By Micaiah Bilger
Life News
Note: This Life News story was originally published in January 2016.
When the U.S. Supreme Court justices handed down the infamous abortion decision Roe v. Wade 43 years ago, few realized the impact it would have on millions of lives.
The devastating effects of Roe are far-reaching. More than 58 million babies have died as a result of legalized abortion, and countless women and men are living with the pain and regret of their decision.
When pro-lifers gather for the annual March for Life in Washington, D.C., each year, they recognize that the victims of abortion include more than just the unborn. Every year, women and men with the Silent No More Awareness Campaign stand on the U.S. Supreme Court steps and talk about how abortions hurt their lives and killed their unborn babies.
Theirs are the stories that abortion advocates try desperately to silence with their own campaigns touting how aborting their unborn babies helped them. Pro-abortion efforts such as the 1 in 3 Campaign and #shoutmyabortion have gained attention from Hollywood and the mainstream media recently. But these campaigns only tell one side of the story, one that fits the abortion industry’s agenda.
Stories by volunteers with Silent No More ruin abortion activists’ claim that women need abortions to be successful. Their stories speak to the horrific truth that abortion kills innocent babies and often damages their mothers and fathers for a lifetime.
“There’s more conversation than ever before about abortion,” noted Georgette Forney, co-founder of the Silent No More campaign. “It’s important that our voices are heard.”Among those giving testimony this year at the March for Life were Priests for Life’s Father Stephen Imbarrato, who lost twins to abortion when he was a young man. In 1974, he said, “I did not stand up for my girlfriend when I got her pregnant,” and today he counts himself as sharing the guilt for her decision to abort. He was the first man to join the Silent No More campaign.
Imbarrato and his fellow pro-life speakers hope their stories will encourage pregnant women to make better decisions for themselves and their children.
“I’ve seen a lot of coverage of #shoutmyabortion and about actresses reading abortion stories, but the women and men of Silent No More have been speaking out about their abortions for more than a decade,” said Janet Morana, co-founder of Silent No More.Cullen Herout, writing for The Blaze, shared his experience working with post-abortive women:
I have heard and read countless stories from women who have had abortions. Each story is different, each has different characters, is based in a different location, has different explanations and reasons for choosing abortion. The emotions range widely: some experience sadness, grief, loss. Others experience regret, shame, or an unwillingness to forgive themselves.
Still others experience isolation or a raw emptiness of being unable to experience any emotion at all. Some have dissociated themselves from the experience, or buried it so deeply within themselves that no matter how badly they want to discuss it, they have difficulty. The men oftentimes are also consumed by loss, regret, and a feeling of helplessness about their past.
I’ve heard the sorrow. I’ve heard the grief. I’ve heard the torment, the angst, and the shame. I’ve listened to the regret, the guilt, the helplessness. I’ve seen the tears, the emotional blockades, the defense mechanisms. Still more, I’ve heard women who have been silenced by the pain and the hurt. They have learned they cannot speak out, and so they have kept their stories to themselves. They have been silent for years, sometimes decades. It’s tragic. It’s heartbreaking. It’s eye-opening.
The hurting women and men with Silent No More may have denied their babies a voice, but, through their pain, they are using their voices to give other babies a chance at life. And their stories — which also are the stories of their unborn babies — deserve to be heard.
I’ve heard the sorrow. I’ve heard the grief. I’ve heard the torment, the angst, and the shame. I’ve listened to the regret, the guilt, the helplessness. I’ve seen the tears, the emotional blockades, the defense mechanisms. Still more, I’ve heard women who have been silenced by the pain and the hurt. They have learned they cannot speak out, and so they have kept their stories to themselves. They have been silent for years, sometimes decades. It’s tragic. It’s heartbreaking. It’s eye-opening.
The hurting women and men with Silent No More may have denied their babies a voice, but, through their pain, they are using their voices to give other babies a chance at life. And their stories — which also are the stories of their unborn babies — deserve to be heard.
Voices for Life is an e-publication dedicated to informing and educating the public on pro-life and pro-family issues. To read our Mission Statement, use this link. Follow us on Facebook, Google, and Pinterest. Help us spread the pro-life message by sharing our articles on your favorite social networks.
Pregnant, need help or know someone who does?
National Hotline: Call 1-800-712-HELP or Text 'HELPLINE' to 313131.
In Southeast Penna: Call the Community Women's Center at 215-826-8090
If you or someone you know is suffering after abortion, confidential non-judgmental help is available. Call Project Rachel's national toll-free number 888-456-HOPE (4673) or visit hopeafterabortion.org.
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