People have asked me about my own insight about these recent videos published by Live Action. This is the first time I have had a chance to sit down and write out my thoughts since the release of the videos.
When Lila told me about the videos she was planning on releasing, my mind immediately went to a woman I knew well from the clinic. We will call her Sara. Sara was a young woman, not a minor at the time, who had gone into the sex industry.
She had once been a beautiful woman on the outside. Her body had once not been ridden with disease. She once had a bright future ahead of her. She had siblings who were also our clients, they were not in this industry.
She was on birth control, and her family would have to hunt her down on the streets to bring her in to make sure she was continuing her birth control correctly. It seemed that every time she came into the clinic, we had to treat her for another infection.
She had become pregnant from one of her “customers” and miraculously, had chosen life for her child. However, because of the many viral sexually transmitted diseases she carried, her child was born with multiple birth problems. Her child lives with her mother.
I remember her coming into the clinic and feeling terrible for her. I remember wanting to help her, wishing she would just get out of that industry. But, did I offer her a way out? No. Did I ever report this to the police? No.
I remember her telling me one time that she began her life in the sex industry when she was a teenager. Did I do anything about this? No. I was the bad guy. I wanted to help her, but I didn’t.
I remember one particular time when she came in with her pimp. I was furious. I couldn’t believe he actually had the nerve to show up in our clinic. I didn’t take her back for her appointment, but the employee who did told me later that her pimp had forced her to come in. He wanted her to get a more permanent birth control method because he was tired of her having to come in so often to get birth control.
At the time I thought “it’s a good thing that she comes in, otherwise she would walk around forever with those infections!” There we were. We had Sara’s pimp right there in the palm of our hand. And what did we do? We let her walk out the door with him.
We inserted a long-term method that day, per her pimp’s request. We treated her, yet again, for a sexually transmitted infection and sent her on her way. We never saw her again. I thought about her frequently.
When I would drive through the “bad” part of town, I would search for her on the street. I don’t know what happened to Sara. But I do know that I could have done my part to protect her. I failed her.
I am not proud to tell you this, but, I think it’s necessary. You need to know that what you see in these videos presented by Live Action is not a rare occurrence. It happens every day in some Planned Parenthood clinic in this country.
Pimps are sending their workers into the arms of Planned Parenthood. Why? Planned Parenthood is safe. I don’t mean safe in a good way, but in the worst way. It is safe for the pimp and dangerous for the women.
Planned Parenthood touts the line that they want to “keep women safe.” Well, is that only certain women? We know they don’t care about females in the womb. We know they don’t care about women who have complications from an abortion. We know they don’t care about minors who are being abused by grown men.
Now we have to add in women who work in the sex industry. So, who are these women that Planned Parenthood wants to keep safe? The group keeps getting smaller and smaller.
You may wonder if Sara was the only prostitute to walk into our clinic. No. There were many others. Did we report any of those? No. But, we actually had a relationship with Sara. We considered ourselves to “care” about her. If that is caring for someone, then we needed a better definition.
I still wonder about her. I pray that she is well. However, somewhere in my heart, I know she is not. I could have stopped that. We could have stopped that. Planned Parenthood could have stopped that. We didn’t. We didn’t “care.” We caused harm.
Planned Parenthood is harmful to these women. They are harmful to all women. Don’t let this go unnoticed. Please send these videos to everyone you know. Share the truth. Share www.liveaction.org.
Thank you for your courage and your honesty. God is using you in mighty ways as you shine Light into the darkness of Planned Parenthood. I admire you, I support you, and I pray for you daily! Keep fighting the good fight, Abby!
Abby, thank you for sharing this. You did not have to share it in this way. You could have kept silent about your experiences. But knowing you, knowing the Holy Spirit that is alive in you, you shared it the only way you could. Thank you, precious warrior for life!!
Holy Smokes, this is an amazing post. You are an amazing woman for sharing the truth, Abby! We love you!
Thank you for sharing with us. I know it can’t be easy to dredge up the past and declare ( I was so wrong). Even though that lady on the first tape disgusted me all I could think was she is towing the company line and they are about to throw her under the bus. I think she needs a tremendous amount of prayer because her world just turned upside down.
I’m reminded of a National Abortion Federation meeting tape I listened to once. A group of nurses were lamenting how hard it was to get many of their patients to abstain from sex after their abortions — not because the women were unwilling, but because the “boyfriends” were unwilling. These women were not permitted by their “boyfriends” to say “No.” (Isn’t that rape?) These “boyfriends” were far from faithful, and brought many STDs home. And they refused to wear condoms.
The nurses lamented this — but it never occurred to them to refer these women to Rape Crisis or a battered women’s shelter. The best they could come up with was a plan to try to talk the “boyfriends” into wearing condoms for a few weeks.
It was one of the saddest, most demoralizing things I’d ever heard. The nurses weren’t evil; they really did want to protect the women — but they couldn’t think any further than lame attempts to protect them from unprotected sex during recovery.
So sad. How we hear your heart. These young beautiful women need authentic, biblical love. Maybe a home could be started to help? Our pastor is working with some other local pastors with this same issue. Sex Trafficking even happens in our small city. (pop 270,000) And, a conference for lay people to learn counseling and the ethical side of this vital topic is coming to a larger evangelical church this month. Jesus saves. I wrote our two (very liberal) female senators today about the new bill SB9 on personhood at conception. Graciously asking them to speak out for the littlest human babies, who are very much “life”. Love you in Jesus Abby, —-Lilly
It is often very hard to share our past failings. Thank you for sharing Abby.
God Bless!
Thank you for your honesty, Abby, I can’t even imagine how difficult that was for you to share you story and testimony.
I’m looking forward to hearing you on the radio tomorrow with Catholic Answers!
I don’t per say agree with Planned Parenthood. I agree that you (or someone) should have turned in the pimp. But, surely I am misunderstanding…doesn’t the “prostitute” still deserve services? Doesn’t she deserve birth control and disease treatment just as much as the honor roll college girl? Doesn’t she deserve confidentiality and the right to go somewhere for her care, knowing she won’t be judged?
Like when an addict overdoses and is taken to the hospital, he/she is not arrested for possessing/doing drugs, because them getting treatment is the priority and they need somewhere to go. Is the hospital, thus, supporting the drug trade and drug dealers for not turning in the person who chose to take the drug?
Full page ad in the Dallas Morning News 2/3/11 about the fact that they expect 10,000 girls and women to be prostituted in N. Texas this week during Super Bowl festivities. Average age of female when forced into the sex industry–13. Average life expectancy after being prostituted–7 years. That would put them at the ripe old age of 20! Real men don’t buy sex.
Don’t Buy It
http://www.dontbuyit.us
Reading this beings tears to my eyes. Planned Parenthood puts on a cloak of “caring” and “protecting” women but they don’t tell you the fall out, what happens after the abortion. Its so taboo…you have a “choice” then when you make your “choice” stay quiet. How do I know? I had an abortion at 19 at Planned Parenthood. I was a scared girl looking for help, I went to get a pregnancy test to confirm that I was indeed pregnant and the “councelor” made me feel helpless and even more scared. I wasn’t told the other options available. I can’t lay all the blame on PP because essentially it was my decision in the end but, I was lied to…it wouldn’t hurt, life would go on like nothing ever happened. That was the furtherest from the truth. That day haunted me for years, I became extremely depressed and self destructive…finally I went to a Christian pregnancy center that offers post abortive counceling (Life Services) and found healing through their program and our Savior Jesus Christ. Now I share my testimony at large functions in the hopes of awaking women to the truth and letting them know there is another way, there is hope. Now the liberal pro choice groups in my state are trying to get legislation passed that will force pregnancy centers like LS out through potential lawsuits etc. But they won’t be held to the same accountabilities. Thank you Abby for your work, its not easy, its a lot of pressure and I love you dearly for it. Please keep fighting, your fight helps prevent women having to experience what I have and is ripping PP’s mask clean off!
~Crystal
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