I had no other option. My parents were going to kick me out of the house. I had nowhere to live. I didn’t have a job, as I was in school. My boyfriend was pressuring me to get an abortion. He didn’t want to be a father. He didn’t love me. I was desperate. And trapped. And scared.
These are the words of a young girl in a Hearts Restored support group. The definition of despair is to have no hope. Change looks impossible. Safety is out of reach. Feminist Frederica Matthewes-Green declared, “No woman wants an abortion as she wants an ice cream cone or a Porsche. She wants an abortion as an animal caught in a trap wants to gnaw off its own leg.”
After hearing stories from many post-abortive women, we realize the word pro-choice is not used, as they describe their moment of saying yes to abortion. It was a necessity for coping with the unplanned pregnancy. Many agonize that they had no other choice.
Hearts Restored, a program of Clarity, offers a choice – a choice to heal. Post-abortive women and men often remain silent about their choice to end the life of their child. They carry the burden of the secret buried deep. Unresolved grief of that loss often plays into negative emotions and behaviors.
How can those women and men find freedom and peace? How can they face the regret about their past choice? Is there an option today for escaping the despair and pain?
Today, they can choose to restore a broken heart by walking through a healing journey. Hearts Restored offers small, confidential support group studies for women and men. There is power in a small group, as participants hear and understand that they are not alone. Others in the group feel the same way. Others coped the same way. The words, “Me too”, are often heard in that safe circle of a recovery group.
1 out 3 women by age 45 had an abortion. You know someone. Tell them about this choice to heal. Freedom awaits those who say yes today!
Confidential contacts*:
Sue at 812.567.3150 or WomensHeartsRestored@claritycares.org
Don at 812.720.0802 or MensHeartsRestored@claritycares.org (Don will meet one-on-one with any man willing to find freedom)
*Your privacy is protected, as Sue and Don are the only ones at Clarity who will know your name.