Imagine this. It is the year 1976, and women can join the military alongside their male counterparts. Imagine enlisting only four years into this groundbreaking era. Imagine the scrutiny. Imagine the pressure to hold your own. Imagine the pressure to deem yourself worthy of such inclusion. And then imagine experiencing MST (Military Sexual Trauma) and abortion, all while being expected to carry on and perform your military duties. Jody Duffy, a Healing Network Virtual Conference speaker, shares with us at The Healing Network her experience with sexual trauma and abortion in the Military.
Although Jody Duffy revealed her abortion experience with her husband when they became involved, they never spoke of it again. It was not until 19 years later when she unexpectedly began to feel the after abortion grief, that she started her healing journey. Following the lead of the Holy Spirit, Jody reluctantly attended a March for Life event. At this event, she found the pathway to healing—a flier for healing after abortion.
Jody’s road to healing brought purpose to her pain. Inspired to give back, she volunteered and worked for several organizations in various roles, including PATH (Post Abortion Treatment and Healing), center Director, and even orchestrated an outreach for military women. While speaking at the Save One Summit in 2019, Jody felt the prompting to narrow her niche within the ministry to serve clients near specifically and dear to her heart—military veterans. Jody currently serves as a coordinator for MARCH (Military Abortion Recovery Care and Healing). [ultimate_video u_video_url=”https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gI7luMkH4zQ” yt_autoplay=”” yt_sugg_video=”” yt_mute_control=”” yt_modest_branding=”” yt_privacy_mode=”” thumbnail=”custom” custom_thumb=”id^19720|url^https://supportafterabortion.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/Abortion-and-the-Military-One-Woman’s-Pain-Became-Her-Purpose-EP14.png|caption^null|alt^null|title^Abortion and the Military One Woman’s Pain Became Her Purpose EP14|description^null” play_size=”75″ enable_sub_bar=””]An advocate for military veterans, Jody encourages organizations to take measures to prevent these women from falling through the cracks. Something as simple as an intake form with an option to tick a box if one is serving in the military or has served can help identify those who may require healing from MST, PTSD, or an abortion. This identification could also help connect a client with a Veteran’s Affairs (VA) facility for treatment.
Finally, Jody affirms that soldiers with unhealed family members are also impacted by abortion. She adds that occasionally military bases will have a Protestant Women of Chapel or a Catholic Women of Chapel nearby and may very likely offer a Save One healing program.
If you or someone you know is struggling after abortion, you are not alone.