April 25, 2013 Dear ProLife Colleague, Regarding the topic material of “Surrender the Secret”—5 women sharing their abortion experience with the viewing public– here is a letter we received. We are sharing it with the woman’s permission. If you would like to correspond directly and privately with this lady doctor regarding your own situation. Just hit “reply” and type in “correspond,” and I will forward you email to her (and delete my copy for your privacy’s sake). Her story, in response to our recent email to you all: “I appreciate your sensitivity towards those who have had abortions. It allowed me to consider something that I never had before: there may be many other female OB/Gyns who have had the same experience as I. After my abortion 30 years ago (a pre-believer at the time), I was very secretive about it. Ten or so years after, I could feel the prompting of the Holy Spirit to share my story with other women. As my path progressed towards the field of Ob/Gyn (obviously being molded by my life experiences) the prompting became an urgency to share my testimony and let the Lord use it for healing, and hopefully to give women who may be considering that decision something to consider. I did some event speaking, then began writing a book, which has been a LONG process- six plus years thus far. I have always felt that as a believer who is an OB and has had the experience personally, I have a unique perspective that needs to be shared. I am hoping that one day this short book can be something that is recommended by a physician, a pastor, or even a friend who encounters someone considering an abortion. There have been many long breaks from writing for many different reasons. I feel the Lord is continually adding to my perspective on the issue and how it affects women. Most recently, 30 years later, knowing well the true grace that we are given in the eyes of the Lord- fully forgiven- I can have times of experiencing the loss of a child so very acutely. Let me tell you, when I made the decision, I never saw that coming! I want to thank you for what you do with AAPLOG. No doubt it requires a tremendous amount of your time and emotional energy. I want you to know that you have deeply affected my life by approaching this topic with tenderness and truth. Thank you for that. If there is any way you believe my testimony would be helpful to AAPLOG in any way, I would feel privileged to share it.” And a note from another obgyn doctor: I run a Celebrate Recovery program. It is not unusual for us to have women come in on a weekly basis who are dealing with the post-traumatic effects of abortion or pregnancy loss. The effects are impressive and certainly long-term. Most of these women expect condemnation from the church. When they receive understanding, compassion, mercy and grace; they are often very surprised. When we are able to minister to one of these women, she often becomes an effective witness to other women who are considering abortion. This is the pathway to healing and transformation. We are all called to have some part in a healing role in life, whether we are doctors or non-doctors. Here is an area with tons of hurting people. Is this a place where you can be of help?