There seems to be almost no end to the falsehoods generating from abortion proponents in the aftermath of the Supreme Court Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization overturning Roe v. Wade. Women will be arrested and prosecuted for pursuing abortion, they will be denied care for ectopic pregnancy or miscarriage, they will be kept from crossing state lines to procure abortion, they are being given misinformation or having their data and privacy compromised by pregnancy help organizations; it goes on.
One myth abortion proponents have put forth since well before Dobbs is that women need abortion to succeed, that without the ability to take the life of their unborn children they cannot fully take part in society, pursue their goals, have fulfilling lives.
Nothing could be further from the truth, certainly because there is pregnancy help available, and women who face unplanned pregnancies (whether they choose to parent or not) can make a choice for life for their child with adequate assistance and support.
But the supposition that women need abortion to succeed is also contemptuous. Women themselves defy this discourteous and oppressive untruth projected upon them by the abortion crowd.
The pro-life community is brimming with moms with accomplished lives. They are living proof that women are not held back by motherhood; that they do not need abortion, and in fact, choosing life makes for a full life.
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Pro-life advocate Abby Johnson is a former Planned Parenthood manager whose And Then There Were None organization helps abortion workers leave the industry, and who is quick to debunk the myth that women need abortion.
"I have eight children, a career speaking around the world about the detrimental effects of abortion, have written three books, and had a movie made about my life in 2019 that debuted in theaters across America,” Johnson said. “The biggest lie the abortion industry tells women is that they need abortion to be successful in life.”
“Success looks different for every woman,” Johnson told Pregnancy Help News, “but I can say that my two abortions only led me to regret and anguish, not any kind of empowerment.”
She said the “kicker” is that the attorneys for the Jackson abortion facility in the Dobbs case argued that very point - that women need abortion to succeed - in front of Justice Amy Coney Barrett, a mother with seven children herself, including two adopted children, and with an obviously successful career.
“I want to tell women that they don't need abortion to achieve their dreams,” Johnson said, “that we are here to help them, that they don't need to darken the doors of any abortion clinic to obtain true empowerment as a woman."
Alison Centofante is a pro-life activist and founder of Centofante Strategies, where she consults and works with pro-life groups on select projects.
She is also mom to two; a toddler and two-month-old.
"It's terrible to see the pro-abortion movement continue to lie to women to promote abortion,” she said. “Abortion kills an innocent child and leaves a woman with an irreversible decision.”
Countless women have found themselves in unplanned pregnancies, chosen life, parented or created an adoption plan, added Centofante, “and thrived in all the ways they wanted to.”
“The abortion industry makes millions telling women they are incapable and aren't good enough to parent,” she said. “They make their profit, commit an abortion, and leave a woman alone. The pro-life movement alternatively, makes no money from a mom in need, often raises money for her, and stays with her as long-term support."
Ramona Trevino is also a former Planned Parenthood manager. She wrote about her journey and was a pro-life speaker before stepping back to take more time with her family, which includes six kids, ages 4,7,10,15, 24, 27, and a granddaughter who just turned two.
Trevino is now Director of Outreach for 40 Days for Life National.
Understanding the significance of timing in life, that success can be defined differently for different people, and it can evolve over time for everyone is important, Trevino explained.
“As a mother who became pregnant at the young age of 16, I often think about the word “success” and what it means in a culture where children and motherhood are viewed with such contempt,” she said. “For me, at age 16, and even now as a married woman in her forties, success means birthing my children in difficult circumstances and parenting with great love and sacrifice.”
“Not every pregnant woman’s circumstances will be the same,” Trevino told Pregnancy Help News, “but what’s important to remember is there are different seasons in life.”
“There will always be a time to pursue one’s hopes and dreams,” she said. “That time will look different for every woman. We mustn’t view our children as deterrents for achieving those dreams, but rather they are the motivation.”
Christa Brown also became a mom at a young age - learning she was pregnant with her first child at the end of her freshman year of college.
A straight "A" student who knew exactly what she wanted, she wasn't one who enjoyed plot twists, and she struggled with deviating from her ambitious plans for the future.
“It was certainly too early to become a mom,” she said. “The pregnancy was complicated from the beginning and my life went from busy, challenging and fun to boring and confined overnight. How would I ever achieve my dreams?”
She quickly found her place as a mom and wife and these roles became her greatest joy.
“I homeschooled my children while managing three pregnancy help centers,” Brown said. “After having all five of my children, I returned to college and while working full time, I completed two nursing degrees.
Along with her BSN and RN degrees, she has the Life Affirming Specialist certification, and is Director of Medical Impact for Heartbeat International.
“Abortion was never needed to help me succeed,” said Brown. “My children were an inspiration to me, not a hindrance.”
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She notes she had an abundance of support, family, love, and hope.
Acknowledging how a young woman with an unexpected pregnancy can feel overwhelmed by her circumstances, Brown said, “My life has been so much more than I ever could have imagined as that scared young woman doubting her future. Abortion would have taken my greatest joy and a place in my heart that could not be replaced.”
Danielle White is General Counsel for Heartbeat International, and mom to several young children. White authored the amicus brief filed by Heartbeat in the Dobbs case from home with one of her children on her lap.
“It is sad that those who claim to champion women's rights push the degrading, discouraging, and deceptive notion that woman cannot both be mothers and be successful in their educational, career or personal pursuits,” she said. “Indeed, Planned Parenthood v. Casey, one of the cases overturned by the recent Dobbs decision, equated pregnancy with being "cast into darkness" and parroted the sexist contention that women need abortion in order to "participate equally in the social and economic life of the Nation."
“As a mother myself, I am grateful that my daughters will be raised in a country where the Supreme Court has now rejected and overturned this disempowering language,” White said. “The truth is that women are strong and capable, and that a robust network of pregnancy help organizations stands ready and eager to help women achieve their dreams while also choosing life for their precious unborn children.”
Pro-life advocate, author and international speaker on abortion Toni McFadden knows firsthand about the abortion industry’s regard for women and its false premise that women need its product.
She was a senior in high school when she walked through the door of an abortion facility.
“I believed in the false narrative that I had to have an abortion so that I did not destroy my future,” McFadden told Pregnancy Help News.
“One of the biggest lies perpetrated by the abortion industry is that women cannot be successful without access to abortion,” McFadden said. “They feed into a woman’s fear while facing an unplanned pregnancy without giving her hope or real options.”
After a period of darkness stemming from her abortion experience, she found her way back to God.
The mother of four holds a bachelor’s degree, a master’s degree in Biblical Counseling, and she is currently pursuing her licensure in counseling.
“In so many ways, my journey was an eye-opening experience,” McFadden said. “I began to realize that abortion had not been my only option, it was just the loudest advertised idea that was before me at the time.”
“Saying women need an abortion to be successful places upon us an inferior power the likes of which we have not been under since before we earned the right to vote,” she said.
“Who sets the limits on what we can or cannot accomplish with or without children in tow?” McFadden asked.
Pro-life advocates and organizations are working to raise awareness about pregnancy help organizations that offer real support for those with unplanned pregnancies, through pregnancy and beyond, McFadden said, adding, “The argument for abortion loses power once you realize that there are other resources out there that provide real, empowering support.”
These women and more personify the reality that women are capable and strong, and they can get along just fine without abortion.
