Many of you are aware of Abby's story. She was with Planned Parenthood for 8 years, the last 2 as a clinic Director. She left Planned Parenthood after viewing an ultrasound-guided abortion. That was BIG news for pro-lifers. I blogged about it at the time.
Although I am ecstatic when a pro-abort becomes pro-life, I must admit I approached Abby's story with a great deal of skepticism: How could someone work at Planned Parenthood for 8 years and not be fully aware of, and horrified by, the reality of what abortion does?
Abby's desire was to help women and reduce abortions. The fact that she wanted to reduce them is indicative that she knew abortion is wrong. In order to keep working at Planned Parenthood, she had to ignore her conscience. It was a gradual process, but eventually she was able to leave Planned Parenthood.
The part that most caught my attention was the pro-lifers who prayed outside the clinic. At first, there were a couple of extremists such as someone dressed as the grim reaper and others with large graphic pictures of aborted babies. I pray outside an abortion clinic and I know how some well-intentioned people like this can actually hinder the pro-life cause. It was the Coalition for Life that made the pro-life witness there more effective by making it more prayerful. They also helped Abby when she made the decision to leave Planned Parenthood.
Abby left a Christian church that was pro-life because of her position at Planned Parenthood. She found a pro-choice Christian church to attend, but later had to leave there when she became pro-life. The BIG hole in this story is that there is no discussion of when/how Abby became Catholic.
Abby left a Christian church that was pro-life because of her position at Planned Parenthood. She found a pro-choice Christian church to attend, but later had to leave there when she became pro-life. The BIG hole in this story is that there is no discussion of when/how Abby became Catholic.
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2 comments:
"I pray outside an abortion clinic and I know how some well-intentioned people like this can actually hinder the pro-life cause."
OK. Cool. But, why are you still using the ugly phrase "Pro-abort" to describe a human being who disagrees with you? It's an ugly, ugly phrase (especially the way some extremists gleefully say it, with a hateful emphasis on the "bort" sound), and only drives people on the cusp away from anything else you might have to say. Isn't part of loving your enemy using the names for them that they have chosen for themselves? How would you feel reading an article on abort where pro-life people were consistently talked about as "anti-woman?" Using the phrase "pro-abort" is a self-indulgence we can't afford. Would it really hurt so much to take the least offensive route and use "pro-choice" as the default phrase? Then, some folks on the cusp might be willing to read the rest of what you say.
@ Kell
"Pro-abortion" is the proper term. "Pro-choice" is the default because we allowed them to use the term that would smooth the way into the mainstream of American "freedom words". It's unAmerican to be against choice.
The book reviewed here is the abridged Tyndale/Salt River edition. Ignatius Press publishes the full version (and will have more copies available soon), with Abby's conversion and subsequent decision to become anti-contraception as well. Tyndale is a Protestant publisher, so the abridgment is unsurprising.
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