And Then There Were None: Abby Johnson Helps Abortion Workers Leave the Industry

By Jennifer Hartline
9/7/2012
Catholic Online (www.catholic.org)

No abortion clinic workers, no abortion clinics, no abortions. It starts with the workers.

"It's always struck me when I go out to clinics, and watch the sidewalk counselors reach out to women who've had an abortion, and I see the compassion on their faces and hear the compassion in their words, and it's fantastic. They extend such love to those hurting women. But then I see clinic workers come out, and that compassion just evaporates. It's wrong."

And Then There Were None Seeks to Help Abortion Workers see the truth of their involvement and leave the industry

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WASHINGTON, D.C. (Catholic Online) - As I hung up the phone from talking with Abby Johnson, the founder of And Then There Were None, a ministry she began with her husband to help abortion clinic workers leave the industry, an image came to mind that stung my heart and made me ashamed.

A woman, a known sinner, fell at Jesus' feet and bathed them with her tears, then dried them with her hair. From her alabaster jar she poured her perfume on the Master's feet, along with all her regret and shame, sorrow, and love. The men in the room were appalled by her audacity -- the nerve of this sinful woman to barge into a Pharisee's house and touch Jesus!

Yet Jesus made them look at her and witness the greatness of her love. "Do you see this woman? I came into your house. You did not give me any water for my feet, but she wet my feet with her tears and wiped them with her hair. You did not give me a kiss, but this woman, from the time I entered, has not stopped kissing my feet. You did not put oil on my head, but she has poured perfume on my feet. Therefore, I tell you, her many sins have been forgiven -- for she loved much. But he who has been forgiven little loves little." Luke 7:44-47

Today that woman works in an abortion clinic. She works for Planned Parenthood, or one of its affiliates. She works in a medical clinic somewhere, and her job every day is to "terminate pregnancies." She helps spill innocent blood in the name of "choice" and "reproductive rights." But what if... what if she doesn't want to anymore? Do you care?

Abby cares, because that was precisely the position she found herself in just a few years ago, when she realized she could no longer work for Planned Parenthood and kill the child in the womb through abortion. She wanted out, and thankfully, she was assisted by people from 40 Days for Life who were waiting to welcome her and help her leave her job. (If you haven't read her incredible story, unPlanned , you should.)

Abby knew when she left PP that some day she wanted to help clinic workers, but she didn't know how that would take shape. She began speaking publicly in the pro-life community, and finished writing unPlanned, giving the country an unflinchingly-honest look inside the abortion industry. When it was released, something interesting happened. Clinic workers started reading it, and 40 Days For Life groups began handing it out.

Abby told me, "I wrote the book because I thought, if I was still a clinic worker and someone like me came out with a book, I'd want to read it as a critic! So I wanted to reach out to clinic workers who would read the book as a critic, and maybe something would strike them as truth.

So that really started to happen, and clinic workers began contacting me, saying 'I'm feeling the same way you were feeling, can you help me?' They were feeling trapped with nowhere to go. They felt PP was a big black mark on their record, which it is. PP is the lowest of the low; abortionists are not the greatest physicians. It's like if one day you wanted to become a respected dog breeder but you had on your record that you used to work in a puppy mill, you'd have a hard time.

These workers feel stuck, like they can't leave. A lot of them are single mothers, and they can't just leave their job on a leap of faith.

I knew how lucky I was to have so much support when I left PP, and how scary it is for workers who want to leave but have no one to help them. I thought, after 40 years of abortion in this country, surely there are groups out there to help clinic workers. We have so many other groups to help men and women wounded by abortion, surely there are other organizations helping clinic workers, and I wanted to find them and join forces. I didn't want to reinvent the wheel. I was stunned to learn that there was no one at all reaching out to clinic workers.

So my husband and I began helping them ourselves. On our own we helped them financially, emotionally, and spiritually. In short order, we'd helped 17 clinic workers make the transition out of the abortion industry. I was motivated, and I knew I had to get something official going. Nobody was reaching out to these workers -- they came to me. I knew that had to change."

And so, And Then There Were None was born.

Thinking that original crop of 17 workers was a fluke and they'd probably never see numbers like that again, ...

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1 - 10 of 16 Comments

Candy Smith
3 months ago
It is really nice to know that there are still people who are willing to help others. That’s really heart-warming. Thanks for sharing this information. Nice posting!
jelly andrews
8 months ago
I commend the compassion of Abby in helping. Her sincerity in helping women is very impressive. I am now her fan.
AbortionclinicAtlanta.com
Alice
9 months ago
I think it was around twenty years ago when I saw the first "Meet the Abortion Providers" video. This was made by the Pro-life Action League. Joe Scheidler invited doctors, nurses, and others who had been involved in the abortion industry but were out to a symposium where they would share their stories. This was taped and put on videos. I was profoundly moved by a story of one doctor whose conversion came after his beloved toddler daughter that he and his wife had adopted after failing to conceive was struck by a car during her birthday party. (She was running out to the street to retrieve a ball.) It was when he cradled the lifeless body of his daughter that the realization of all the children he had murdered overwhelmed him. His was a very painful exodus from darkness. Since then I do pray for the workers and their tortured souls. I am so glad that Mrs. Johnson is building up this ministry.
Martha
9 months ago
Abby, I am so impressed that you are participating in this forum! Right on...girlfriend! I do believe I will finally buy that book, and several copies!! I'll hand them out as this article suggests! It's hard to stand out there in front of the clinics....books in hand will be helpful!!! Thank you Jennifer for a great article.
JeanCatherine
9 months ago
These women can get out and they can get other work. If possible they can get more schooling and try other fields if they choose to do so. I pray that they can find other work and make this system collapse as we speak.
Its a no brainer we are collapsing a nation by abortion. This is part of how our civilization will collapse by not defending life. Life is the backbone of this world. Without life on this planet we all die. When we take a life a part of our world dies with this precious gift from God. Dont forget to go to the March for Life next year. Be there its important. I will encourage here as I always do. Im at Pro-Life Blog and laywoman's teaching blog: Jean'sBistro2010's blog. God Bless all and keep up the work in prayer and good deeds to defend the life of the unborn and those who are elderly. From the womb to the tomb cant stress it enough.
Deborah Krisch
9 months ago
I have a whole clinic full of nurses and receptionists who would like to leave the Warr Acres Clinic of Dr Patel. One has left but an add in the paper attracted another LPN who needed work and she has us to pray for her. Name is Linda Sue and she has prayer requests on askaprayer.com as lindasue1986. we have 2 illegals Alejandro and (?) ,Veronica. another LPN and I have not heard her name as of yet. She is new also. I keep constant contact with them and they trust me. What to do next?
Kasoy
9 months ago
Why we need to pray for sinners instead of judging them: The Dialogue of Catherine of Siena: Treatise of Prayer:: "Another thing is necessary for you to arrive at this union and purity, namely, that you should never judge the will of man in anything that you may see done or said by any creature whatsoever, either to yourself or to others. My will alone should you consider, both in them and in yourself. And, if you should see evident sins or defects, draw out of those thorns the rose, that is to say, offer them to Me, with holy compassion. In the case of injuries done to yourself, judge that My will permits this in order to prove virtue in yourself, and in My other servants, esteeming that he who acts thus does so as the instrument of My will; perceiving, moreover, that such apparent sinners may frequently have a good intention, for no one can judge the secrets of the heart of man. That which you do not see you should not judge in your mind, even though it may externally be open mortal sin, seeing nothing in others, but My will, not in order to judge, but, as has been said, with holy compassion."
Abby Johnson
9 months ago
Diane,
No one has to "make up" for any sins they have committed. When someone repents, they are forgiven...period. I choose to work in this movement...because I have been called to do it. Not all former clinic workers have that same calling...and that is PERFECTLY OKAY. Some will simply go to work in another line of work. Some will begin to stay home with their children. Some will continue to work in the medical field, without performing abortion. The bottom line is that once they are out, and they ask for forgiveness, they are forgiven. And you are not to judge their soul. Maybe you have not had an abortion or worked in an abortion clinic, but you have sinned, that I am sure of. And when you ask for forgiveness, you are forgiven. These men and women who turn from this sin do not deserve condemnation from the pro-life movement. They are men and women of courage. I don't condemn you for your sins. It could have easily been you or someone you know that did have an abortion. I wouldn't condemn you for that. If God can forgive, then we better follow His lead.
Anne
9 months ago
Diane, comments like yours let people know that they are not welcome in the Body of Christ and basically tell them that even if they want to repent, they will forever in your eyes be stained by their past mistakes. But Christ's forgiveness is total. In turning to him he makes us white as snow. We have to make reparations for the damage we caused, but we needn't be chained by guilt and shame, which are not of God.
You are correct, that we are called to repentance. I would argue though that someone is much more likely to repent when they see God, working through his people, offering them love, an opportunity for assistance and community.
And as for the women who still cling to it as a "right"? They are human. We are all broken, we all lie to ourselves. We tell ourselves that the wrongs that we do are somehow justified or because they "help" someone that they really aren't wrong.
So please, continue to pray for them to repent! But consider praying for them to come to know Jesus through the Pro-Life community who is offering them a way out of what they know deep down is wrong. Pray that they may weep true tears like the woman who wept to the Lord, recognizing that He is our hope and salvation, from abortion and all evil.
John
9 months ago
Diane - I believe that Abby is advocating for the clinic workers to change their ways, not to view the murder of innocent lives as good. The call is to open our arms to these people in the face of this terrible sin and be willing to forgive those who want to leave it behind.

Yes, there are so many people in this world who are hurting, but try to imagine the pain of taking part in such terrible acts several times a day. These workers must be in denial and that denial/pain must be destroying them from the inside out. I'm sure that pain is even greater as pro-life advocates pray outside the clinics. It makes denying the sin that much harder, creating even more conflict inside.

There is no question that this is a group of people who greatly need help and healing. In doing such ministry, we also help the pro-life movement by giving these workers a path out of that life and then a stronger voice in opposition of the evil.

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