One day, I’ll have an abortion.
That’s not a thought that any young girl has, but for nearly one in four, it’s a heartbreaking reality: According to the Guttmacher Institute, the research arm of abortion-rights activists, 23.7% of women will have an abortion by age 45.
And no young woman, after walking out of an abortion clinic, thinks she’ll have another abortion. But 50% of them do.
Broken relationships run deep with women who have experienced abortion. Time and time again, we can trace the “choice” to have an abortion back to childhood relationships within the family. That was certainly the case for Lilly.
Lilly had two abortions when she was a teenager in boarding school. Lilly felt that her mother never really wanted her. She never knew her father. Her mother told her that she wanted Lilly because she thought it would make her then-current partner stay. Lilly later learned that her father had gone to jail before she was even born. She desperately wanted to be loved for the beautiful, kind young woman that she was, and when a young man at her boarding school began to pay attention to her, she thought she had found true love.
Soon after the relationship began, Lilly found out that she was pregnant. She faced tremendous pressure from all sides – and mostly from her mother – to end the pregnancy quickly. Lilly was heartbroken and felt abandoned by her family. Not long after, with a wounded heart, Lilly sought love, comfort, and security in another relationship and became pregnant again. She hid this pregnancy for as long as possible because she didn’t want another abortion. When her mother found out, she urged Lilly to end this pregnancy too. The threat that she would have to leave school and that her mother would not support her brought her to the breaking point and she yet again had an abortion.
Now 34 years old, Lilly continues to struggle with her abortions. She has since had two children that she loves dearly, but she longs for the two she aborted. She has been in counseling for many, many years and talks to friends about her abortions frequently, but Lilly has never been able to fully heal. Her pastor suggested she reach out to Morning Star for help.
Now, after joining a support group through Morning Star’s HEART program, Lilly finally has hope that she will find the forgiveness and peace that she has been searching for for so long.
One day, I’ll have an abortion.
That statement is true for far too many women. But for the 1200+ women, men, and teens who come to our clinics, it doesn’t have to be. Morning Star’s programs and services help young people heal the broken relationships that lead to abortion and ultimately make a different choice – the choice for Life.
On average, it costs Morning Star $447.49 to provide one individual in our community with Life-affirming services. Through a variety of programs, Morning Star promotes sexual integrity, offers material and health services, and encourages emotional wholeness.
HEART PROGRAM
For a woman like Lilly struggling with the trauma of a past abortion, your gift will provide recovery and healing through Morning Star’s HEART program, which includes individual meetings with trained staff, support groups and scripture-based retreats.
STI TESTING & TREATMENT
For a teenager worried about a sexually-transmitted infection, your gift will provide free STI testing and treatment, as well as help to form healthy relationships that affirm her self-worth and avoid the risky behaviors that lead to abortion.
FATHERHOOD PROGRAM
For a new dad in Morning Star’s Fatherhood Program, your gift will provide resources and help to enable him to support the mother of his child in her pregnancy and to be a positive presence in his child’s life.
COUNSELING & MEDICAL SERVICES
For a new mom considering abortion, your gift will provide the counseling and medical services that empower her to make a choice for Life.
EDUCATION
And through our Live Connected and Feminine Genius classes, she’ll receive education and tools to provide a nurturing and supportive environment for her family, and break the cycle of abortion for the next generation.
CLICK HERE to donate now.
Thank you for believing that every life counts, that every mother’s heart is worth fighting for, and that through God’s grace Morning Star will continue to have a tremendous impact in our community, one life at a time.
God bless you for making a difference in the lives of so many women like Lilly!