Abortion healing ministry holds grand opening for memorial garden

A post-abortion ministry assisting women who regret their abortions held a grand opening for its garden, dedicated to the memory of the children lost to abortion.

Key Takeaways:

• Not Forgotten Ministries held the grand opening of its Garden of Remembrance for Preborn Babies on June 19.

• The garden, located in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, is on the property of a former abortion facility.

• "As someone who had an abortion inside this building, this garden is living proof that God can redeem even the most painful places in our stories," said Not Forgotten Ministries founder Tori Shaw.

The Details:

Not Forgotten Ministries' Garden of Remembrance for Preborn Babies held its grand opening on June 19 in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. It is located on property that formerly belonged to the Arcadia Women's Clinic abortion facility from 1979 to 2007. About 20,000 children were killed at that facility, including the baby of Not Forgotten Ministries' founder, Tori Shaw, who died there 27 years ago on June 19, 1999.

"As someone who had an abortion inside this building, this garden is living proof that God can redeem even the most painful places in our stories," Shaw told Live Action News. "For me, this garden is a full-circle moment. I walked into this building in 1999, broken and afraid. Today, I stand on the same ground watching God turn my place of pain into a place of peace for others. What once represented my deepest shame has become a sanctuary of healing."

The garden includes statues and a fence where women placed padlocks in honor of their babies.

Why It Matters:

The abortion friendly media will share stories of abortion as an act of feminist strength and women's freedom, but countless women who have lived through abortions share that it is anything but. Women who have had abortions have suffered from emotional and mental health concerns, from deep grief and regret to post-traumatic stress disorder and depression. Abortion trauma is often unrecognized and untreated, leaving women feeling alone and pushing them to suppress their pain. Symptoms include anger, nightmares, drug and alcohol abuse, suicidal thoughts, anxiety, and self-harm.

Not Forgotten Ministries helps women to overcome their abortion trauma through retreats and one-on-one support. Having a space to remember their aborted baby helps women to find the healing they need to forgive themselves and move forward.