Pro-life advocate Abby Johnson, a former Planned Parenthood clinic director who is now one of the most prominent voices for the unborn, recently shared a heartbreaking letter purportedly sent by a former patient.
The note addressed to Johnson came from an anonymous sender who reportedly received an abortion at the clinic now-pro-life advocate once ran. The writer said she has seen Johnson on TV and long wanted to write to her.
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What followed were a series of rebukes and harsh repudiations — renunciations Johnson openly and candidly addressed. But before detailing Johnson’s compassionate reaction, it’s worth highlighting some of the note’s contents.
“You were my counselor when I had my abortion,” the letter read. “I did ask you questions. I asked you if my baby would feel pain. You lied to me. I asked if my baby was developed. You lied. How many women did you lie to?”
The woman said she didn’t want an abortion and, at the time, wanted answers from Johnson, whom she said “couldn’t even be bothered” to give her what she wanted. The individual then accused Planned Parenthood of simply wanting her money for the abortion.
From there, the sender delivered more harsh words.
“I hope you feel good about the fact that all of these babies are dead because of YOU,” the letter continued. “I hope you dream about them. I hope you hear them crying.”
The note further rebukes Johnson and proclaims that the sender has been left with “a lifetime of regret.”
Johnson said this isn’t the only letter like this she has received over the years. The And Then There Were None founder said the most challenging part of this particular note is it was sent anonymously, and she can’t respond to offer a heartfelt apology.
“Even though her words are harsh, they still ring true,” Johnson admitted. “I’m certain that I did lie to her. I’m sure that even if I did sense a hesitancy in her, I didn’t take the time to explore that. And she’s absolutely right. … I’ve said this before, and I will say it again now: I am no hero.”
She continued, “I stopped doing something that I should have never been doing in the first place. That’s not heroic. That’s simply correcting an evil.”
Johnson said she’s not angry with the words in the letter. She has compassion for the sender and feels she is justified in her anger. Johnson also wishes she could have done things differently for the sake of so many women who came through the Texas clinic she once ran.
Still, Johnson warned anger won’t provide healing to the anonymous sender.
“I can handle her anger towards me, and honestly, I feel like it is justified. Here’s the thing, though. Anger won’t bring her healing,” she said. “Blame won’t bring her healing. Eventually, we all have to take responsibility for our own actions in order to move forward in peace.”
Johnson then delivered a message in hopes the woman who wrote the letter would see it. Despite speaking publicly, writing books, and having her story shown through movies and media, the pro-life advocate said she is very sorry for her past.
“That doesn’t mean I’m not sorry for what I did to you, to your innocent child. I am sorry. It doesn’t mean I won’t spend the rest of my life healing from what I have done,” Johnson said. “It doesn’t mean I don’t suffer consequences (rightly so) because of what I have done.”
She concluded, “Don’t mistake my joy for a lack of sorrow. Sorrow keeps me grounded, joy keeps me going.”
Pray for the sender of this letter and for Johnson and others who cope with a complicated past but who move forward into a positive and uplifting future. Also, find out more about And Then There Were None, a ministry founded by Johnson to help others leave the abortion industry.
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