I was visiting one of the cities in Europe a while back and was watching a women’s protest on abortion rights. Curiosity got the better of me and I moved closer to the protesters to get an understanding of their discontent. The country had recently passed a bill, legislating abortion and these group of ladies were protesting the passage of the bill claiming that the required public reading of the bill was bypassed which denied them the opportunity to be heard.

Given the passion with which they pursued their cause, I was moved to interrogate them about their reasons which were largely faith-based, and some were based on negative experience. One particularly intriguing one was the case of the leader – Aminat. Hear her.

“I lost my mother a few days after she birthed me, she was my father’s second wife, and I, her only child. I was left to the devices of my stepmother who would send me off to hawk wares in the nearby settlement. To reach there from where we lived, I had to walk through a deserted footpath. One evening at the age of sixteen, as I returned with the empty tray on my head, I was waylaid by two young boys who overpowered me and took turns in raping me. I had never seen or noticed them before. I thought I would die on that lonely path until I heard the voices of some women nearby. I managed to call out for help, and they cleaned me up and took me home. I recounted everything that had happened to my parents and life simply continued as if nothing had happened. After about three months, I was constantly sick, and it then dawned on my stepmother that I could be pregnant. On the advice of some of her friends, amid abuses and curses, she took me to the city for an  abortion.”

Aminat took a long pause and looked away as her eyes welled up with tears and when her gaze returned, she continued “Ma’am, fortune smiled on me and six years later, I married Hussein – my husband and benefactor, an angel in human form. I told him the story of my life and he accepted me as I was. However, challenges reared their head when I kept having miscarriages until I visited a gynecologist who made it clear to us that the abortion had damaged my womb. We were then forced to pursue an alternative source of having a child. Since we were both fertile, we agreed that we would recruit the services of a surrogate mother to carry the pregnancy to term and so we have a wonderful son today. Using a surrogate robbed me of the joys of experiencing my incubating foetus, the bonding that takes place from the womb as his heart was beating…his feeding habits as they could have impacted me, and so much more. That abortion stole that from me – I can never enjoy the total satisfaction of mothering my child. Do you understand? If only I had never had the abortion.”  I nodded in silence as I took in all her pain, and silently returned to my hotel room to ruminate over her story.

If Aminat had not done the abortion, she may have had the stigma and other pains associated with being a rape victim and rearing an unwanted “bastard.” On the other hand, if the abortion had not impaired her womb and she could give birth to other children, would she have felt the same about abortion rights? One is familiar with reasons given by pro-abortionists e.g. Health reasons, the right of the individual to determine what to do with their body, etc. but at the same time, I could understand Aminat’s pain. How many such Aminat’s are out there suffering in silence? Many are less fortunate than she has been. I prayed that Aminat would find peace in her mind and that the world would better understand the expectations of God regarding procreation. May the Lord help us all.

Love

Havilah