October, Respect Life Month, brings many opportunities to regard the sacred gift of life. So far, I’ve heard several powerful speakers, all women, who lead the charge of the pro-life movement.
At a dessert banquet in Moorhead, Twin Cities radio personality Kim Ketola shared with Lutherans for Life her lasting regret for having aborted her child while advancing her career.
Though not a person of faith at the time, she said, she knew abortion was morally wrong and that a child had been lost, though she couldn’t bring herself to say, “My child.”
“I believe the Holy Spirit is present before every abortion, but because of the hardness of my heart, I could not act on that. I just didn’t have the strength of character.” Ketola said. “So, I passively allowed it to happen.”
“It’s a terrible thing to live with when you know the price that has been paid,” she added, noting that God’s mercy has restored her life.
A few days later, Pam Tebow told hundreds in Fargo how doctors had urged the abortion of her son Timothy due to health concerns. Rather than end his life, Tebow trusted in God, testifying to the many rewards that followed – including her son’s Heisman trophy.
At the same event, staff from FirstChoice Clinic, a local pregnancy-resource center, announced their forthcoming move to downtown to provide better access for abortion-vulnerable women, and transition to the Women’s Care Center model, which has exponentially increased pregnancy-care services in cities where it exists.
Despite these local efforts to truly help women, Respect Life Month was snubbed here Oct. 11 by the front-page story of local abortion nurse Sarah Haeder.
From a news perspective, I understand the appeal of a highly controversial topic prone to intrigue. From a moral perspective, however, it’s tragic, particularly now. Certainly, many see past the “local hero” slant and into the heartbreak, including of a frayed relationship, now revived only because dementia hides the truth of a contentious occupation.
I’m grateful Sarah can be in relationship with her loved one, but God can’t be fooled, and someday, her grandma will know.
Dear Sarah, you are worth so much more than this. It’s not too late to honor your grandmother by leaving this tarnished industry and to receive God’s mercy, as other former abortion workers have done (see abortionworker.com). None regret their decision to leave; all wish it had been sooner. Many are praying for you.
The documentary “Gosnell,” showing at West Acres Cinema in Fargo, offers another perspective for those who remain conflicted on this issue.
Additionally, consider attending Shanley High School’s annual Cupcakes for Life, where a group of post-abortive women will share their stories of loss and hope. The free, public event will take place from 7 to 8:30 p.m., Monday, Oct. 22, at Saints Anne and Joachim Church, 5202 25th St. S., Fargo.
As John 8:32 proclaims, in Jesus’ own words: “The truth will set you free.”
[For the sake of having a repository for my newspaper columns and articles, I reprint them here, with permission, a week after their run date. The preceding ran in The Forum newspaper on Oct. 20, 2018.]
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