By Susan Ciancio
When I read the headline that said “New Group Offers ‘Abortion Doulas’ to Help Women Feel Better about Killing Their Babies,” I got sick to my stomach. Not only do people truly believe it’s okay to kill a tiny preborn baby—often tearing him limb from limb—but now they are assigning other women to help them not feel bad about it?
But wait. Does that even make sense? The culture of death tells us that abortion is a woman’s choice—that women should “shout” their abortion stories, that abortion is “normal,” and that women should feel proud and empowered that they helped kill their child. But now they’re saying these women need help to feel better about it? I’m confused.
According to the article:
Nina Reynolds, a “full-spectrum doula” and leader of the group [Pregnancy Options Wisconsin: Education, Resources and Support], said one of her abortions gave her “this profound sense of liberation, a profound sense of ‘My life has come back tenfold.’”
“It was sort of a revelatory, peak moment, or peak experience, of life,” she said of destroying her unborn baby’s life. “That’s what an abortion can be if it’s well supported.”
A “profound sense of liberation”? Can you think of anything more misguided than feeling liberated after killing your child? Do you see how the culture of death twists words and actions and tries to make it seem like we should find nothing at all wrong with killing a baby?
Yes, indeed, these mothers need help. But they don’t need the help of someone who disseminates lies and tells them it’s okay that they killed their baby. They need the loving support of someone who will listen when they come to regret what they have done. They need the forgiveness of God who wants to show them the mistake they’ve made. They need the hand of a friend or a family member who will help them focus on what truly matters in life.
The death of a baby is not normal. It’s not to be celebrated. It’s to be mourned. And, some day, when these mothers come to understand what they’ve done, it will not be these “abortion doulas” who will mourn with them, but those of us who truly care about their lives and the life that was lost.