I’m an employee at Harrisonburg Pregnancy Center , but I also have a story of my own. Karen* (name has been changed) is one person God allowed me to share my story with. Karen came to the center on a Tuesday, having already scheduled a Saturday appointment for an abortion. She told the counselor her circumstances and said that she didn’t see any way possible for her to have her baby. She and her boyfriend had goals of finishing college and she knew her parents would be disappointed. Karen was frightened of all the consequences of her actions. She wanted to know how her boyfriend really felt. He had told her, “I’ll stand behind you, no matter what you decide.” But she wasn’t sure if he was just saying it to make her feel better. She was frightened of going through the abortion procedure itself and Karen worried about the physical, psychological and emotional consequences. Facing an abortion can be very frightening.

After talking with her counselor, Karen still couldn’t decide what to do. Her counselor offered her a free ultrasound and suggested that Karen should talk with someone who had had an abortion and could possibly answer some of her questions. Karen chose to talk with someone who had experienced an abortion. That’s when I was first introduced to Karen.

She had a lot of questions to ask me on a personal level about how my abortion had affected me physically, emotionally, and spiritually. I was honest with her and told her I had been in denial for 12 years because of the pain that my abortion had caused me. It hurt too much to allow myself to feel the pain that it caused, so I chose not to think about it when it came to mind. I would physically walk away from conversations that would have to do with abortion. I did not want to talk about it, and I could not even bring myself to say the word “abortion”. I was so ashamed of what I had done. I feared “what would people think if they knew?”

After our conversation, Karen decided to make an ultrasound appointment. Karen came for the ultrasound the next day and was excited to see her baby and hear a heartbeat. After the ultrasound, Karen shared that she talked with her boyfriend the night before and that he told her that he really didn’t want her to have an abortion. He was concerned about how an abortion was going to affect her, both physically and psychologically. He knew that things were going to change for them but that together they would work it out.

On my way to work that following Friday, I was in tears thinking about Karen and her situation. I was once again reminded of how God told me that He would turn my past abortion around and use it for His good, if I would allow Him to. It hit me that it was April 16 th; the anniversary date of my abortion. This day had haunted me for years, yet God has redeemed it. He had turned it around for something good.

~Angie

If you're experiencing emotional pain associated with your past abortion, please contact the Harrisonburg Pregnancy Center today.