A comment I made, became the topic of this article on abortion in cases of rape.

This Prolifeblogs combox discussion brought up the subject of abortion in cases of rape, when a brave woman spoke up:

We are so under represented in the media because it is corrupt and a brainwashing thing when put in the places it is...but we might have to fight back with brutal honesty to show up the lies. I was raped, suppressed it and a growing belly for 7 months, had a baby girl, and placed her for adoption. If you hear anyone use the stupid line again, "well what if you were raped, then why should you have to carry to term a baby?" Pleas refer them to me! I'm sick of them persuading people on stuff they don't even bother asking a real woman that has been through it about! Pro-lifers are tough in general, Pro-choice people are wimps (sorry, but it is true. I bet if we did a survey they would be the ones that cried as a kid if they didn;'t get picked something)
...Why do they assume automatically women can't handle it? Two wrongs dont make a right. I am so mad at the abortion industry, I cant explain it. Its just that they would made it so easy for me to walk in the door and kill my daughter that first day I found out I was pregnant (without telling my parents or anyone first) luckily I didn't thanks to God taking over. My opinion on everything changed full over after just a few days of letting the fact that this is a little life, sink in. But they made it so easy for me to kill my daughter, and since she means the world to me today, this grudge isn't going to ever go away until they are destroyed (the companies like planned parenthood...not the people destroyed)

She isn't the first victim of rape, nor in the minority of them, feeling this way. In replying to help readers know what we've long known from doing our own digging (instead of relying on the mainstream media), we had linked to this original post by friend and fellow blogger Rachael written in 2005, along with our blog's discussion about this very topic that ensued. In it we discuss this phenomenon of how women feel after being raped, some choosing abortion, some feeling duped into choosing it, others not choosing it.
In that AfterAbortion combox, we heard from "Susan G" about her rape experience, and from Julie who wrote that

"my mother was a rape victim at the age of thirteen. Twenty years later, when she sought an abortion for an unwanted pregnancy, she screamed throughout the procedure and had to be held down by nurses. She didn't have to say she was reliving her rape; she looked it during the retelling."

Those who support abortion in the case of rape never probably ever gave that a thought. But some surveys have found that many women do relive their rape experience during an abortion.
Imagine most of our society telling women they should HAVE to relive that experience by getting an abortion? Imagine the pressure??
Unless one has been raped, I don't think any of us can ever imagine what it's like to think about how similarly vulnerable the abortion experience is to that, even if it is supposedly a conscious choice. It's still physically vulnerable. The only way I survived my abortion was to deaden myself for over 20 years, starting with the exact moment I was up on that table spreading my legs for the male abortionist when I really, truly, didn't want to be there but believed I had no other choice, and I really, truly, didn't even think it was happening to me.
So, after redigging through all my prior research and all those horrific memories, images and feelings, I also decided to post this firsthand account which, I was surprised to realize, I'd never posted before. It is from a day in the life of one sidewalk "compassionate counselor," namely me, almost six years ago.]

APRIL 5, 2003, 7-10 am: Four or five turn-aways, plus one mom changed her mind today! God is good. There were not the usual 20-plus moms coming in either. And the "counselor's" car must have broken down since she arrived in a cab. The white male, mid-40ish escort from Westport walked slowly over to the chain-link fence by the alleyway today. The one I was standing behind. My tape player with the embryonic heartbeat tape was turned off for a few minutes. Out of the corner of my eye, I watched him approach, wary that he might try to grab the boombox or me, remembering how Carmen got punched in the eye a month ago by an abortion clinic client who she thought was coming to talk with her.
Instead, he softly said to me, "You're Ann, right?" I was stunned. I had told him my name over a month ago, as he was leaving one day. Then, he hadn't acknowledged me, or told me his name. Abortion clinic escorts are taught to ignore us. BUT HE REMEMBERED MY NAME. I said yes, walking over to him, still separated by the fence. He then asked, "What do you think about abortion in cases of rape or incest?"
I said, "What's your name?" He told me his first name. For this post, though, I'll call him "Carl." I then replied, with pain on my face as though I was talking with a good friend, "Carl, knowing the risks women are exposed to from abortion, between increased risk of breast cancer and infertility, I wouldn't want to subject them to that, especially after the horror of a rape."
He answered, "My sister was raped, and she had an abortion, and she thinks it's the best thing she could do. How can you or anyone think she should have to have a child from such a horrible thing?"
This was not a hostile conversation. He was actually, quietly, engaging me, asking me my honest opinion.
I looked into his eyes and saw the searching, the pain, the anger at the rapist. The love for his sister. I almost cried, but I answered, "Honestly, Carl? Having an abortion is really, only victimizing a woman TWICE. I have endometriosis because of my abortion. I'm at much greater risk for breast cancer. She's now at risk too. And the rape was a violent act, but so is the abortion. Surely, you can see that, from these pictures the others are holding? And as horrible and painful as rape is, abortion for women who've been raped is really only victimizing women and girls TWICE, with a second violent act."
We were still just talking, honestly, pleadingly. No anger whatsoever. It was amazing. It was as if he was searching for some understanding, some clue as to why we really are there. Carl said, "But she is fine with it! And after all, it is her choice. It is up to her, we can't tell her what to do." I replied, "She may be telling you she's fine with it, but she could be in total denial like I was for decades. And to say it's none of anyone's business...really, Carl, that just ignores that there is a human life in there. Do you believe that there is a life in there? Do you believe that God made you and me?"
He said, "You play that heartbeat sound and make a big deal out of it, at 6 or 7 weeks, but that doesn't mean there is a heartbeat on the morning after!" I asked him, "Carl, are you Christian? Do you believe in Jesus Christ?" He answered, "I was raised that way, but...I don't really..."
I said, "So you don't really follow a faith like that anymore, OK, fair enough... But the scientific fact is that that baby has the same number of genes and chromosomes at conception as you and me...even if it doesn't have a heartbeat for 21 days, it's still a human life in there. I can show you scientist after scientist who has proved life begins at conception, that it's a one-celled human organism --"
He cut me off before I could say that, at conception, even a human's potential hair and eye color, height and weight are determined. He said, "To be human, it has to have a consciousness!" I answered, "No, Carl, it doesn't" but he dismissed what I began to say, walking away, exasperated.
I called to him calmly, "Carl, come on, talk with me please. Don't walk away. This is what I believe because of the scientific facts and also because I'm coming from a faith in Jesus Christ, and a belief that God creates all life."
He came back, upset, saying, "Why should she have to be punished by having a baby from a rapist? Are you saying God wanted that to happen to her, to be raped?"
[Sound familiar? Our new President also just said that not long ago, and he got it from the abortion industry's successful miseducation of the American people]
I gazed at him, trying to reach him with compassion, saying, "No, Carl, God didn't want or plan for her to be raped. He loves her, and all of us, and yet even God doesn't stop us from using our free will as that rapist did when he hurt your sister. But God did have a plan for that baby once it was conceived, even despite how it happened. It pains God that the guy did what he did, but God loves all life, and there are many women -- there's one woman right here, today -- who were raped who actually feel, even subconsciously, that keeping the baby is their way to make something good come out of something so bad, they feel as though keeping the baby proves they are better than the rapist. They can conquer the horror by doing something good."
At this, he looked at me incredulously and began to dismiss what I said. I asked him, "Don't you believe that allowing the baby to live is a better thing than what the rapist did to her? Isn't it a better thing to let the baby live?"
"Carl, we are not unfeeling people. My heart breaks for your sister, and especially because she is probably in denial that there really was a baby inside her. It's the only way she can go on thinking she's fine, to deny that. If she admitted it, it would get to her."
He asked me, "What do you think about the morning after pill, then?" I said, "Carl, if the woman is pregnant, that is really making an abortion happen too." He was astounded, throwing up his hands, saying that we were hopeless, starting to walk away. I replied, "Carl, we believe in a God who made us all and also the medical descriptions of the morning after pill show that it can end a pregnancy if conception has taken place. That is where WE are coming from, on this point. The morning after pill has the ability to end a pregnancy if there is one inside the woman, and it IS a life inside her."
Still, he turned and listened, then asked, "Do you think the Pill is OK, then?" I looked so sadly at him, and said, "No, Carl, because that can cause an abortion too, if the woman is pregnant." He was dumbfounded, really walking away then. I still called to him, "Come on, Carl, don't walk away. I listened to you. You asked me what I thought, let me finish telling you. If you believe that God created all of us and all this earth, then you must also believe that He created sex and all the other things we do, like eating. He created sex for two reasons, Carl: to show one other person that we truly love, bond with and give ourselves as a gift in love to that person, and to procreate. If we block one or the other of those purposes, we are playing God, we are blocking God's purposes for Creation. We believe that is wrong to do, especially when it causes an unknown but real abortion. That is why we are against the Pill and the Morning After Pill."
I brought over the lady whose 11-year-old daughter, born from a rapist's act, is the light of her life, and although Carl would not look or come over again, he had to have listened to her. She pulled out a picture of her beautiful daughter, telling him how proud and joyful she is to have her. How she does NOT remind her of her horrible rape so long ago. How she only reminds her of how good God is, and will be to all those who trust Him.
He refused to come back or look at us, but I continued talking to him, quietly, through the fence. "Carl, I'm a single mom, and I'm not in a relationship right now, but if I was, I have decided not to have sex unless and until I marry again because I believe in the reasons for which God gave us sex in the first place. My point in telling you this is that I am not telling anyone to resist something that I don't resist myself."
And I added, "You never know what your sister could really be feeling. She could have bottled it up so tightly. After all, how could she admit to you that she regrets her abortion? YOU come here and help OTHERS have them! She probably thinks you'd dismiss her feelings or even be angry with her. You never know. She's damned if she does admit it and damned if she doesn't. If she tells anyone, some pro-life people -- even some of the ones who are here today, the ones with bullhorns -- will condemn her. And the pro-choice people will call her crazy for feeling regret! They'll say she's unstable and it's all in her head! She CAN'T WIN, Carl. Both sides make it impossible for her to seek healing from her regret and pain. That's why so many women don't talk about their regret, Carl. NO ONE makes it easy."
I asked him, "Would you read some things if I brought you them, next time?" He dismissed it, saying it would only be pro-life-slanted sources. I said, "No, it will be personal stories from women just like your sister." He didn't answer. Then I told him I will be praying for him and for his sister, because I know he feels such pain for her.
That's why he's there. He thinks he's helping others just like her, to get rid of their pain and their shame.

RESOURCES:

1. Hope After Rape; Life After Rape: "The Face of the 'Rape Exception'"
2. Two women have come to the forefront to help women who have become pregnant through rape or incest, children conceived through sexual assault, and women who have had abortions as a result of these crimes (members throughout the U.S.): a) Kay Zibolsky, LIFE AFTER ASSAULT LEAGUE, 1336 West Lindberg St., Appleton, WI 54914. Phone: 920-739-4489.
   Kay is the author of the book, "The Sorrow of Sexual Assault and the Joy of Healing".
   b) Julie Makimaa is a so-called "product of rape" who has done much to bust the myth about abortion being the best choice for rape victims.
   She
   

   "compiled, Victims and Victors: Speaking Out About Their Pregnancies, Abortions, and Children Resulting from Sexual Assault. The book uses the combined experiences of 264 women and children and provides a definitive response to the argument for abortion in assault pregnancies. "She has testified before a number of state legislatures, lobbied Congress and appeared on numerous radio and television talk shows, including Donahue, Geraldo and Sally Jesse Raphael. Her story has appeared in many national newspapers and magazines, including the Los Angeles Times and Washington Times and Glamour."
   

   (She once founded the group called Fortress International, but I think that is no longer active.)
3. Surveys about women who have been raped:

   "In 1981, Dr. Sandra Mahkorn conducted the first major research of pregnant rape victims. She found that 75 to 85 percent chose against abortion."

4. For those skeptics who don't like prolife sources, then go here: Mahkorn, "Pregnancy and Sexual Assault," The Psychological Aspects of Abortion, eds. Mall & Watts, (Washington, D.C., University Publications of America, 1979) 55-69.
5. Feminists for Life
6. Christina Dunigan also has summarized some of these facts well in this article.
7. Since then, apparently, so has at least one other:

   "Professor Stephen Krason points out that "psychological studies have shown that, when given the proper support, most pregnant rape victims progressively change their attitudes about their unborn child from something repulsive to someone who is innocent and uniquely worthwhile."

   That leads to this footnote: "Krason, 284. For an overview of the research, see Sandra Kathleen Mahkorn, "Pregnancy and Sexual Assault," in David Mall and Walter F. Watts, M.D., The Psychological Aspects of Abortion (Washington, D.C.: University Publications of America, 1979), 67-68."
8. That PDF file quotes Dr. Stephen Krason's published book: "Dr. Stephen Krason writes:

   "A number of studies have shown that pregnancy resulting from rape is very uncommon. One, looking at 2190 victims, reported pregnancy in only 0.6 percent."

   (Abortion: Politics, Morality, and the Constitution, book published in 1984 [Lanham, MD: University Press of America, 1984], 283.)
9. One woman's story

We could go on and on.

Categories:

• Culture of Death,
• Life Stories,
• Media,
• Pro-Choice Fallacies,
• Pro-Life,
• Rape/Incest,
• Violence

5 Comments

Samantha | February 8, 2009 5:47 PM | Reply

This a very touching post! I am not religious, however, i have pictures of my daughter's 3D ultrasound at 7 weeks and 5 days and she had a face already! If you'd like a copy, email me. I'd be more than glad to share it!

juda | February 9, 2009 1:55 PM | Reply

Thank you for speaking up for people like me. Yes I was conceived when 8 men raped my mom. Her comment when I finally met her 3 yrs ago(at 48yrs old) was "I couldn't kill a kitten or a puppy, how could I kill an innocent baby?" She knew it wasn't my fault. She is my hero! And now responsible for 4 other humans living- my 2 sons, my grandson and now one other on the way! People shouldn't play God in that they determine who lives and who dies. Having forgiven those men my mother was able to live her life freely. There are many other "rape" stories but because the children are small these stories don't come out. Mothers want to protect themselves and their children. Or because of the stigma involved people fear rejection. I am secure in who I am. God chose a horrible situation to show how powerful He is to change things.I personally know one girl raped by her father and gave birth to a beautiful boy. She is actively involved in his life and the adopted parents are secure enough to agree. Now that's real life and freedom. (yes her father is in jail) I hope people rethink their thinking about life! My book Hostile Conception Living With Purpose can help at www.juda4praise.com

Annie B. | February 12, 2009 11:00 AM | Reply

Four days and not a peep from them.
Leaves them speechless, the pro-choice and pro-abortion folks who come here attacking us...
Their silence here on this post and the other one I posted, Juda's Story (while attacking, trolling and ridiculing us elsewhere on this blog) proves they don't really want to learn anything new. Some folks just don't want to hear the sound discussions answering the very beliefs and questions they put forth, in some cases, tauntingly and derisively.
I wonder if they bothered to read all this and the links provided, at all. Perhaps not.

birthmom.myopenid.com | February 12, 2009 2:03 PM | Reply

Hi!
I'm the girl who wrote the first comment about being raped and giving my child in adoption to a loving family. The one sick of the rape excuse line used by pro-choice activists. I wish they would just ask me once. It would feel so good to say, Yeah what about it, I was raped and I chose life over death...why wouldn't I?
For me the only thing that could of healed my trauma from the rape and allowed me to forgive the rapist as well was because of the birth of my beautiful precious daughter. I'm not saying it would be that way for everyone, but I think there is a much greater chance of being healed that way than through an abortion. An abortion certainty, WON'T heal the pain completely. I am so blessed in so many ways, and so glad it happened to me. My daughter has touched and saved over 100 lives and she isn't eve a year old yet. I'm biased yes, but there is really something amazing about that girl. Her adoptive parents can't explain it either. She radiates love.
She was a miracle in so many ways and shouldn't of survived. It is amazing waht prayers and God's grace can do!
Brooke
thestoryofagirl.com
"I will tell you something beautiful. We are fighting abortion by adoption - by care of the mother and adoption for her baby. We have saved thousands of lives" Mothera Teresa

Praying in the cold pays off

Building on the momentum of the just-finished 40 Days-Dallas vigil at Robinson's abortion center on Record Crossing Rd, and in light of the opening of the new Southwestern late-term abortion center, we have decided not to wait until next spring or fall to hold the next 40 Days for Life-Dallas Prayer Vigil.

Here's the plan
What: Winter 40 Days for Life-Dallas
When: Sat., December 12, 2009 – Fri., January 22, 2010
Where: Southwestern late-term abortion center
Address: 8616 Greenville Ave. (off Royal Ln in north Dallas)

What’s New?
This will be a modified vigil -- instead of 24 or 12 hours per day, we're asking for 4 hours of intense prayer from 8 a.m.- Noon (can adjust on Christmas Day).

We need churches and groups to sign up to adopt these 4-hour prayer vigil days. The minimum needed is two people praying per hour. We pray that God will hear our prayers that there will be at least 8 people of faith per day who are willing to come out and pray at the vigil site at Royal Ln and Greenville Ave during these 40 Days.

Praying in the cold pays off
The first Dallas winter campaign was in 2004 in front of Aaron’s late-term abortion center. The Winter 40 Days Vigil was extremely sacrificial - it was cold and took place over the holiday season. But God honored our sacrifice, and not only did Aaron's late term abortion center close in the summer of 2008, bringing the number of abortion centers in Dallas from six to five, but as you drive eastbound on LBJ Freeway between Preston and Hillcrest, you will see that the former facility where so many babies lost their lives has been leveled to the ground, without even a trace.

Visit http://www.prolifedallas.org/pages/40_Days_Sign_Up to sign up for the 40 Days Winter Campaign. You can also contact Campaign Director Milissa Kukla at 40days@prolifedallas.org.

Catholic Pro-Life Committee


Please help spread the word to others about this critical life-saving prayer effort!  For more information, to adopt a day for your church, or to sign up to pray for a half hour or more at the vigil, contact Campaign Director Milissa Kukla at 972-313-0208, 40days@prolifedallas.org, or visit www.prolifedallas.org/40days. All are welcome!
  Click here to view the list of adopted & available days.
  Click here for event flyer in English.
  Click here for event fler in Spanish.
 

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• A live nativity scene will be set up, to "celebrate life" (deaconforlife.blogspot.com)

Vote YES on the Pitts-Stupak Amendment!!!

Vote on Pro-Life Amendment TODAY!

For the last couple of weeks, SBA List activists and pro-life groups have been lobbying Members of Congress to vote on the only amendment that would explicitly exclude funding for abortion in Pelosi's health care bill. Well, late last night, we found out that TODAY there will be a vote on the Stupak-Pitts Amendment! It all comes down to this vote tonight. I need you to call Rep. Joe Barton immediately.  Tell your Representative to vote YES on the Stupak-Pitts Amendment. This vote is going to be VERY close, so please call right now.   Representatives will be keeping track today of how many calls they receive from back home and if they are undecided on how to vote, how many folks call them will make a difference.  Here are your talking points: The Pitts-Stupak Amendment is the only amendment that provides clear language that prohibits federal funding of elective abortions and plans that cover elective abortions. Vote YES on the Pitts-Stupak Amendment. Here is the number to reach your Representative: Rep. Joe Barton Phone: (202) 225-2002 If you haven't already, please take a look at our new TV ad with Americans United for Life Action and the Stop the Abortion Mandate Coalition here: http://www.youtube.com/user/stopabortionmandate#p/a/u/0/9iPym0GvYEg Please send the video to all of your friends and family and tell them how important it is that they join you in calling today. This is it!  For Life,

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• -Abortion and the HealthCare Bill (answersforthefaith.com)
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• Pelosi Watch: She Moves to Muzzle Pro-Life Leaders in Congress (deaconforlife.blogspot.com)
• Fr. Pavone Responds to Obama's "Plan" (deaconforlife.blogspot.com)
• A New Zealand study that says abortion puts women at increased risk of anxiety and depression (deaconforlife.blogspot.com)

This story is like mine, but so much better!!

Her name is Ann too! I hope I get to talk to her someday soon. Her daughter is like the other side to my story too! Hope someone reads and decides against an abortion today...

Ann and Juda Mye

Late one evening in 1956, a 22-year-old woman walked home alone in the dark from a movie theater – but, as she tells her story, she would not make it to the house before eight young men would brutally beat and rape her in the streets.

The woman, Ann, recalled the horrifying sexual assault in a video about her experience in St. Louis, Mo. This is her story:

"I walked home which was about eight blocks, and when I got close to home there was a used car lot, and there were eight men in there," she said. "They grabbed me and attacked me. And I made it home after they attacked me and beat me up and did a few other things."

A child conceived in rape

Already shaken by the traumatic sexual assault, Ann made a shocking discovery when she went to stay with her parents in Jackson, Miss.

"At that time, I didn't know I was pregnant," she said. "Three months later, I found out I was, and my parents didn't want me to have the baby, let alone keep it."

Her mother insisted that she have an abortion, Ann said. But she adamantly refused.

"I didn't believe in destroying her, so I had her," she said in the video. "And they forced me to give her up."

Now that little baby, Juda Myers, is grown and shares her inspirational story of life.

"She knew I was a human," Myers told WND. "She said she couldn't kill a kitten or a puppy, much less a human baby."

Forgiveness beyond human imagination ... 'Think No Evil' by Jonas Beiler and Shawn Smucker will challenge you to examine your willingness to show grace to those who don't deserve it.

A Methodist minister and a Catholic priest were instrumental in helping Ann follow through with her plan to deliver the baby. The priest took Ann to a Catholic charity in Shreveport, La., where Myers was born.

"She gave me up for adoption," Myers said. "She didn't want to do that, but under the circumstances she had to."

When Ann was recuperating in the home following childbirth, an elderly lady brought the new baby to see her. Ann held the baby often, but when Myers was only 3 months old, she was adopted by another family.

Ann was given a photograph, and it remained her only memory of her baby for 48 years.

A tearful reunion

Myers' new parents

were open about the adoption and told the little girl she was adopted at a very young age.

"My adoptive parents always told me that I was very special because I had two sets of parents," she said. "They insisted on letting me know that I was loved. I did wonder why I was given up."

In 2005, almost 49 years later, Myers said she contacted an agency to help her find her birth mother.

"I wanted to be able to research her address and go there to thank her for giving me life," Myers said. "I wanted to be able to get those words out before she'd say, 'I don't want to have anything to do with you. Leave me alone.'

"All I wanted in life was to thank this woman for giving birth to me."

But Ann called Myers in December and left a voicemail message before Myers could acquire the address.

She said, "Hi, this is Ann, and I'm interested in what you have to say. I'm sorry I missed you. … If you're my long-lost daughter, God bless you. If you're not, give me a call anyway. I'd love to know what you want. God bless you, too."

Myers immediately called Ann, but Ann could not hear her because a group was Christmas caroling in the background.

"I asked, 'Is this Ann?'" Myers recalled. "She said, 'Honey, you are going to have to speak up. I can't hear you.'"

"I shouted, 'As far as I know, I'm your daughter!'"

Ann broke into tears.

"While I was saying this, the choir was in the background singing 'Gloria,'" Myers said with a chuckle.

She arranged to fly to her birth mother's nursing home, but she was apprehensive about the reunion. Would Myers' features remind Ann of her attackers on that horrific night?

"I have bright blue eyes, and I was so afraid that my mother probably would have had brown eyes," she said. "I thought I might look like one of the rapists, and I didn't want to meet her looking like him."

But when Myers approached the reception desk, she heard, "Juda?"

"I turned around, and I saw the brightest blue eyes," she recalled. "It was just amazing to be able to see eyes that resembled mine. It was a surreal moment."

Ann sat in her wheelchair, clutching the photo of her little baby.

"She was holding that picture in her hands after 48 years," Myers said. "She had never let it go."

Message of forgiveness and life

After speaking with her birth mother for more than an hour, Myers asked Ann about the circumstances of her conception. Ann explained that she had been raped by eight young men one night outside of a used car lot in St. Louis when she walked home from the movie.

"I was on my knees, and I was crying," Myers said. "I put my head in her lap and cried."

But Ann's reaction to her daughter's weeping astonished Myers.

"She just patted me and said, 'Honey, stop crying. I've forgiven those men."

She continued, "Look what God has done. He's brought you back to me. God is faithful."

When Myers returned home, she wrote a song for her mother and recorded it on a CD. She titled it "God Is Faithful."

"I went back, and I gave her that song as a gift," Myers said. "As she listened to the song, she just stared at me.

"In my entire life, I have never felt that kind of love. It was the most incredible moment."

Myers said her mother is her "hero" for forgiving her eight attackers and allowing her baby to live.

Because of Ann's decision to save the life of one baby 53 years ago, five people are alive today – including Myer's one-week-old grandbaby. She now has two sons and two grandsons.

Myers' son, Jason, daughter-in-law, Veronica,  and new grandbaby, Jackson (photo: Juda Myers)

Myers, a singer, songwriter, artist and author, wrote a book about her experience titled, "Hostile Conception: Living With A Purpose."

"The main thrust of the book is how to forgive any offense, because my mom forgave," she said. "I forgave."

Now, Myers shares that message, seeking to inspire people wherever she goes. She has been to South Africa and is planning a trip to orphanages in India to share her music and testimony of God's love.

She has accepted an invitation from Harvard Right to Life to speak at Harvard University on Oct. 20. Myers also plans to accompany Molly White, founder and director of Women for Life International, to the United Nation's Commission on the Status of Women's Conference.

Conceived in rape and dedicated to sharing her story of life and forgiveness, Myers urges women to choose life instead of abortion.

She told WND she has an important message for women who experience unplanned pregnancies

:

"If you ever find yourself in this situation, be a hero.
By Chelsea Schilling
© 2009 WorldNetDaily

The truth always works

Planned Parenthood slipped up.

I'm often told that abortion facilities use
ultrasound to let the abortionist know how far along
the pregnancy is -- it apparently makes a difference
in how the abortion will be performed.

But the images are for staff only -- not the mother
of the child whose life is at risk. So please keep
that in mind.

As a 40 Days for Life prayer vigil was under way, a
young woman walked towards the Planned Parenthood
facility in Sarasota, Florida with two friends. She
accepted some information about abortion from a
sidewalk counselor -- but she may have just taken it
so the counselor would leave her alone.

As she entered the abortion center, she handed the
packet to a Planned Parenthood staffer -- who quickly
tossed it in the trash.

About 45 minutes later, however, the woman and her
friends came back out. "They made the mistake of
letting her see the ultrasound picture," said one of
the friends, "and she couldn't go through with it."

The group then asked if they could have another
information package. "She wasn't planning on keeping
the child," the friend explained, "so now she needs
someone to help her." That's exactly what happened
next. The counselor told them of several nearby
pregnancy resource centers that could offer
assistance for this mother and her baby.

"As they left," said Jeanne in Sarasota, "they seemed
pleased. No direct action by any one of our sidewalk
counselors helped save this baby. But the potential
effect of the prayers of several people on the
sidewalk can't be dismissed."

The truth -- and in this case it was an ultrasound
picture that was worth much more than a thousand
words -- cannot be denied.

40 Days for Life vigil participants in Winston-Salem,
North Carolina didn't have to say much to the woman
who arrived for an abortion appointment. She was
still in the early stages of pregnancy, but a
counselor told her that even at 21 days, her baby
already had a heartbeat.

"I had no idea," she said. "I never thought of it
that way." She immediately changed her mind.

Before I formed you in the womb I knew you

We pray for the conversion of all those who refuse to acknowledge that human life belongs only to God.

Scripture:
Then the word of the Lord came to me, saying: "Before I formed you in the womb I knew you; Before you were born I sanctified you; I ordained you a prophet to the nations."
- Jeremiah 1:4-5

Reflection:
To be or not to be? There is no question!

The question of "being" is something philosophers have long pondered. What is the meaning of being and what is the source? In the passage before us, we have our answer. We have being because we are known by God.

For God to declare that he knows and sets apart the prophet Jeremiah even before he is conceived indicates that our being rests in God's own being. Because He is and because He wills we, therefore, are and do. The Apostle Paul says as much when he declares before the philosophers of his day, "In Him we live and move and have our being" (Acts 17:28).

One of the tragedies of the abortion culture is that life in the womb has been so heartbreakingly devalued. To embrace the arguments of the "pro-choice" crowd one must conclude that the child in the womb doesn't exist, isn't there, has no being. But nothing could be further from the truth. That child is known by God and, as such, has being.

Prayer:
Lord God, we confess that in You we live and move and have our being. Because You are, we are. May we find grace from You to affirm the being of every human and may we labor to make this truth known to the world around us. Amen.

Rev. J. Kirk van der Swaagh
Pastor, Conservative Congregational Christian Conference

May we have a heart and a zeal to save the poor and release the oppressed.

May we have a heart and a zeal to save the poor and release the oppressed.

Scripture:

The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me, because He has anointed Me to preach the gospel to the poor; He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed.

-- Luke 4:18-19

Reflection:

This passage is a very familiar one. It has been preached on many occasions, even made popular in books and songs. Though the quote is about Jesus, all Christians take this commission seriously as a directive on how to reach the world with the gospel. We, like our Savior, are to bring the good news to the poor, the broken hearted, those in captivity, those who cannot see, and the oppressed.

The commission given to us in this passage is clearly a charge to care for those for whom God cares the most. I wonder though, whom do we look for to be touched by the Holy Spirit as we go out into the world?

Who are the poor, if not those unborn children who have been abandoned by their parents before they ever leave the womb? Who are the broken hearted, if not those unborn children whose only example of love is having their mother take them to an abortion clinic to be destroyed, or the mother of a child who has been deceived by everyone around her into believing that what she is doing is best for her and her child? Who are the captives, if not those unborn children who are bound over to death by the "choice" of abortion? Who is more blind than an unborn child in the darkness of a womb that has become a waiting room for their death? And who is more oppressed than those unborn children whose oppression has been legitimized by their government, their church and even their family and loved ones.

Prayer:

Lord, You empower us with Your Spirit to do your will in the earth. Send us to the poorest, the most broken, the most captive, the most blind and the most oppressed in the world, the innocent pre-born children in their mother's wombs that are scheduled for destruction. Help us to bring them healing, liberty, sight and justice through Jesus Christ our Lord, Amen.

Fr. Terry Gensemer
National Director, Charismatic Episcopal Church for Life

What are we?

Image of Birth Mom Missions

Birth Mom Missions provides a much needed (and often overlooked) service to women who have placed their child for adoption. We offer guidance before, after and during the adoption process to all women who ask, regardless of their choices made. Much of this is done through phone conversations, emails, letters, prayers and social networking correspondence. We are dedicated to providing nonjudgmental assistance to any woman facing an unplanned pregnancy and guidance for those who choose to become birth mothers.

Two birthmother's began the mission, when they realized the great need for birth mother support before and after an adoption.

We offer local supportive groups (growing nationwide) made up of women who have been through the similar experiences. We want to provide young women in the future with the knowledge and support that we wish we had from a birth mother. Someone who knew what it was like and was totally unbiased. Someone to talk to us, inform us, guide us, emphasize with us, and answer all our silly questions. One goal of the mission is to someday see every pregnant woman that is considering adoption, have at least one birth mother mentor.

The mission touches the lives of those adopted, adoptive parents, hopeful adoptive parents, pregnant woman at risk, the unborn, and other parts of society in ways yet to be seen.

Some background:
It seems that the grief which results from adoption loss more often follows a pattern which is the exact opposite of what one might expect in the case of other losses. I have reached certain conclusions on the grief associated with adoption loss, based on my own experience, the experiences of the women I have encountered and the books on grief and grief counselling which I have read. It became obvious to me that the common models of grief counselling would not work with mothers who had lost children through adoption. I concluded that the grief resulting from the loss of a child through adoption was fundamentally different from other types of grief. I explored grief associated with abortion, with stillbirth and neo-natal death and with loss of custody. Although there were some similarities, it seemed that adoption grief was unique.

This disenfranchised grief is when the grief is connected with a loss which cannot be openly acknowledged, publicly mourned or socially supported. In many cases of disenfranchised grief, the relationship is not recognised, the loss is not recognised or the griever is not recognised. The loss of a child through adoption is usually a loss which cannot be openly acknowledged, which is why mothers often suffer in silence...people who have experienced any type of loss often feel anger, guilt, sadness, depression, hopelessness and numbness and that in cases of disenfranchised grief, these feelings can persist for a very long time. The lack of recognition of their grief often results in them holding on to it more tenaciously than they might otherwise have done.

CONCLUSIONS: The relinquishing mother is at risk for long-term physical, psychological, and social repercussions. Although interventions have been proposed, little is known about their effectiveness in preventing or alleviating these repercussions." Journal of Obstetric, Gynecological and Neonatal Nursing, 1999 Jul-Aug. pp.395-400.

We hope to help this by raising awareness among the community and create services for her recovery.

Many different groups of people fear birth parent grief for many reasons. The old adage goes that people fear what they don't know. So, we would like to shed a little light on why birth parent grief isn't meant to be scary to adoptive parents, adoptees or the general public.

We stress the birth mother aspect because we feel it is what makes us a unique organization and allows us to truly "tell it like it is" to women just like ourselves. Unfortunately we missed out on an older birth mom mentor, but we want to provide help to women in the future that experience an unexpected or crisis pregnancy and choose life. We are dedicated to providing nonjudgmental assistance to any woman facing an unplanned pregnancy and guidance for those who choose to become birth mothers.
Another goal of Birth Mom Missions is to increase media awareness of Birth Mother's day (set in 1990 as the day before mother's day each year)

Founders:

Two birth mother's began this mission when they became aware of the great need for support of birth mother's post adoption. They had "roomed" together in a local adoption agengy dorm. During, their final 3 months of pregnancy. they experienced the good and the bad, the ups and the downs and everything else you could think of...together as birth mothers' of adoption,. They quickly realized just how important their friendship was then and continues to be. They lived with 30 other birth mothers (ages 13 to 40) and wre able to see several different perspectives on adoption from all sides of the triad (as the dorm was at an adoption facility)

(options to bithmom: lifemom, firstmom, tummymom, etc...In actuality most birth moms of adoption don't really care what they are called by the adoptive family and others....as long as they are called.)

The 3 main focuses within Birth Mom Missions are:

1. Support & Advice for Women pre-and post adoption. Sometimes people surrounding adoption can unintentionally cause a birth parent to feel guilty or shameful. Unfortunately, guilt and shame seem to be an ever-evolving presence in the life of a parent who has placed a child for adoption. While no two birth parents are going to experience guilt in the same way throughout their entire journeys, birth parents should find comfort in knowing that some other birth parent, somewhere on this Earth, has felt something similar. While our experiences are unique, the issue is not. You are never alone.

A few of the services we will provide: local & nationwide supportive groups, online live meetings, prayer groups, monthly newsletters, triad forums, a 1-800 phone support line (maintained only by real birth mother's, who have been in a similar situation before,) worksheets and references for before and after to help women process the life changing events that have just occurred, and much more. We also help birth mom's in communication activities with the adoptive parents and help them vocalize all their important questions early.. It can be very intimidating making that first call to tell a couple they are about to have a family. (Many questions you might not think of, with all you have going on,) Most importantly a community of women and supporters of Birth Mom Missions praying for you through it all.

2. Birth Mom's for Life: Mother Teresa says it best, "I will tell you something beautiful. We are fighting abortion by adoption..." Pregnancy is an emotional time for a woman, even under the best of circumstances. She needs someone to lean on, particularly when she is young and inexperienced. In today's society, the "easy" solution of abortion becomes a constant temptation during this time. Our mission is to cherish children, encourage families, and tell women of the experiences we have had and witnessed We offer peer mentoring and support to all mothers who are expecting through pregnancy or adoption, or those who are experiencing the pain of miscarriage, stillbirth, abortion, or infertility. Volunteers offer support in the form of phone calls, cards, prayers, visits, emails, and educational resources

We advocate adoption as an REAL option and go to schools and other locations to spread the word about what an honor it is to be able to give the gift of life! Although it may be hard at sometimes to be a birth mother, we believe it is much harder to suffer an abortion. Some things, like a life, are never easily forgotten.

3. Adoption Celebration, Advocacy & Reform- We want to spread how wonderful adoption can be, but we see some things that could be changed for the better. We were able to see a lot from our perspective, living in an adoption dorm. We also seek to make sure every adoptee knows they are loved and missed everyday. Because the worst pain is that of feeling unwanted. They were always wanted. And finally, we provide a resource for the community to see what real birth mother's are like (instead of the "madefor TV version" many are exposed to) We promote Birth Mother's Day every year, Answering Adoptive parents questions they may have, and alieviate some fears on all sides.

We have a few products for birth mom's at http://zazzle.com/birthmoms for sell, but mainly we would appreciate if you would help us spread the word by joining or telling someone about BirthMomMissions.Com. You can becoming a fan of our facebook page, or many other groups listed on this page.

http://www.facebook.com/adoptionsupport

http://facebook.com/to/adoptionstory

We are just getting started so bear with until we iron out the kinks. Any advice or suggestions are always appreciated. In the first few weeks of our mission, we experienced some domain issues and may have lost some emails sent to us. If you are one of those who never got a reply, please send again and we truly apologize for not responding sooner.

Even More Info:

The truth remains that birth parents have parted with a huge piece of themselves. Even the most independent woman will tell you that having a child changes a woman's view of herself. Placing that child is akin to letting go of a piece of yourself.

The wording often offered up to birth parents searching for some answers comes out something like, "Well, it's for the best." Of course, birth parents can then internalize that well-intentioned placating sentence and start to wonder what is fundamentally wrong with them that their child is better off elsewhere.

Why are we needed? One reason is:

Every year approximately 1.3 million single women become unexpectedly pregnant. Sadly, less than two percent choose the loving option of adoption, while two million couples eagerly wait to adopt children.

(More on Mission Page)

Donations:

Donations are graciously accepted. We hate asking for them though, which is something we will probably have to learn how to do in order to exist! We strive to do what is good and we feel God is calling us to do...if we don't have the funds needed at any certain time, it can be a good indicator that we were not going in the right direction!

If you want to donate, we would greatly appreciate any donations no matter how small! All donors are honored in some way and have full knowledge of where ther money went and how (or who) there money is helping. It is not just a tax deductable charity donation, it's a gift that saves lives and gives women courage and hope in times of weakness. Right now, our 24/7 Crisis pregnancy Hotline and Post Adoption Support gets the most activity and so any small funds would go directly towards that payment. Our online presence is the next area item difficult costly to maintain. We offer individual counseling and spread awareness and love for all those involved in the adoption triad! Let us know how we can help you or if you are interested in getting more involved. Join one of our MANY groups or social networks!

SO IF YOUR ADOPTED, REMEMBER:
Somebody is very proud of you.
Somebody is thinking of you.
Somebody misses you.
Somebody wants to be with you.
Somebody is thankful for you.
Somebody wants to hold your hand.
Somebody hopes everything turns out all right.
Somebody wants you to be happy.
Somebody wants to give you a gift.
Somebody thinks you ARE a gift.
Somebody wants to hug you.
Somebody wants to protect you.
Somebody can't wait to see you.
Somebody loves you for who you are.
Somebody treasures your spirit.
Somebody wants you to know they never forgot you..
Somebody would do anything for you.
Somebody wants to share their dreams with you.
Somebody believes in you.
Somebody will cry when they read this.
Somebody needs you to have faith in them.
Somebody hears a song that reminds them of you.
Somebody hopes you understand.
Somebody wonders if you will love them.
Somebody is your birth mom out there...