God used a movie to change my mind

L-R Stephanie, Casey, Courtney

With the release of the undercover videos exposing Planned Parenthood, many like me have a testimony of our experiences with this organization. Sharing it may help others who find themselves in a similar situation.

In the fall of 1977, after just seven months of marriage, I found out I was pregnant. I had married my high school boyfriend after one semester of college. I made this decision impulsively and left my home state to move with him to Texas. My father had passed away two years earlier, and I was running from my grief and pain. I was a mess and my marriage was a bigger mess.

I began to contemplate the option of abortion. Abortion had only been legal for a few years and not much was known about it. I had some friends that had abortions, but we had not talked in depth about their experience. When I asked some of my college friends for their input, they all agreed that abortion was the wisest choice in my situation.

I called the nearest abortion clinic near my campus which was affiliated with Planned Parenthood. They instructed me to send in half of the cost of the abortion via cashier’s check and bring the remainder the Saturday morning of my appointment either in cash or with another cashier’s check. I was advised that the deposit was nonrefundable. I guess that was their way of encouraging you not to have second thoughts and back out since you already had put half the money down. My abortion was scheduled for early Saturday morning, a busy day for abortions there as they catered to the college students.

I was taking college classes and working part time at a local health food store with an older woman who was a Jehovah’s Witness. I knew she took her faith seriously and was very spiritual. I had not sought the opinion of anyone as spiritual as her. When I casually asked her what she thought God would think of abortion, she did not hesitate. He thinks it is murder, she answered.

I drove home with her words haunting me and as I turned on the car radio, a song seemed to speak to me as well. Shaking it off, I went home, made dinner, and sat down on my couch to distract myself with a movie on TV. Does anyone think God can use media to reach out to you? The made for TV movie was called Having Babies! This movie followed the lives of different pregnant women and their life circumstances. I related to one couple in particular as their situation closely paralleled mine. Could I be a mother, college student and hold down a job? Could I??

With the close of the movie, I went to bed and set my alarm for my early morning abortion appointment. After all, I had already sent them quite a bit of money. My decision was made….. wasn’t it? During the night, God changed my heart and mind. When the alarm sounded the next morning, I rolled over and turned it off and went back to sleep.

The following May I gave birth to the first of my two daughters. And I thank Him. For eternity, I will thank Him. He made a way and gave me an unexpected grace to be a young mom. Now it's the summer of 2015 and I am seeing "movies" on TV and the internet that are making me relive what I experienced in that Fall of 1977. I am thankful that God used media to speak to me and I am thankful to the woman I worked with who spoke truth to me without hesitation. 

I pray that God is using these videos released by The Center for Medical Progress to change hearts and minds of women just like He used that simple movie for me.

My oldest daughter Casey grew up to be a wonderful woman, wife and mother of four. She has previously served in the mission fields of Argentina and Minsk Belarus and currently works as a Clinical Mental Health Counselor. 

When I gave my testimony in public, my youngest daughter remarked that I would have aborted her very best friend. I shudder to think of the generational impact that impulsive decision would have made and I again give God all the praise for his mercy and grace.

Generations of Life

Posted with permission from Stephanie Finch
Stephanie Finch is a Licensed Professional Counselor working in a private practice in Hendersonville, TN. She specializes in working with children, teens, adults in areas of depression, anxiety, adjustment struggles, marriage counseling, teen and women’s issues. She is married to Tim and proud grandmother of 8. They worship at Long Hollow Baptist Church in Hendersonville, TN and Stephanie is on the board of Decisions, Choices and Options, an educational program to teens about the impact of teen pregnancy.