When Sarah became pregnant for the first time, she was frightened. The baby was not her boyfriend’s, and she desperately feared for her safety and that of the baby’s father if her boyfriend found out.
With what seemed like no way out, she had an abortion — an experience so traumatizing she never wanted to have it again.
After the abortion, Sarah struggled immensely with guilt, and despite an abusive partner and toxic relationship, thinking it would make things right, she got pregnant again.
Sarah would spend the next six-plus years raising her daughter as a single mother, a time that Sarah shared was difficult and full of trauma.
That’s why when she found herself pregnant again in a similar situation, she was once again terrified.
“Although this time was with different partners, those same soul-chilling fears came flooding back,” Sarah shared.
Despite both men saying they wanted the baby to be born regardless of the scenario, she couldn’t fathom the possibility of being a single mother of two. So, despite being haunted by her first abortion, Sarah found herself contemplating whether it was the best decision.
“This time the solution [that] the enemy placed in my mind as the ‘best for all of us’ was to abort,” she said. “I had convinced myself that it was the best answer and would ‘free’ all of us from this unplanned and unexpected life-altering change.
Terrified, Sarah believed in that moment that God had abandoned her because of her past sins, and she took the first abortion pill.
Chemical abortion consists of two pills, mifepristone and misoprostol. Mifepristone blocks progesterone, the hormone in a pregnant woman’s body necessary to sustain pregnancy. Misoprostol, taken a day or so later, then causes her to go into labor and deliver her deceased child.
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Sarah informed some friends of her decision to proceed with a chemical abortion and although they were supportive, she felt regret.
“I felt this deep sadness within me — deep sorrow and a knowing that I'd done the wrong thing,” Sarah confessed. “Even though I knew God still loved me and always would, I felt a deep aloneness and disappointment.”
She did an internet search: “What happens if you took the first abortion pill then change your mind?” And that’s when she discovered the Abortion Pill Rescue® Network (APRN).
Sarah described the experience of receiving support and comfort from the APRN nurse on the hotline.
“I called the 1-800 number with tears stuck in my throat and running down my face and a deep longing in my soul to hear good news, saying there was at least a chance,” she said. “The love I felt through the phone from the woman on the other end of the line completely soothed my soul and put me at ease.”
Angela the APRN nurse calmly explained the next steps and then put Sarah in touch with the House of Ruth Pregnancy Care Center, which Sarah described as “just as loving, non-judgmental, and accommodating.”
After the appointment at the pregnancy center, she received her prescription for progesterone and began diligently taking the reversal treatment.
The Abortion Pill Reversal protocol is an updated application of a decades-old treatment used to combat miscarriage and consists of prescribing progesterone to counteract mifepristone.
Sarah shared how the support she received from the APRN continued well after that initial contact.
“I got text messages every several weeks with women from the APRN checking in, knowing I was cared for and supported,” she said, “and they were always there for me if I needed anything.”
Sarah and the baby’s father have since married, and they are excited to meet their baby boy, Isaiah, due on April 9.
“I'm just so grateful to be pregnant still and carrying this baby boy,” she said. “I know God has a blessing on his life and it's because of the women and staff of the APRN and House of Ruth and other organizations they're partnered with that I'm able to tell this story and welcome my second child into this world with so much love!”
“I'm beyond grateful for the women at the APRN who loved, cared for, and supported me,” said Sarah. “I felt more love from them than I had from so many others in my life — for they were there for me in my darkest time — they understood, they loved, they supported, and they didn't at all judge.”
Tweet This: “I'm beyond grateful for the women at the Abortion Pill Rescue Network who loved, cared for, and supported me” - APR mom
Today, Sarah has a message for women facing an unplanned pregnancy.
“My heart and love go out to you if you're in this situation. It's hard — but it's so worth it — to maintain and keep hope,” she said. “Know that God does hear your prayers and loves you more than you'll ever know.”
If you or someone you know has taken the first abortion pill, please call the Abortion Pill Rescue® Network (APRN) at 1-877-558-0333, email email
Editor's note: Heartbeat International manages the Abortion Pill Rescue® Network (APRN) and Pregnancy Help News.
