Speaker Pam Stenzel of Enlighten and Support After Abortion CEO Lisa Rowe discuss the importance of getting in front of the issue of abortion with a revolutionary approach to end the demand for abortion.
Pam Stenzel spent 20 years working in crisis pregnancy centers. She witnessed young girls making decisions about sex with little to no information and without fully understanding the consequences. One day she realized while she was providing these girls with pregnancy test results, she wasn’t having the critical conversation about what was leading them to her clinic in the first place. Pam states, “When we realize there is an issue, we need to attack it from all angles—from the aspect of prevention, the immediate case at hand, and the aftermath.” At this point, Pam decided to focus her Pro-Life efforts more on prevention, specifically concerning speaking publicly about purity and sexual integrity. She adds, “I’ve learned it’s not just about ending a wrong and working toward a goal. It’s about bringing wholeness and life to individual people. It’s about helping people in their relationships and in their lives going forward.” Both Lisa and Pam agree that we can continue treating and bandaging the broken, or we can get to the root of what is causing the issue and address that too. Together they discuss three ways in which the abortion healing movement can create the catalyst needed to end the demand for abortion globally.
Leading Individuals to their Their “Aha” Moment
Both Lisa and Pam agree that direct conversations about abortion are needed. As Lisa shares, “Abortion is socially acceptable, yet no one is talking about it.” But today’s youth are bombarded by cultural messages on a variety of social media platforms. There is so much noise and so much chatter that it’s difficult for young people to sort through and evaluate the messages they are receiving. Pam asserts, “As leaders in the abortion healing movement, we have the difficult job of teaching young people how to think critically as opposed to just being consumers who believe everything they hear.” Direct, honest conversations about abortion are so counterculture that they may just be what it takes to reach individuals’ hearts and minds. Lisa adds, “The messaging of the ’70s and ‘80s—the billboards about abortion being murder and the images of babies in the womb—just aren’t reaching hearts and minds like they need to. Great grandmothers are encouraging their granddaughters to have abortions. The cycle continues.”
Equipping Individuals With Information to Make an Informed Decision
We need to have difficult discussions about abortion. Individuals need to learn about the procedures and the impacts one typically experiences after abortion. When an individual is informed, they can make an informed decision. Pam reminds us, “Our job is to speak truth, offer love, share information, and create an environment of hope and healing. What an individual does with the information we share is up to them.” She adds, “It’s our job to allow God to use us. As Mother Teresa said, ‘God did not call us to be successful, He called us to be faithful.’” So while we cannot control the outcome, we can simply do our part by equipping individuals with accurate information.
Opening the Door and Keeping It Open
Once we have provided individuals with the information needed to make an informed decision, the next step is crucial. We must open the door for healing and keep it open. We—whether leaders in the abortion healing ministry, or church leaders, or sidewalk advocates, or a member of the community—must communicate to the individual that we will not judge them. We must communicate that when they are ready, whenever it may be, we are here for them. Pam shares, “It may be six months later, one year, or three years, but that individual will remember that they were met with love. They will come back to you when they are ready to receive help and healing.” Pam shares her view that this sort of methodology, one in which individuals are met with love and understanding, is just the sort of catalyst that creates global change. Pam reminds of the ministry of Jesus, “Although the world was looking for a political authority to change things, Jesus came focused not to end someone’s sin but to show them the power of the Gospel to provide hope and healing.” The methodology of meeting individuals where they are with love and understanding is just what Jesus did and just what the abortion healing movement needs.
Join the global conversation on abortion healing and be a catalyst for change by circling March 26 and 27 on your calendar! Support After Abortion’s FREE Virtual Conference will take place on March 26 and 27. Leaders in the industry will gather to discuss the type of abortion and how abortion impacts men and women. Attendees will walk away feeling equipped to go back to their families and communities ready to enact change.
If you or someone you know is struggling after abortion. You are not alone. We are here to help. Contact us today.