Imagine that . . . . (Part 2)

Imagine that you're in your sixties and hiding a deep dark secret.

When you were young, you were a flower-child, living in the Haight-Ashberry district of San Francisco. You participated in Woodstock, smoked pot, chanted "make love, not war." And you did make love, indiscriminately. Then you got pregnant.

At the time they told you it was merely a blob of tissue, nothing to be concerned about. They told you where to go to get an abortion--and you did. You never felt good about it but managed to push it back into the recesses of your mind. Eventually you left the "wild side," married and moved on.

Sadly, you were never able to have children: the doctor said there was scar tissue from your earlier abortion. You attended all your friends' baby showers and winced every time someone asked you and your husband, "When are you two ever going to have children?" Finally they quit asking.

One day you saw an ultrasound picture of a fetus at 12 weeks gestation--about the age of the "blob of tissue" you aborted. Your heart sank as reality hit. This was a baby! The only baby you would ever have!

Imagine how you would feel . . . .

For years you resented Christians. They seemed so judgmental, particularly when it came to abortion. All they seemed to talk about was babies and how terrible women were who aborted them. Didn't they know how much you were suffering?

But one day Christ's voice spoke to your heart and you responded to Him.

Now you sit in church, terrified that one of those Christians will find out that you are a "murderer." Maybe they'll toss you out of the church. Every Sunday you leave the minute the service is over and you sit on your hands every time someone asks for help that you know you can give. But you don't dare risk letting anyone get to know you. They might find out your secret . . . and then what would happen?

Imagine how you would feel if you were this woman.

Unfortunately, she has yet to discover that there are countless Christians who want to help women like her. Across the country, women with prior abortions find listening ears and outstretched arms at more than three thousand pregnancy resource centers, financed largely by the Christian community. In safe, confidential, non-judgmental settings, most of these centers offer Bible-based support groups for women suffering with post-abortion stress. To find the center nearest you, visit their website at www.pregnancycenters.org or call (800) 395-HELP.

We never know what goes on behind closed doors in our own neighborhoods. Nor can we guess the pain behind the forced smile of the older woman sitting next to us in church. But we can pray and we can support organizations that offer the help these women need.