The other day, I was having breakfast with a priest from the Archdiocese of Boston, who told me about a bad experience he had while preaching about abortion. In the middle of his homily, one of the altar servers, a seventh grade girl, took off her robe, walked straight down the middle aisle, and left the church — for good.
The girl’s mother, being naturally concerned, brought her to speak with the priest afterwards. He tried to explain the Church’s position on abortion, but to no avail. Her only response was that she could not belong to a church that imposed intolerant moral views on other people.
Fortunately, not all 12 year old girls think this way. For example, the girl in the video below understands the abortion issue clearly.
You see, children can be just as reasonable, sometimes more reasonable, than adults even when it comes to complex moral issues.
The reason the altar girl walked out on her pastor’s sermon is not that she could not think for herself. She was certainly confident about her choice, but she did not have all the criteria and was also informed with the wrong criteria before her mind settled on one position — the wrong one, unfortunately.
Unfortunately, because this mindset will influence her future decisions.
Most young people say that they are personally opposed to abortion but they respect other people’s right to have an abortion. They say this when they themselves are not confronted with the reality of having to make the choice to have a child or to abort it, without reflecting on the possibility that one day they might have to make that choice. Every year millions of young girls, end up making a choice that they will regret for the rest of their lives.
Here’s a story from a young girl who laments having aborted her child.
I was 16 years old when I got pregnant. I never thought that it would happen to me, and when it did I was in complete shock. I took multiple pregnancy tests, went to about 3 different clinics, and they all told me the same thing that in fact I was 3 months pregnant. My mother knew something was up, and she would always say to me, “If anything is wrong you know you can talk to me.” I finally gave in and sent her a text while she was at work telling her that i was pregnant, and she told me to make an appointment for the abortion.
I was terrified sitting in the room crying my heart out knowing that I was about to kill my innocent child. Well, I got it , and now I’m not myself. Every time I hear about giving birth i get weak and teary eyed. I’m depressed, and I often think, “What if I can’t have a child now?” I don’t know what to think about myself any more.
You can read more moving stories like this one at teenabortionissues.com, where teens tell other teens why having an abortion is one of the worst decisions they ever made.
Do you believe in the power of reason? If so, then you should believe that young people know how to use their ability to reason correctly. True, young minds are vulnerable. They soak in information from the adults they trust, parents and teachers who ought to guide them in making the right choices.
The flip side is that once the choice is made and the decision executed, the person who made the decision is the one who has to live with it, because she does, after all, have the ability to think things through on her own, before, during, and after the fact. Otherwise, she would not feel tormented with guilt for having made the wrong decision in the first place. The problem is not that kids don’t know how to think. The problem is that, too often, we don’t think they do.
So should we be surprised when an 12 year old girl speaks so confidently and eloquently about the travesty of abortion?
Of course not. We should, however, be inspired by it. Young people are the heart and soul of the New Evangelization. We have to win them over and get them involved in this cultural battle if we are going to help them build a more hopeful future for themselves.
That’s why it is important to talk to young people about the issue of abortion and not to shy away from it or wait for them to come talk to you about it. For if they don’t hear it from you, who else will they hear it from and will you like what they hear?
Yet if you trust their ability to listen and understand what you have to say, they will trust you more for it. Don’t lose the opportunity.
Biltrix 
Wow Father Shane. Someday I hope to be brave enought to talk to young women and men about my experience in person and maybe give them some insight.
If you admit that abortion is a “complex moral issue,” then what makes you think you definitely understand it fully? To even imply that at all is incredibly arrogant of you, as is the implication that pro-choicers don’t understand it fully. Why not open your mind to the very real possibility that you could be wrong on this issue? Just because you’re repeating what you’ve been taught to believe by fellow Christians doesn’t mean that you’re definitely right on this issue, so why pretend that it does?
Also, plenty of women don’t regret getting an abortion at all. Here are two sites that provide some actual stories of women who are proud of the fact that they made the right choice for themselves by getting an abortion:
http://www.imnotsorry.net/
http://www.45millionvoices.org/index.html
And here are links to two studies that show that the large majority of women who get an abortion don’t end up regretting it at all:
http://women.webmd.com/news/20000822/study-says-most-women-dont-regret-abortion
http://www.apa.org/pi/women/programs/abortion/index.aspx
So why turn a blind eye to all of this completely-valid proof and refuse to even look at it? That’s the problem with you pro-lifers. You ignore anything that even comes close to contradicting what you’ve been taught about this issue, even if that means ignoring proven scientific facts and actual first-hand testimonies of women who have gotten an abortion. How can you possibly not see the harm in doing that?
Hannah
These Women who are NOT sorry for aborting their babies are Suppressing their Guilt by being Smug and PROUDLY ARROGANT ABOUT THEIR CHOICE.
What makes you think those women are guilty at all? Can you provide me with some actual proof to support that assertion? And since when is it wrong for people to be proud of a choice that they’ve made, especially if that choice is often looked down upon by people like you?
I Am NOT looking down at them,I am Angry at their refusal to acknowledge the fact that they have killed their kids who are not blobs of tissue.
So you’re angry about the fact that some women see this issue in a different way than you do? Since when is having a different viewpoint a bad thing?
It’s either these surveys are made-up or these women are killing their conscience in choosing to give up their little ones.
Why is it so impossible to think that these women simply feel proud about the choice they’ve made?
How can anyone be proud of the fact that they killed an innocent human being? I have yet to meet a post-abortive woman that hasn’t regretted her decision. Women who spout off about how great it was for them are trying to soothe their conscience. Deep down they are hurting just as much as those who have spoken about their regret. There will come a time when those unrepentant women will be so consumed by the guilt that they will cry out for help. When they do, we will be here to offer kind words, a shoulder to cry on, and help her in the healing process.
I AM RIGHT! THESE WOMEN LIKE YOU,KILLED THEIR CONSCIENCE!
Or we just see this issue in a different way than you do. Since when is that the same thing as killing our conscience? I mean, it’s not like you can prove that your viewpoint on this issue is the only correct viewpoint on it.
Well,Perhaps I could give them the Benefit of the Doubt,if Some of Them had Fetuses with Defects.
What Brought you to This website?
Some of us do think that we can prove that the pro-life position is the only correct viewpoint on this issue, even if there are many people who see things differently.
I grew up in a strong Christian home. I was headed into life in the right direction until I made a few wrong choices, which in turn lead to the worst mistake of my life. While my parents were struggling through their divorce, I sought comfort in the wrong place. At age 17, I clung to an 18 year old guy for comfort when I should have turned to Jesus Christ instead. At age 18, I missed my period one February and just knew I was pregnant.
He didn’t want it, and I was terrified. I was extremely selfish and thought about what my family would think instead of how killing the child growing in my womb was wrong. So, we agreed and had it aborted. By doing that I opened the door for Satan to further ruin my life. I didn’t feel relieved at all. I felt worse. Not only did I feel like a whore bag– I was now a murderer. To make the pain worse, my boyfriend at the time would get drunk often and call me a murderer and tell me I was going to hell for killing a child. And as messed up as that was, he was right.
Romans 6:23-For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.
I couldn’t turn to family or friends. I felt ashamed and dirty. Since then it’s been a long, hard road to deal with. He and I actually got pregnant again two years later, and this time I kept my baby. There was no way I was killing another child. The father and I are no longer together, and I am remarried and happy. However, recently this year, I’ve been compelled by Jesus Christ to get my story out there. I finally told my mother, who was gracious about it.
Philippians 4:13
I can do all things through Christ which strengthen me.
From a personal stand point… if I hadn’t taken Jesus Christ as my Lord and Savior, I don’t believe I would be where I am today.
Numbers 6:24-26
King James Version
24The LORD bless thee, and keep thee:
25The LORD make his face shine upon thee, and be gracious unto thee:
26The LORD lift up his countenance upon thee, and give thee peace.
God Bless
.
Thank you so much for sharing your testimony. I will pray for your healing to continue. Christ loves you!
Thank you also for sharing your faith in the Lord, who saves, heals, and forgives.
“Behold! I make all things new!” (Rev. 21:5)
your very welcome…And thank you for the prayers. I pray that others learn from my mistake and choose life!
Children are such a beautiful Blessing
1 Corinthians 1:3
Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.