There is one thing we can always be certain of on every campus: Encountering students who are either considering abortion or who have had an abortion. Our hope is to connect them as quickly as possible with valuable life-saving resources.
Having a local pregnancy resource center (PRC) table near our exhibit is invaluable. Because we’ve been blessed to have the presence of PRC tables manned by directors and volunteers, many lives have been saved and impacted. Here is one of those stories.
Six years ago I had an encounter with a student on campus that I have never forgotten. Her name was Christina.
As she viewed the exhibit I asked, “What do you think about this exhibit?”
She looked at me and replied angrily,
“I’ve had three of these, what do you think I think about it?”
My heart broke as I expressed sorrow for her pain. After sensing my spirit of compassion instead of condemnation, Christina shared her story with me.
With her first two pregnancies, each boyfriend split after hearing the news. She got involved with a third guy who promised he would stick by her no matter what. But she once again discovered she was pregnant and this guy turned out to be the same as the others.
“Thank you ... you’ve given me my life back.”
With each pregnancy her mom informed her she would not continue her financial support for her education if Christina didn’t have an abortion. Her mother also reminded her each time that she wouldn’t be able to continue playing soccer competitively and she would lose her scholarship if she didn’t get an abortion. Scared and unsure, she chose to follow her mother’s advice each time.
After she finished her story, I asked her if she would be interested in talking with someone who knew her pain firsthand. She nodded yes.
I walked with her to the PRC table nearby. Christina picked up a brochure that listed over 10 symptoms of post-abortion syndrome. I’ve never forgotten her response:
“I thought I was the only one feeling this way.”
She spoke to Terri, the PRC director, who had also had three abortions. Terri shared hope with Christina for the pain and anguish she had been feeling. Christina took the information on the abortion recovery class that was starting the following week. She then hugged me and thanked me before she left.
Two days later, Christina came back. As she walked toward me I noticed something was different. She was smiling and immediately gave me a hug. I’ve never forgotten her words:
“Thank you so much, Tammy. I feel like you’ve given me my life back. I’m going to start going back to church and also start going through the bible study program at the pregnancy center. I am a Christian and I think it would be good for me to get back to God.”