Washington Woman Shares Abortion Testimony with National Audience

During my 5 years as Regional Coordinator for the Washington state Silent No More Awareness Campaign I met so many great post-abortive women. One of them was Nancy Murray. I recently reconnected with her and discovered that she has recetly shared her testimony in the Celebrate Life magazine. It's a beautiful story of mercy and forgiveness.

She is a writer in Richland, Washington and blogs at Catholic Ethics.

If you are hurting after an abortion there is hope. See Project Rachel or Silent No More Awareness Campaign.

If you live in Washington state it's not to late to join the next post-abortion healing retreat:

Hope and Healing After Abortion

Healing and hope are awaiting you on a Rachel’s Vineyard Retreat™.
Next retreat: May 3-5, 2013

Call Valerie: 1-800-822-HOPE (4673)
You are loved with an everlasting Love!

Project Rachel is a program of Catholic Community Services.

Silent No More Awareness Campaign to Speak on Campus of University of Washington

Come hear the truth about abortion from women who've experienced it.

-- What: Women who’ve had abortions share their personal testimony.

-- Location: Red Square, on the campus of the University of Washington.
-- Time: Testimonies start about 11:30 a.m.
-- Date: Wednesday, April 7, 2010

Find out more about the Silent No More Awareness Campaign.

Read testimonies from women who've had abortions.

Video from 2010 March for Life

Spokane Falls Community College Claims Pro-life Speech Against Washington Law; McKenna's Office to Defend College

Not to be believed, but yes, SFCC "threatened Beth Sheeran and members of a Christian student group with disciplinary measures, including expulsion, if they chose to hold a pro-life event on campus to share information with other students because the message was 'discriminatory' and did not include a pro-abortion viewpoint."

Read the whole story from the ADF who is representing the students in their law suit against SFCC.

Here's the offending flyer the pro-life students wanted posted in a display case.

What these pro-life students went through, not only with the school administration but with their faculty advisory is outrageous.

Not only were they told that their "pro-life display was 'offensive' and 'discriminatory,' they were also required to also present the opposite point of view during the event.

But here's another whopper, "Defendant McKenzie (Director of Student Funded Programs at the College) also told SFCF’s (Spokane Falls Christian Fellowship) president that Washington is a “pro-choice” state, so SFCF could not use state money for “non-pro-choice” speech events.

And it gets worse, Ms. Kurtz, a professor of English at the College and SFCF faculty advisor, told Ms. Sheeran and SFCF members that the pro-life event violated state law according to Wash. Admin. Code § 132Q-30-242. (Verified Complaint of Plaintiff: pp 10-11) She capped that information off with a lovely, “You don’t want to be expelled, do you?”

How did this woman get selected as faculty advisor to a pro-life group?!

According to the student newspaper The Communicator, the CCS (Community Colleges of Spokane) will be represented by Wash. State Attorney General's Office representative, Jerry Cartwright. Yep. That would be Rob "I will defend a woman's right to choose at every opportunity" McKenna's office.

A preliminary hearing has been set for April 29 at 3:00 p.m. at the Federal District Courthouse in Spokane. Sheeran will have the opportunity to present her case at the hearing.

I think I know some pro-lifers who are going to be paying a visit to SFCC in the near future.

More Photos from Washington State March for Life 2009

Check them out at the Gospel of Life Institute.

More from Olympia 2009 Pro-life Week

--Artistic and emotional pictures from Andrew St. Hilaire at The Transient Hour. 1/20/09

Here are the slide shows I took: (Send me links to your pics at the March or other events from the week.)

--Tuesday January 20th, 2009

March for Life Olympia 2009

--January 22, 2009

Roe v Wade Day Olympia, Washington (Caution: some graphic photos are visible.)

--Article by Adam Wilson blog in the Olympian. 1/20/09

--KOMO news video of March for Life Olympia. 1/20/09

--Video from the Olympian of the 36th Anniversary of Roe v Wade in Olympia, January 22, 2009 -- Includes Silent No More Awareness! 1/22/09

--Article in the Olympian on the March for Life. Washington DC. 1/22/09

Why Abortion is Legal in Washington

The myth goes something like this -- The enlightened people of Washington state, freed from the shackles of religion (especially all things Catholic), and in their infinite wisdom and goodness came together through the democratic process to support and embrace unlimited abortion for the good of all women. It was democracy's finest hour.

I think it should be fairly obvious to any unbiased observer that the "will of the people" has very little to do with the unbridled access to and promotion of abortion in this state. It should also be fairly obvious that most people do not want to support the killing of unborn children.

1) The abortion lobby has been able to buy the laws and politicians (the stupid or cowardly or power-hungry of both parties) unwilling to make any changes in our abortion laws.

2) Most people in the state are indifferent to, ignorant about or fearful to confront the problem of abortion.

3) Washington elites in business, government, media, law and education want abortion legal and they will lie, cheat and steal to keep it that way.

4) The people who have the will to change the state's abortion regime are powerless to bring about change through legislative means at this time, and

5) The Catholic Church leadership and groups within the Archdiocese of Seattle have been negligent in their duty to educate the faithful about the crime of abortion and, at some point decided that in exchange for financial largess from the state for their charitable works they would not fight the state on abortion.

Now we have the pictures to prove it.

March for Life Olympia, WA -- 2009

This slideshow is from Tuesday January 20th, 2009. Look at all the people!

Roe v Wade Day Olympia, Washington (Caution: some graphic photos are visible.)

This slideshow is from January 22, 2009 the 36th anniversary of Roe v. Wade. The pro-choice crowd did not quite gather the four to seven thousand the pro-lifers did two days before.

If the media ever got around to reporting the truth about abortion instead of marketing it free of charge, and if the government's inordinate involvement in abortion, including the millions upon millions of dollars they shovel to the abortion industry each year, ever ceased abortion would be gone in a heartbeat.

Post-Abortion Testimony

I love this testimony. My friend Ellen is featured in it. It's from a magazine article that was published in December of last year but as I was reading it again tonight I realized how many parts of her story I could relate to and thought others might as well.

Now I have nothing but the peace, joy, love and hope of lving in the life of Christ. Every year my life gets better. I’m in a place of joy,” she says.

Ellen Egge has a story worth sharing.

Story starts on Page 10.

Thank You Western for Life!

The Silent No More Awareness Campaign of Washington state headed to Bellingham last night and made a presentation to the students on campus. The students were fantstic and we were able to talk with one man who was grieving that loss of his child to abortion.

The students graciously made all arrangements for a room and microphone. We spoke for about an hour and then took questions from the audience. One of the students video recorded our presentation. Hopefully, we can get that on the internet in the next few days.

This is a great campus of pro-life students. They invited us back, perhaps in the fall of 2008 to present our message to a larger audience.

Reality Check

I thought I'd take an opportunity to share a few thoughts I had on the Silent No More Awareness Campaign and the courageous women and men who give testimony.

This week's Fortune magazine features a cover story on Melinda Gates, wife of local billionaire Bill Gates

The headline inside the magazine is -- Melinda Gates goes public. The author says, "Melinda has sacrificed privacy, security, simplicity, and normalcy." It goes on to describe Mrs. Gates working hard at her children's school during the day and then hosting a dozen dinner guests, including four African health ministers. But it is this paragraph that really hit me:

By 10 P.M., after everyone had left, she was feeling frazzled and panicky about her speech the next morning. "Just go to bed!" Bill told her. "You know so much about malaria." Melinda dreads the spotlight, but the following morning she faced more than 300 scientists, doctors, and health officials. She unveiled an audacious plan to eradicate malaria - a disease that kills more than one million people annually and has eluded a cure for centuries - and then answered questions with Bill. Afterward the crowd buzzed about this woman whom even they, recipients of the Gateses' billions, hardly know.

I applaud Melinda for her efforts to help eradicate malaria (don't get me started on her support for Planned Parenthood and population control efforts), but I couldn't help thinking --She really has no idea. Here is a woman with wealth, the "right" clothes, stylists, assistants, trainers, cooks and every convenience to make her every move just right; with thousands of adoring VIPs, world leaders, and rock stars who travel half way around the world to sit at her feet hoping that she will bestow some of her fortune upon them, and she's feeling frazzled and panicky?

What a contrast with the women of SNMA who truly "go public" under circumstances in complete contrast to Melinda Gates. I know many of you struggle long hours over your testimony -- what will you say, how will you say it in only 2 minutes, and most importantly how can I reach that one woman who needs to hear my story? Many of you are up way past 10 pm after a long day of work, cooking, cleaning, and attending to children, family, and friends. You know more about abortion than you ever wanted to know. What you are going to say at a SNMA gathering is something many people don't want to hear and may try to prevent you from saying. You know who you are going to face but it could by anybody. Your testimony is audacious. You dread the "spotlight" and perhaps wish it wasn't you standing in it but learned along the way that God's will is the most important thing in the universe. While you speak, the crowd goes so silent you can hear a pin drop. A few tears fall silently to the ground. The shock and sound of applause at the end pushes all your emotions to the margins; all because you refused to be silent. You are handing out the truth. Who knew people were so desperate to get some?

All of us have sacrificed privacy, security, simplicity by doing what we do as participants in SNMA. However, in contrast to Mrs. Gates I think we have actually gained "normalcy". It's when we are hiding and afraid of what might happen if we speak out that things don't seem right, a little 'off', that we aren't being true to ourselves and God. Sadly our whole culture appears to be living this inverted idea of what is "normal". It seems to be on a flight from reality. Thanks to SNMA I've begun to see that "normal" means speaking the truth and then living it. That's reality. We need to recapture that for ourselves and our culture. Thank you for being silent no more.

Here are the details on the January 16th event:
DATE and TIME
WHO: Silent No More Awareness Campaign
WHAT: Powerful testimonies revealing the truth about abortion
WHEN: Wednesday, January 16th,7:00 pm
WHERE: Campus of WWU, NOTE NEW ROOM: Bond Hall, Room 109, Bellingham, Washington
SPONSORS: Western for Life and Silent No More Awareness Campaign

Silent No More Awareness Campaign Travels to Campus of WWU

Late last year the Silent No More Awareness Campaign was graciously invited to the campus of Western Washington University to give testimony about the reality of abortion. We accepted and we will be on campus January 16th, 2008 at 7:00 pm. We are tentatively scheduled to be in Fraser Hall, Room 2. Please join us!

I hope to have lots of good photos for posting here.

Below is our press release.

__________

Local Women Speak Truth to Power
Women Deserve to Know the Truth

Bellingham, Washington – It is one of the most common surgical procedures done on women every day in this country but rarely do you hear anyone talk about it. Until now. On Wednesday, January 16th, at 7:00 pm the Silent No More Awareness Campaign will come to the campus of Western Washington University and speak the truth about abortion -- What really happens during and after an abortion. What they heard and what they saw. They believe women deserve to know the truth about the emotional pain after abortion, and also the help that is available for those who are suffering as they once did.

In one of the most daring developments since the landmark Roe vs. Wade decision 34 years ago, thousands of women across the nation are telling the truth about suicidal thoughts, infertility, alcoholism, drug overdose, nightmares, and giving up hope—all because of having an abortion.

According to Nancy Johnson, co-Regional Coordinator for the Campaign, “The abortion industry has sugar-coated abortion with slogans and medical jargon. The fact is abortion affects women emotionally, physically and spiritually. We won’t allow the abortion industry to speak for us any longer.”

Silent No More’s effectiveness is seen in an increase of the number of people seeking abortion after-care programs. While the American Psychological Association convenes a task force to look at the issue of the withdrawal of an official statement denying a link between abortion and psychological harm, 15 of Great Britain’s leading obstetricians and psychiatrists penned an open letter to the London Times acknowledging the psychological consequences of abortions. Clearly, women deserve to hear the truth about abortion.

Since officially launching the Silent No More Awareness Campaign in 2003, 2,356 women and men have shared testimonies at 201 Gatherings that have occurred in 44 states and 6 countries with more than 15,931 spectators having heard the truth about abortion’s negative after-affects. More than 6,800 people have registered online to be silent no more. The Campaign is sponsored by Anglicans for Life and Priests for Life. Visit http://www.silentnomoreawareness.org/.

DATE and TIME

WHO: Silent No More Awareness Campaign
WHAT: Powerful testimonies revealing the truth about abortion
WHEN: Wednesday, January 16th,7:00 pm
WHERE: Campus of WWU, Room TBD, Bellingham, Wash
SPONSORS: Western for Life and Silent No More Awareness Campaign

Seattle Reacts to Post-Abortion Story

Debbie Schneider's Guest Editorial in Friday's Seattle PI brought 65 comments in the "Sound Off" section.

The pro-abortion side trotted out the shop worn arguments -- It's not a baby. It was her "choice." It's her own fault since she didn't have sex ed or take precautions. Abortion is safer than childbirth. Post-abortive women are mentally ill, etc.

There were however some thoughtful comments from people who were sympathetic to Debbie and seemed to have true compassion. One person asked this question:

In regards to depression, does anyone know of any studies that compare rates of depression after abortion to rates of depression after child birth? Maybe post-abortion depression is simply akin to post partem(sp?) depression some women get after child birth.

The recent New Zealand study is one that may touch on that.

There was also this honest comment:

Speaking as someone who is rabidly pro-choice but just as rabidly anti-abortion in my personal life, I want to say thanks to Ms. Schneider. Hearing the views of someone who has gone through it gives me more pause for thought on the subject. I still come down on the side of pro-choice, but I believe the issues you raised are valid and worth discussion.

One man also identified himself as having 5 aborted children. His defense of abortion seemed based on the fact that he needed those 5 abortions at the time and the "Christian right" would have prevented them from happening.

Several post-abortive women also posted.

Valerie Jacobs of Project Rachel of Western Washington posted this comment in response to "WizardMan":
1) Abstinence is the only form of contraception that is 100% effective, even when used 100% appropriately. I have worked with many women who reported becoming pregnant while using various forms. Contraception is marketed and used as though it is a gaurantee of sexual activity without consequences. Teen women are not stupid or lazy for this. They do not need more sex education; they need different sex education.

2) According to Webster's, the definition of "fetus" is "unborn young." The definition of "embryo" is "an animal in the earliest stages of development in the uterus" [Gr. embryon, embryo, fetus, thing newly born.] To say that an embryo is not a human life is like saying a child is not a human life because it is not an adult. There is indeed a heartbeat at 18-24 days. At 43 days the brain coordinates movement. At 8 weeks all organs are functioning. At 9 weeks the unborn child has indivdual, uniquely identifying fingerprints. This is all well within the first trimester. Before the miracle of life became a political football, medical texts clearly stated that "a new human life begins at conception." Perhaps a few pictures would help WizardMan dispel his ignorance of these scientific facts. If he is not too lazy, I suggest he go to his local library.

3) To equate spontaneous abortion with induced abortion is like equating the devastation of an earthquake with exploding a bomb.

4) Shortly after an abortion women may experience either relief or devastating grief, which can include anger and depression (a form of anger directed inward). Until recently, the vast majority of studies took place less than 12 months post-abortion. This is the time frame we often see "relief" and "emotional numbing." When I reviewed the literature 13 years ago, what I found showed on average that 10% of women were affected in some significant way after abortion. Furthermore, I also found that individual studies showed that anywhere from 1% to 90% of women were affected. Much depended on what what was studied, ie depression, suicidality, etc, and when it was studied (how long after the abortion). Studies done further from the abortion event (3-5 years) yielded more and greater negative effects. This delayed result is exactly what is well known and recogized in the field of post traumatic stress disorder. Recently, an excellent long term study was completed by a researcher in New Zealand who describes himself as "pro-choice." Ground breaking in its scope, this study found a significant link between abortion and mental health and dispels the notion that this is due to prior mental health issues. Whatever "medical text" WizardMan is quoting from may have to be amended. Science will always eventually correct itself if it remains free from political bias.

5) WizardMan's last paragraph is so full of distracting, irrelevant and prejudiced characterizations as to be unworthy of response.

6) One final note. I have personally spoken to and worked with over 1500 post-aborted women (and a few men) to help them pick up the pieces of their lives and heal the scars following this "unchoice." Depression is frequent as is loss of trust in themselves and in relationships. Women's stories are often filled with anger toward men like WizardMan who are calloused toward the life their girlfriends carry and who abandon them emotionally with the politically correct response, "Well, it's your choice." In most cases, these relationships break up and the men involved remain oblivious to the emotional devastation left behind. Women often ask me, "Does he ever think of our child? Did he ever suffer as I have over this choice? It is incredibly healing when some of those women discover that, indeed, he did and does.

Silent No More Awareness Campaign and Norma McCorvey Join Forces to Fight Abortion

It's been a great couple of months for the pro-life movement and we aren't even a third of the way through 2007.

First, thanks to the generous donations of many people around the state and one from New York the Silent No More Awareness Campaign was able to run this quarter page ad in the Tacoma News Tribune on January 22, 2007.

Second, the 40 Days for Life Campaign is going strong and steady. Planned Parenthood and the Kitsap Sun continue to fantasize about a "spur in giving" to Planned Parenthood due to their "pledge-a-picketer" program. However, that same campaign marked the beginning of the end for Seattle's Aradia abortion mill earlier this year when they tried it to combat the presence of the Helpers of God's Precious Infants.

I don't think a message focused on greed really resonates with the public. Here's a line from Marcy Bloom, former executive director of Aradia, a full four years before their near bankruptcy:

I truly wish we had more money.

Many quotes and proverbs relating the money come to mind -- Money is the root of all evil, for instance. None of them bode too well for those who put trust in the almighty dollar as their lord and savior. Most apropos of the abortion industry? --Men are apt to prefer a prosperous error to an afflicted truth.

Finally, over the weekend, the Knights of Columbus in Kennewick sponsored the 3rd annual It's About Life Conference. It was a smashing success and it had nothing to do with money.

Dot Redmann of Silent No More Awareness Campaign was featured in much of the press coverage. Both her and Norma McCorvey, "Roe" of Roe v. Wade, shared a table during the conference. I bought a copy of Norma's book Won by Love, which she graciously signed for me. I highly recommend it.

KPER TV (Great video. Interview with Dot and SNMA "I Regret My Abortion" signs.)
KVEW TV, ABC affiliate. (Be sure to watch the video in addition to the story.)
KNDO TV, NBC affiliate. (Be sure to watch the video in addition to the story.)
KPER TV (Interview with Norma McCorvey outside Kennewick Planned Parenthood.)

Scary Post-Abortive Women

Some magazine I've never heard of but is apparently very popular in Seattle includes this article in their October issue belittling the pro-woman aspect of the pro-life movement in general and the South Dakota abortion ban in particular.

Scare-quote award of the week goes to the use of "post-abortive women" in this sentence -- "...a busload of “post-abortive women," called the Fleet for Little Feet...”

As one of our Washington Silent No More Awareness speakers said this year after the Feds beefed up their presence at our silent vigil outside Washington NARAL's January 2006 Pro-Roe rally, "Lee Anne and I should feel flattered that we would warrant an increase in the police protection. Let's see that is 3 policeman each for both of us. We are a couple of really scary post abortive women with a lot of positive anger!"

(On a side note: Authors Reva Siegel and Sarah Blustain need to connect with the advertising department, which seems to be at least a little more clued in to reality as evidenced by the fact that they have a 3-inch banner ad linking to Feminists for Life's "Pro-Woman Answers to Pro-Choice Questions." Or maybe they just need the money.)

Silent No More Awareness Seattle

Let's consider abortion from the perspective of those who have personally experienced it. The Silent No More Awareness Campaign is holding an event in Washington state on Saturday October 1st, 2005 at 12:30 pm at Westlake Park in Downtown Seattle to bring women and men together to share the truth about the emotional, spiritual and physical consequences they have lived with after their abortion. Many women and men suffer in silence from their abortion experience; it is time for them to know that help is available and they can be set free from their pain.