Lumina - a ray of light after abortion

We're off to spread Gods Mercy!

Sorry I have not posted much lately. Life has been a whirlwind.

Last Saturday we had our retreat day for those who aborted because of a poor diagnosis. One of the women from the ministry gave her witness and did a phenomenal job! I am so grateful to God for her and that we planned this day.  Please keep those couples who came (and those who did not) in prayer as they continue to grieve and move through the many feelings associated with this avenue of abortion.

Tomorrow I head out for Dublin where I will give a talk at a Divine Mercy Conference. My favorite topic and the "why" of my doing this work. For me, this is the beginning and the end...to spread the news of the merciful love of God to those suffering.

Sometimes, we can get caught up in all the business of the work...I am on guard for this...I do not want the work to become more important than why we are doing it...it is easy to get too busy, or to think we are doing it instead of God to whom all the glory goes.

Please pray that the spirit fills me and that I proclaim His mercy so that others may come to know the truth of His goodness towards us!

British Woman Committed Suicide After Abortion of Twins Over Extreme Grief

Unfortunately, to spite what people want to believe, I think there are many Emma's.  The denial of the impact of abortion contributes to the feeling of being all alone and leads to despair. Combined with the abandonment of those who hoped loved and supported you, the desolation can be unbearable. That is why it is so important to have post abortion ministries and groups visible..so  people know there is help, they do not have to grieve alone, and there is healing.
I wish Emma had reached out to a post abortion group or counselor who understood so she could begin her road to hope and healing. May our God of Mercy who understands all things embrace her...

by     Steven Ertelt
          LifeNews.com Editor
          February 21,2008

London, England (LifeNews.com) -- A British court held a hearing yesterday on a case of a young 30-year-old woman who committed suicide after  the abortion of her twin babies. Emma Beck left a suicide note and said she faced such an intense period of grief afterwards and regret  over the deaths of the babies that she killed herself "to be with them."

The  court heard testimony that Beck asked doctors for help prior to the abortion but that no one was able to meet with her and the number of a counseling service.

Officials went ahead with the abortion even though she said beforehand that  she had second thoughts.

Weeks  later, following the abortion, she hung herself at her home.

According  to the London Daily Mail newspaper, the note she left read:

"I  should never have had an abortion. I see now I would have been a good  mum. I told everyone I didn't want to do it, even at the hospital. I was frightened, now it is too late. I died when my babies died.         I want to be with my babies - they need me, no-one else does."

The  Daily Mail reported that Sylvia Beck, Emma's mother, told the court  that Emma was never given a chance to se ea counselor and only had  the abortion because her boyfriend didn't support having the babies.

"I   want to know why she was not given the opportunity to see a counselor," she said. "She was only going ahead with the abortion because  Ben did not want the twins."

"I  believe this is what led Emma to take her own life," Beck added.  she could not live with what she had done."

News  of the suicide comes weeks after a new study   published in the journal BMC Psychiatry which found that women who  have abortions typically experience high levels of post-traumatic  stress disorder.

The study appeared in the July 2007 issue of the professional psychological  publication but it only received publicity recently.

The  research involved 155 women from South Africa who had abortions and were evaluated one month and three months afterwards.

 

Approximately             20 percent of the women had post-traumatic stress disorder symptoms             just one month later. The results led the authors to note that "high             rates of PTSD characterize women who have undergone voluntary pregnancy termination.

Looking  t the women three months after the abortion, the number of women  experiencing the PTSD symptoms increased 61 percent.
            
            

              

From Operation Outcry

A NEW DAY

IN THE BATTLE AGAINST ROE V. WADE

 

Do you want to see the end of Roe v. Wade? Do you want to see an end to killing children and wounding women and men who participate in abortion? You can help by becoming a Declaration Ambassador for Operation Outcry ( www.operationoutcry.org). Operation Outcry is a project of The Justice Foundation to reverse Roe v. Wade which has proven its effectiveness already at the United States Supreme Court.

            The Supreme Court is listening! Thirty-five years after the Supreme Court legalized abortion-on-demand, the tide has turned. It’s the beginning of the end of Roe v. Wade.

Upholding the federal ban on the horrific and gruesome “partial-birth a bortion” procedure, the Supreme Court cited The Justice Foundation’s Amicus Brief (also known as a friend of the court brief) in its ruling. The brief was filed on behalf of Sandra Cano, who was “Mary Doe” of Doe v. Bolton (the companion case to Roe v. Wade), and 180 women hurt by abortion.

Citing sworn testimony of women who had abortions presented by The Justice Foundation and acknowledging that abortion hurts women, the Court concluded that “some women come to regret” their abortions. “Whether to have an abortion requires a difficult and painful moral decision” and is “fraught with emotional consequence,” the Court said. The Court also noted that “severe depression and loss of esteem can follow” an abortion.

 

HOW CAN YOU BE INVOLVED?

As an Operation Outcry Declaration Ambassador, you can help us mobilize one million voices to express the harm that abortion causes men, women and children. Operation Outcry has already collected approximately two thousand of these sworn testimonies. You can give a Declaration form to women and men who have had abortions so that they can tell the United States Supreme Court how abortion hurt them. http://www.operationoutcry.org/pages.asp?pageid=61373 

You can forward this email to someone you know who has had an abortion and encourage them to complete the form. The easy to follow instructions are on the Declaration form. It is a simple form, and their name can be protected, by using first name or initials only. Personal contact information will always be kept confidential. The Justice Foundation is a well respected and established legal organization which has the legal duty and obligation to protect the confidentiality of those who desire it, to the full extent under the law.

The Supreme Court has said that abortion can cause “severe depression and loss of self-esteem” but the Court said there is no reliable data on the size of the problem. That’s why we need to collect one million declarations!

There is Christ centered help and healing for those hurt by abortion through a 24 hour –seven-day-a-week National Helpline for Abortion Recovery. The toll free Helpline number 1-866-482-LIFE is also on the bottom of the Declaration form.

We need to mobilize a million voices of those who have been hurt by abortion to show the Court the size of the problem. These Declarations will be taken to the United States Supreme Court when it considers the abortion issue again and the Declarations will also be shared as appropriate with state legislatures and governments throughout the world that are considering banning or restricting abortion.

Click here for the forms.

          If the truth about abortion is not collected for the Court, the lie that abortion is good for women will win. How do we overcome Satan?  We overcome by the “Blood of the lamb and the word of their testimony…” Rev 12:11 Fill out the Declaration yourself or forward this email to a friend. 

 

United Nations - another NY event

From Feb 26- March 9 The  Commission on the Status of Women http://www.un.org/womenwatch/daw/csw/51sess.htm  will be taking place at the United Nations.

Redeemed for Life's Molly White  http://www.redeemedforlife.com/ and Denise Mountaney of Silent No More Canada,  will be leading a group of delegates into the UN to speak to the sanctity of life and the harm of abortion. It is a tremendous opportunity for those post abortive to be a voice to the truth.

On the first day, in front of the UN, there will also be a Silent No More . Imagine, while abortion is being promoted within, women will be proclaiming abortions harm without...

You are invited to join the Silent No More Awareness Campaign at a unique opportunity to raise awareness about abortion’s negative impact on women during the United Nation’s Commission on the Status of Women Conference:

"Financing For Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women."

Silent No More will hold a Gathering during registration time on opening day – February 25th, 2008.  We need everyone who can hold an "I Regret My Abortion" sign to join us. It is very important for Conference attendees from around the world to know the truth about abortion. This conference will indirectly address abortion and reproductive rights in policy discussions for many countries considering legalized abortion. We need your presence! Those who are comfortable are also invited to share our testimonies.

We will be providing the sign/testimony from 8:00 am to 11:00 am on Monday, February 25th. Join us for any part or all of the event.

Please join us on 1st Ave, between 42nd Street and 43rd in New York City, NY. Look for the Silent No More signs!

Poor Pre Natal Day

I know I have mentioned this here before, but this Saturday we have a retreat for couples who aborted a baby due to a poor pre natal diagnosis. I ask you to keep these people and the day in your prayers.

I have found this to be such a confusing difficult thing for these couples. They are made to feel guilty in even considering given birth to what doctors see as a less than perfect baby, and then, they get such mixed messages from some of the clergy.

Although I have heard these stories firsthand, one that stood out to me is from the web site "A Heartbreaking Choice". You can read it here:  http://www.aheartbreakingchoice.com/catholic.html

I am sure the priest involved really thought he was helping this couple. In fact, I know many clergy, because they know the couples wanted their children seem to somehow make the abortion seem all right. The do not want to make a very heart wrenching and difficult situation worse, but the truth is, in their heart if hearts these couples know it is not ok, and all the rationalization in the world does not make it normal.

It is a heartbreaking choice...not only because o f the loss of their child, but because they participated in its death. In a time of great confusion, pain and sorrow, these couples are made to feel they have to do abort.

It is great to see some wonderful sites out there to support these couples in their pregnancy...sites like
 http://www.benotafraid.net/ Be Not  Afraid, but there is not much out there for those who have aborted.

we pray that this day will be a safe place for these couples and that they will find true compassion and the healing that comes from the merciful heart of God

Respect Life - RHAPP (New York State Catholic Conference)

Here in NY we are fighting an extreme pro abortion bill introduced by Governor Spitzer
the  Reproductive Health and Privacy Protection Act.
Here is a video put out by the NYS Catholic Conference
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vZ6j2srG2iA

I wrote to Spitzer in May of 2007 ..here is the letter he never bothered to answer...another proof of his pro abortion agenda

Re: Abortion Legislation

 

Dear GovernorSpitzer:

 

You have recently proposed legislation in response to the banning of partial birth abortions. This legislation coincides with the extreme pro abortion agenda purporting to “guarantee a women’s right to make decisions related to her personal reproductive health”.

 

In your press release relating to the legislation, members of Planned Parenthood, The Center for Reproductive Rights, NARAL Pro-Choice New York and other pro abortion organizations are quoted, praising you for your  attempt. One voice that continues to be ignored are those of women who are suffering as a result of a past abortion.

 

Pro abortion groups continue to deny post abortion trauma, and although they claim to speak for all women, they go out of their way to silence those not in agreement with their views. In addition to their attempts at silencing these women, and denying their experiences, they do all within their power to block legislation that would reduce abortion and give women the entire truth about its risks, both psychologically and physically.

 

These people, in order to keep all abortion legal at any time for any reason, at the expense of the health of countless women, even object to the banning of partial birth abortion which has been proven to have no medical reason to be preformed, even for the health of the mother. In the recent Supreme Court decision thousands of affidavits were submitted attesting to abortions harm by women who have experienced them. These pro abortion extremists do not want you to hear their voices.

 

The Gonzalez v Carhart decision banning Partial Birth Abortion gives credence to these women when it states "The State has an interest in ensuring so grave a choice is well informed. It is self-evident that a mother who comes to regret her choice to abort must struggle with grief more anguished and sorrow more profound when she learns, only after the event, what she once did not know: that she allowed a doctor to pierce the skull and vacuum the fast-developing brain of her unborn child, a child assuming the human form."

 

I invite you, Governor Spitzer, if you are truly concerned about the health of all women, to introduce legislation that would ensure women know all facts and risks of abortion. I invite you to have some of us who have experienced the devastation it has caused in our lives into his office to discuss our concerns. I challenge you to introduce a Women’s Right To Know bill which may save countless numbers of women from becoming sterile, receiving cervical injuries, perforated uteruses, and developing endometriosis from abortion or suffering psychological consequences.

 

Enough is enough...it is time to listen to the truth, which is finally beginning to come forward, as evidenced by the banning of partial birth abortion and by the voices of those who have been there.

 

Theresa Bonopartis

Lumina/Hope & Healing After Abortion

www.postabortionhelp.org

lumina@postabortionhelp.org

Sweet Surrender

It is so hard to trust God with our healing. There is that part of us that wants to think we know better than Him what it is we need. I have come to learn, that healing is in the present, in doing His will. right here, rigtht now...

Sweet Surrender

 It is clear to me you want my all,

Nothing saved for me.

No sooner do I die to one

Then another challenge I see

 

At times it makes me want to run

It seems there’s so much to it

But then I just remember that

It’s You who have to do it

 

And so I aim to clear the way

Of all that clings to ME

For in this sweet surrender

I am all I long to be.

I Was Wrong

Trailer "I Was Wrong",of a DVD by Norma McCorvey ..the Roe of Roe vs Wade the Supreme Court decision that made abortion legal.
I often think of what a heavy cross it must be for Norma to carry though life, but I know she carries it with God now and was used by those wanting to legalize abortion.
Keep Norma in your prayers for continued strength, courage and a ever growing faith in the Lord and His Mercy!

http://www.beyondthebandaide.com/pages.asp?pageid=65626

Unfair Choice

I love some of the flyers from the Unfair Choice Campaign
http://www.unfairchoice.info/adcamp.htm

I have no doubt countless numbers of women can relate to many of them...

Study Finds Women Who Have Abortions Experience Post-Traumatic Stress

We could have told them this!

by Steven Ertelt
     LifeNews.com Editor
     February 13,  2008
         
      

 Washington,  DC (LifeNews.com) -- A new study published in the journal BMC Psychiatry finds that women who have abortions typically experience high levels of post-traumatic stress disorder. The findings mirror other research reports showing women are more likely to suffer mental  health issues following abortions compared with keeping the baby.  

The study appeared in the July 2007 issue of the professional psychological publication but it only coming to light now.

 The  research involved 155 women from South Africa who had abortions and  were evaluated one month and three months afterwards.  

Approximately  20 percent of the women had post-traumatic stress disorder symptoms just one month later. The results led the authors to note that "high  rates of PTSD characterize women who have undergone voluntary pregnancy  termination.

 Looking  at the women three months after the abortion, the number of women experiencing the PTSD symptoms increased 61 percent.  

Dr. David Reardon, the head of the Elliot Institute and a post-abortion  research who has been involved in more than a dozen studies documenting   the psychological impact of abortion on women, notified LifeNews.com  of the new study.

 "The  abortion industry should not be subjecting women to a procedure that  is likely to increase or cause symptoms of post-traumatic stress or  her mental health problems," he said.  

"Furthermore, the evidence shows that many of these abortions are unwanted and the  result of pressure or coercion from others," Reardon added. "The industry should be held liable for putting women at risk and performing unwanted and dangerous abortions."

Reardon said the researchers also examined the effect of levels of pain and  post-abortion psychological outcomes.  

The study found women who had received a local anesthetic versus those  who had received IV sedation had higher levels of pain and were more  likely to experience PTSD symptoms in the short-term but there was no long-term difference.

 According to Reardon that means the abortion itself is more likely to cause  the PTSD issues rather than the kind of pain management given during the abortion process.  

This isn't the first study to show a link between abortion and post-traumatic  stress disorders.

 In a 2004 study published in the Medical Science Monitor, 65 percent of   American women reported PTSD symptoms after an abortion and just over percent reported all the symptoms necessary for a clinical diagnosis  of PTSD.  

Related  web sites:
            Elliot Institute - http://www.AfterAbortion.Info