'Raging feminist' surrenders past abortion to God and experiences His mercy

For Adrienne LeCoure, who was raised Catholic, the catastrophic dissolution of her parents’ marriage caused emotional repercussions leading her down a path which included the abortion of her preborn child.

'Wounds inflicted by men'

LeCoure told Live Action News, “With my family unit blown up, I went to live with my father. I became rebellious and got swept up in alcohol and drugs. I distanced myself from the church and because most of my wounds were inflicted by men, I turned into an anti-man teenager who embraced feminism by the age of 18.”

She became attracted to New Age spirituality, dabbling in the occult, including meditation and yoga. Soon, she was so immersed in these practices that she started traveling internationally to teach yoga workshops in exotic locations.

On the outside, she appeared to have a glamorous lifestyle but inside, she felt like she was dying.

“I was living in Morocco managing a yoga retreat and at the height of my career, flying back and forth to the U.K.,” LeCoure noted. “Everything was at my fingertips. At the time I was in my mid-30s, a proud, sexually liberated feminist. I had a fling with a local man and got pregnant.”

Though she took the “morning after pill,” the drug failed to prevent her from conceiving. She was deeply tormented, agonizing over her decision to seek an abortion.

“I was always about my career which came first. I didn’t want to lose my livelihood," LeCoure said. "While Morocco was a Muslim country, where abortion was prohibited, I had made my decision.”

She was aware of an underground network that provided abortions but decided to travel to Spain where abortion was legal and where it was rare to see pro-life sidewalk counselors outside the clinic.

Conflicting emotions

“Though I was convinced that what I was doing was about healthcare, I showed up at the clinic a tormented woman, sobbing hysterically,” LeCoure said. “The staff there showed me nothing but irritation and annoyance.”

Later, she wondered if the outcome might had been different had someone been there, intervening on her behalf and advocating for life. But that day, she went with the belief that the absolute worst thing a woman could experience was an unplanned pregnancy. Despite this, she sensed her body was communicating to her that there was a life growing in her womb.

“I was trying to suppress that voice of intuition communicated to me that the creation of life is sacred, the knowing that the bond between mother and child was instantaneous," she noted. "I experienced such a turmoil of emotions.”

Yet, she had never heard of 'abortion regret.'  

“The mainstream media was effective in conveying that abortion was routine, that it was no big deal,” LeCoure said, “It was so casually accepted in our culture.”

While she didn’t remember much during the procedure, she recalls waking up filled with grief and remorse.

LeCoure said, “I was weeping uncontrollably and was told to cry quieter.”

Doubling down

Despite her anguish, after her abortion, LeCoure doubled down on her pro-choice stance.

“I was in denial, refusing to face the reality of what I had done,” she said. “Continuing to be a pro-choice feminist allowed me to run from the responsibility of ending the life of my preborn child. Facing that atrocity would have killed me.”

Then it was early 2020 and the world shut down in response to the Covid pandemic. LeCoure lost her coveted career. It was a time of confusion as she tried to gain her footing amid a dark time.

“Nothing made sense anymore," she told Live Action News. "I was losing faith in the platform I had clung to. My career was gone and with it, my lifestyle. Though I grappled with depression and anxiety, I was still unwilling to look deep inside.”

Her relationships with men continued to be a battle of the wills as LeCoure struggled to gain the upper hand — and by doing so, emasculating the man with whom she tried to establish a relationship.

Memoir eventually leads to healing

Around this time, she completed a memoir detailing her travels to 40 countries as a yoga guru. A friend introduced LeCoure to her mother, who was an editor.

“After reading my memoir, she encouraged me to return to the Catholic church,” LeCoure noted. “She told me that my story wasn’t yet over.”

Later, the same woman directed LeCoure to Rachel’s Vineyard, telling her how the ministry helped her to heal from the trauma of abortion.

“I wrestled with whether I wanted to attend the retreat, and I did go in the end but all the way there, I was fighting with myself, tempted to turn around but I kept going," LeCoure said. "I started weeping once inside the retreat.”

There, she made her first confession to a priest in 23 years. Her penance, he told her, was to look at the stars in wonder. 

“He showed me such compassion,” she said. “I felt the mercy of God enter my heart. I went into the retreat as a raging feminist, then I surrendered to the Lord on my knees and came out as a devout Catholic woman.”

While the agony of her abortion will be forever with her, LeCoure felt God’s mercy and grace gave her the strength to truly grieve and to finally heal.

She was asked to share her testimony at a fundraising gala for Rachel’s Vineyard.  As the video circulated, she received more invitations to share her story.

“I say ‘yes’ to whatever God asks of me,” LaCoure said. “As a former feminist, I now advocate for marriage and families. I was duped into thinking freedom, and a career would give me happiness, yet it didn’t.”