Few things are greater than a story of redemption. The pro-life movement is full of powerful voices who share an atonement story. Former abortionists, men who paid for abortions, and women who had abortions have turned from the evils of the abortion industry. They now possess a unique testimony and an insight that can reach even the hardest hearts and win them over for life.
The abortion industry attacks them because they know that these individuals are a tremendous threat to their bottom line. We in the pro-life movement celebrate and uplift them. No one is too far gone. It is never too late to join the right side of history and advocate for life. We all have made mistakes and bad decisions in our past, but that does not mean we have to be married to those decisions. There is healing, hope, and a bright future for those who wish to turn over a new leaf and begin their own redemption story.
Josh Sorth is a person with such a story. We had the opportunity to interview Josh and hear his account on our radio show, Straight Talk on Life Issues. In high school Josh was a self-labeled satanist. He was involved in his first abortion during his junior year of high school. Josh believed “not my body, not my problem.” This was unfortunately the first of a total of seven abortions that Josh would participate in.
Josh joined the military after marrying his first wife, which ended in a divorce shortly thereafter. He then became promiscuous and started receiving phone calls from women who had become pregnant with his children. This led to him becoming the financial backer of multiple abortions. Self-medication and attempts to numb the pain failed to address the core issue in his life. After meeting his current wife, the two became pregnant. This pregnancy also ended in abortion.
Thankfully, Josh later gave his life to Christ and realized the full magnitude of what he had done. In our interview with Josh, he said, “I realized I had been paying for hired murder.” He and his wife began their healing journey and completed SaveOne courses together. They now have two young boys and Josh is an advocate for life. He takes every opportunity to speak to men as someone who has been in their shoes. He knows how they are feeling and can share his story warning them not to go down that same path. Just like there was hope for Josh there is hope for everyone else who has made mistakes.
Dr. Kathy Aultman is another advocate for life whose story breaks through the lies of the abortion lobby. Dr. Aultman shared her story with us on Straight Talk on Life Issues as well. She was a practicing abortionist who embraced abortion. In fact, she believed that she was actually helping women. She even performed abortions while she herself was pregnant. It wasn’t until after her baby was born that she began to make what she called the “fetus to baby connection.” However, she still believed that abortion was a woman’s right and continued to refer women for abortion even after becoming a Christian.
That was until a friend showed her an article comparing abortion to the holocaust. Kathy’s father was present when the first concentration camp was liberated in Germany. Growing up she could never understand how the German doctors could do what they did. Reading the article however, she realized that just as the Germans didn’t view their victims as human, neither did she. It was then that she stated, “I have killed more people than Ted Bundy.” Dr. Aultman is now an outspoken voice for the unborn and shares her invaluable story. She is currently an Associate Scholar with the Charlotte Lozier Institute. She is also a member of the American Association of Prolife Obstetricians and Gynecologists, the Christian Medical and Dental Associations, the Florida Medical Association and is a Life-Fellow of the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists. She helps to lead other doctors that perform abortions away from the industry and opens their eyes to the same truth she learned firsthand.
Sometimes those who’ve experienced abortion first-hand feel called to take action and help others find the hope and healing they have received. They understand how that healing forgiveness helps them turn a corner in their lives and start a new chapter of hope.
Karen Barbito was a freshman in college when she got pregnant. She immediately knew that she was not going to keep the baby. She feared that her parents would not approve and it would damage her relationship with them. Believing that the abortion would fix her “problem” she got an abortion and moved on. What she did not know was that her life would not go the way she expected after that. She became very promiscuous and turned to drugs and alcohol. She recounts that she was not pro-life or pro-abortion, she was “pro-me.” It wasn’t until years later that she went through healing courses to recover from her abortion. She, like many others who share a story of redemption, is now an outspoken advocate for life. Karen helps other women as a pioneer in the abortion healing movement serving as Support After Abortion Special Projects Manager.
Shella Harper had an abortion at nineteen and spent many years battling the pain from that abortion. A bible study helped her find healing and forgiveness. She started teaching this class to others but God had a different plan for her.
Shella founded SaveOne, an international outreach ministry for men and women suffering in silence after an abortion. Her story is a very powerful example of God’s timing. Shella suffered for seven years following her abortion. Thankfully her journey did not end there. She eventually found healing and restoration through her faith in Jesus Christ before launching SaveOne. Now her ministry of hope and healing has over three hundred chapters in twenty-five countries! Her life is a continual reminder of the way that God can use our past to prepare our future.
The power of a redemption story cannot be overstated. Those of us who do not have such a story may not be able to relate to people who are contemplating an abortion in the same way as someone who has experienced it. They can use their experience to guide other people toward the right decision. No matter what your past holds, your future can still be bright. Each one of us has a unique set of experiences that build our personal testimony and there may be someone out there who needs to hear it. Just like these wonderful examples above, each of us can take that first step toward redemption and when we do, the sky is the limit.
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