Motherhood Interrupted: Stories of Healing and Hope after Abortion is a book of sixteen stories. Everyone, including the author’s is a heartbreaking account of how abortion affected the lives of women. These revealing stories underscore the impact of abortion on each individual, on her relationships and on her family. These courageous women have overcome their shame and guilt to witness to the devastating aftermath of their choice.
The author, Jane Brennan, MS, details in her story how the scars of early childhood sexual abuse to promiscuity and drug and alcohol abuse. Finding herself pregnant as a young college student, Jane chose abortion because it was easily obtained, readily available, and seemed to be the best way out of her “problem.” This choice led to a life filled with more pain, sadness, and depression along with a very strong attachment to militant feminism. She became a member of NOW, NARAL and a volunteer at Planned Parenthood helping young women procure birth control and abortions.
Witness her miraculous transformation by the grace of God as Jane becomes a humble, loving servant of Jesus Christ: “An usher led us to a pew and while I stood listening to the priest, I felt an overwhelming force, like an invisible beam streaming down from above, and it knocked me to my knees. Pain, shame, depression and despair left me in that moment and I knew there was a God who loved me. I also knew without a doubt that Jesus Christ was His Son, and He wanted to heal me. I started sobbing.
Through all the stories in Motherhood Interrupted the reader will understand that abortion is not the answer for women and society. Each story is reveals a host of difficulties that follow abortion: drug and alcohol abuse, depression, guilt, sadness and even suicide attempts. Paula recounts in her story: “I maintained a façade but deep inside my life continued in a downward spiral as the memories of my baby remained. I believed in my heart that I aborted a boy, and I always missed my son, especially on the day that would have been his birthday. Seven years of my life were wasted on promiscuous, out-of-control living. I reached such a low point that I almost made suicide an escape out of my misery. I remember driving to the riverfront in Downtown Memphis. I seriously considered driving over the river bluffs into its murky waters. No one would see any evidence of a car buried in a muddy grave.”
Although, there is much pain and suffering after their choice to abort, each woman finds hope, healing, and peace in Jesus Christ. Motherhood Interrupted is not merely a journey abortion and its aftermath. It is also a journey through acceptance, forgiveness and healing to finally arriving at mercy and hope as Janet testifies: “Peace and blessings have returned to my life and the Body of Christ continues to be my family. I can see fulfillment multiplying in the areas where the Lord has me working. He is redeeming the destruction of my past and using all of it in ministering to other people. Thank God, He is the Redeemer! He continues to heal and restore me in many ways.
The purpose of Motherhood Interrupted is to allow the reader a glimpse into the lives of women who were touched by abortion. The message is that abortion hurts women and women deserve better than abortion.
Reading these stories may give other post-abortive women, now suffering in silence, the courage to also come forward. Then the grim reality of how abortion shatters lives would be seen, and soon it would not be thought of as a mere “clinical procedure” nor as a “fundamental right,” but instead as the tragedy it is.
For more information visit www.motherhoodinterrupted.com .
