July 17, 2013 (Rachel'sVinyard) – The following is an article written in a monthly newsletter put out by the inmates at a maximum security state correctional institution. A high percentage of the inmates will call this home for the rest of their lives. The article by TJ tells of how abortion impacted his life and of his participation in a Rachel’s Vineyard (RV) after-abortion program specially adapted for use in prison by the local RV site leader. TJ is half way through his facilitator training and will be part of the Rachel’s Vineyard Team in the prison.
Rachel’s Vineyard is a 10-week seminar offered here at the Correctional Institution on Wednesday mornings in the chapel. The service it provides for those who attend is immeasurable. However, few really know what it is about. In order to understand what this program offers, one must first become aware of the scourge of abortion.
I’m writing this article to share with you a real-life experience that kept me in the deepest and darkest misery for 27 years. My hope is, if you were involved in a similar situation, that you may find help.
Twenty-seven years ago, as a teenager, I was involved in two abortions because I lived as an irresponsible, arrogant, prideful, selfish, self-centered human being. Those abortions led me down a road of drugs, alcohol, irresponsible sex, crime and so many other destructive things.
How could abortion lead to all that? Because it produces guilt, whether the person realizes it or not. The guilt leads to bad decisions, self-hatred, anger towards others, violence and all kinds of other messed up emotions. While this is happening, the person is in denial, refusing to recognize that there’s even a problem. Or, if he or she does admit to a problem, they don’t know that it is rooted in an abortion that may have taken place years ago.
At the time of my abortion experiences I knew none of this. I was told that an abortion is simply getting rid of a glob of cells or tissue, that it was not killing a baby.
Let’s look at some facts. Day one: the sperm fertilizes the egg in the fallopian tube; forty-six chromosomes combine, predetermining all of the person’s characteristics. By day 18 there is a heartbeat. At eight weeks all the body systems are present. The baby is rapidly growing. The genital organs are clearly differentiated in 16 weeks and the baby grasps with hands, kicks, and turns. This is not a blob of tissue, but clearly a little human being.
Abortion has been a divisive topic long before the 1973 Supreme Court decision in Roe v. Wade made it legal. Two of the biggest arguing points are a mother’s “right to choose” and the baby’s “right to life.” Rarely does the father even get a say in the argument even though 23 of those chromosomes are his and the rest of his life is affected by the decision.
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Every day more than 3,000 babies are killed by abortion. It is said that one in every three adults has been involved in an abortion. If you’re one of them, and if you’re like I was, maybe you hate yourself or your spouse or girlfriend or even your parents. Perhaps you’re mad at the doctor, or God, or experiencing every messed up emotion that could entangle a person’s life. I was.
Humans are not designed to carry burdens alone, and we don’t have to. There is hope, and there is help to heal from the brutality of abortion. That’s what Rachel’s Vineyard does. It is led by two of the most awesome people I’ve ever met. They have love and a great passion for what they do and for the men and women inside and outside who have experienced the devastating tragedy of abortion. They can help mend the affects of years of wrong choices and destructive behavior.
Even if you don’t fully understand some of what I’ve said and how an abortion years ago could be responsible for so much destructive behavior – come and check it out and learn. Take a step forward and give yourself a new beginning. If the prison where you are has a program, sign up by sending a request to the chapel. It will be a life changing experience for the good.
Reprinted with permission from Rachel's Vineyard