can you imagine a more horrific job?

PRAY PRAY PRAY!

 

[1ke]

chrisg93:

Donna,
I am an average guy so my thoughts my be different from some others. They have committed murder and will have to repent of that sin before anything else can happen. The Pope says they should also ask their dead baby for forgivness. If they don’t repent then all the healing ministeries are usless. God bless you for trying to win them out of Hell and back to God. Keep trying, never give up, be bold, don’t be afraid. Their eternal souls are at stake and seems that God has given you this opportunity to try to save them.

God bless you.

Please remember that in order to sin one must have full knowledge and freely consent.

As a sidewalk counselor, I have seen teenagers literally dragged into an abortion clinic by a parent. I have seen women under extreme duress-- pressured, physically abused, or abandoned by all those that they should be able to count on including husbands. I have met other women who through ignorance (aided and abetted by our educational system that is full of pro-abortion misinformation regarding human life) really do not know or believe that they are taking a life. Add on top of that the many women who abort who have had little or no catechesis, they don’t know God, his laws, or his love.

Yes, those who freely and knowingly commit murder through abortion are in mortal sin. But, many women who have abortions are either not free or have a defect in their knowledge. Therefore, they are not necessarily in mortal sin. And, none of us this side of Heaven can know their heart or conscience.

 

[Viki59]

chrisg93:

Donna,
They have committed murder and will have to repent of that sin before anything else can happen. .

I have to disagree with you there. Though in theory you are correct, God does not work by formula. I was involved in an abortion and carry some of the guilt, yet I converted to Christianity and it was only after that that I realized abortion was wrong. God works in many different ways to lead people to truth, as everyone is different and He has to use different means to get the message across to each of us.
It is hard to understand what sin is before we get a glimpse of God’s love.