What about the women who have had abortions and now regret it? What about those who decided to have their babies? Their stories matter, too.

So says Kate Bryan – a pro-life writer, former Live Action Communications Director, and the current Director of Communications at American Principles Project. Yesterday, TIME published her article, “An Honest Debate About Abortion Needs More Voices.”

And indeed, as Kate poignantly pointed out, while numerous celebrities and other less-famous women deeply regret their abortions, pro-abortion campaigns act as though abortion is a purely positive experience.

“Abortion-advancement groups,” as Kate calls them, continually make an “effort to promote abortion without showing the other side of the issue.” Despite the facts and true-to-life stories of real women – and men – the accounts shared by abortion-advancement groups “focus only on positive views of abortion.”

This is a compounded tragedy. Not only are the honest voices of grieving women pushed to the shadows, but the real truths about preborn human beings who die, through the use of violent methods, are also hidden.

Abortion-advancement groups deny the truth, plain and simple. And in so doing, as Kate points out, their claims are “disingenuous to women.” Women with viewpoints other than that of celebrating abortion are ignored. It is pretended that they do not even exist or, if they do, that they are not real women.

Yet, when abortion is painted as roses and flowers, women who are considering abortion are, for all practical purposes, lied to. They are not given the true facts.

As Kate wrote, an honest dialogue on abortion would include:

1) The stories of women (and the men involved) who regret their abortions and who were harmed by their abortions.

2) The stories of women who did not choose abortion.

And although this one was beyond the scope of Kate’s article, an honest dialogue would also include:

3) The real facts about developing human beings that demonstrate why abortion is the killing of an innocent person.

Hear the voices of a few women who Kate believes should be included in an honest dialogue.

While I’ve never had an abortion, I was deeply affected by the loss of my brother as the result of one. Since finding out 7 years ago, I have gone through unimaginable pain. – Renee

I found out I was 6 weeks pregnant when I was 14. After I found out I was pregnant everything just hit me. I became very sick. I was in and out of the ER. I thought about abortion. I even called for an appointment. … I was in the hospital on Valentine’s Day. I had to get an ultrasound. When I saw how little he was and his heart was beating, I was so glad that I didn’t get an abortion. … I had a healthy pregnancy. Now I share my life with a beautiful baby boy who is 16 months old. I love him, and I wouldn’t trade him for the world. I’m going to be 17 soon, and I’m going to Job Corps for a better life for my son and me. Don’t let people tell you just because you’re young that you’re not going to finish school, because if you want it bad enough then you’re going to get it. Just hang in there. – Kela

I really didn’t want to have an abortion, and even though my mother had a history of being abusive I was willing to face her in hope of getting support to keep my baby. I called her crying, claiming only that I was “in trouble” and needed her to come pick me up. Knowing better, I sat in the back seat and she yelled at me all the way home trying to guess what I had done. Finally she peered at me in her rearview mirror and scowled at me, “You’re pregnant, aren’t you!” I began sobbing and nodded my head yes. She reached behind her swinging her fist at me with one hand while steering with the other. When we got home I was drug out of the car and never even made it into the house. She took her anger out on me right there on the front lawn screaming, kicking me, punching me, and spitting on me. Right then I conceded to the abortion. … We couldn’t even relate to each other anymore, and ultimately our relationship ended because of the abortion. It was so sad, and the whole thing has been the worst, most regretted heartbreak of my entire life. – (Full story here)

You can read Kate’s TIME article here.

For 10 reasons not to have an abortion (and plenty of factual sources), go here. And to read the stories of more women who regret their abortions, see this collection and this site. For stories about women who made a different decision – parenting or adoption – go here.

What about the women who have had abortions and now regret it? What about those who decided to have their babies? Their stories matter, too.

So says Kate Bryan – a pro-life writer, former Live Action Communications Director, and the current Director of Communications at American Principles Project. Yesterday, TIME published her article, “An Honest Debate About Abortion Needs More Voices.”

And indeed, as Kate poignantly pointed out, while numerous celebrities and other less-famous women deeply regret their abortions, pro-abortion campaigns act as though abortion is a purely positive experience.

“Abortion-advancement groups,” as Kate calls them, continually make an “effort to promote abortion without showing the other side of the issue.” Despite the facts and true-to-life stories of real women – and men – the accounts shared by abortion-advancement groups “focus only on positive views of abortion.”

This is a compounded tragedy. Not only are the honest voices of grieving women pushed to the shadows, but the real truths about preborn human beings who die, through the use of violent methods, are also hidden.

Abortion-advancement groups deny the truth, plain and simple. And in so doing, as Kate points out, their claims are “disingenuous to women.” Women with viewpoints other than that of celebrating abortion are ignored. It is pretended that they do not even exist or, if they do, that they are not real women.

Yet, when abortion is painted as roses and flowers, women who are considering abortion are, for all practical purposes, lied to. They are not given the true facts.

As Kate wrote, an honest dialogue on abortion would include:

1) The stories of women (and the men involved) who regret their abortions and who were harmed by their abortions.

2) The stories of women who did not choose abortion.

And although this one was beyond the scope of Kate’s article, an honest dialogue would also include:

3) The real facts about developing human beings that demonstrate why abortion is the killing of an innocent person.

Hear the voices of a few women who Kate believes should be included in an honest dialogue.

While I’ve never had an abortion, I was deeply affected by the loss of my brother as the result of one. Since finding out 7 years ago, I have gone through unimaginable pain. – Renee

I found out I was 6 weeks pregnant when I was 14. After I found out I was pregnant everything just hit me. I became very sick. I was in and out of the ER. I thought about abortion. I even called for an appointment. … I was in the hospital on Valentine’s Day. I had to get an ultrasound. When I saw how little he was and his heart was beating, I was so glad that I didn’t get an abortion. … I had a healthy pregnancy. Now I share my life with a beautiful baby boy who is 16 months old. I love him, and I wouldn’t trade him for the world. I’m going to be 17 soon, and I’m going to Job Corps for a better life for my son and me. Don’t let people tell you just because you’re young that you’re not going to finish school, because if you want it bad enough then you’re going to get it. Just hang in there. – Kela

I really didn’t want to have an abortion, and even though my mother had a history of being abusive I was willing to face her in hope of getting support to keep my baby. I called her crying, claiming only that I was “in trouble” and needed her to come pick me up. Knowing better, I sat in the back seat and she yelled at me all the way home trying to guess what I had done. Finally she peered at me in her rearview mirror and scowled at me, “You’re pregnant, aren’t you!” I began sobbing and nodded my head yes. She reached behind her swinging her fist at me with one hand while steering with the other. When we got home I was drug out of the car and never even made it into the house. She took her anger out on me right there on the front lawn screaming, kicking me, punching me, and spitting on me. Right then I conceded to the abortion. … We couldn’t even relate to each other anymore, and ultimately our relationship ended because of the abortion. It was so sad, and the whole thing has been the worst, most regretted heartbreak of my entire life. – (Full story here)

You can read Kate’s TIME article here.

For 10 reasons not to have an abortion (and plenty of factual sources), go here. And to read the stories of more women who regret their abortions, see this collection and this site. For stories about women who made a different decision – parenting or adoption – go here.