For those of us who can't make it today...

In solidarity with the marchers, and the wonderful speakers, and the courageous men and women who will share their testimony today at the March for Life, I am going to post the testimonies of two dear friends; courageous women who share their stories. The first is my friend Joan, who will be giving this speech on the stage today as part of the Silent No More Awareness campaign. Maybe you will catch her live on the EWTN all day coverage. The second testimony is from my dear friend Jill, who unfortunately cannot be there today, but whose life was changed so much from her experience that she now works tirelessly to serve the Lord by working endlessly with the poor, the lonely, the unwanted, and of course the unborn babies and their mothers.

Here is Joan's Silent No More Awareness speech:

SILENT NO MORE

To my shame and sorrow, when I was a senior in
high
school, I became sexually active, and I became
pregnant. As soon as
pregnancy was suspected,
my mother brought me to a doctor who did illegal
abortions. Since it was so early, he gave me a shot
that facilitated a
chemical abortion. I suffered severe
cramping all day long, and passed my
very tiny baby
into the toilet. Everything changed that day, and I
went
into denial. I was just not the same person anymore and
I denied that day
ever happened. I lost myself when I cooperated in
the killing of my child.
My whole sense of self died within
me. I changed from a girl who had always
loved babies, and who was very
sensitive to the elderly and the sick, and
loved children, into a hard-hearted,
selfish, angry and bitter person
inside. I tried to act like nothing had changed,
but I hated myself for
being such a phony.

Post Traumatic Stress Disorder was my constant
companion,
I became co-dependant with the kind of people I would have
previously and prudently avoided. I became pregnant again when I was
20
and miscarried. At that time I knew I would not choose an abortion,
but I
also denied that I had ever had one. After marriage,
I suffered six
miscarriages. Every time I miscarried, I had flashbacks
of that awful day of
my abortion, but I still did
not admit to myself that was an abortion. There
was a serious and profound
disconnect in my mind that could not or would not
connect the dots. I
spent half of my adult life in counseling and in 1985,
after our
third child was born, who was much wanted and loved, I suffered a
post-partem depression that was so severe I was finally hospitalized.

It was in the year of 2000 that I realized
the shot I had been given
was an abortion. I talked with another woman
who confided in me that she had
been forced to abort the same way when
she was a teenager. That was a huge
shock for me, and facilitated some
incidences of fainting. In 2001, I sought
healing through the ministry of
Rachel's Vineyard. I understand that the
healing journey of growing closer
to Christ, in truth and love, is a
lifelong process.

I realize now that God never gave up on me even though
I fell into despair,
harbored heretical thoughts, ran from Him and resisted
His grace so many times.
I am so sorry for this and all of the wrong I have
done. I am so grateful to God
for His love and mercy. I humbly pray for the
grace to know, love and serve Him
a little bit better every day. I HATE what
abortion and the whole mentality of the
Culture of Death has done to women,
to men, to families, to communities, and to
the world, and I WILL BE SILENT
NO MORE.

I will post Jill's story in another post later today. God bless these women, and all the courageous men and women, who fight to create a culture of Life in this country and in this world each and every day! They truly inspire me.