abortion doulas

(Taken from a recent Silent Voices Newsletter.)

Lauren Mitchell struggled to adjust to her new role as a doula.  She is one of many trained, as the Greek term literally means, to assist in childbirth. "What you get very used to is this weird mix of tragedy and relief and sex and emotions," she says.  "There's always this interesting mix of remorse and relief."

If that doesn't sound like a traditional birth experience to you, you're right.  Lauren is an abortion doula, taught to coach mothers not in the birth, but killing of children.  She is one of dozens of volunteers with The Doula Project in Manhattan.  The group covertly works in two unidentified abortion mills, including one that specializes in late-term abortions.

One doula says her job is to "offer patients whatever they need: someone to joke with, someone to cry with, maybe someone to rub their feet."  Another described how she helped a mother by simply blocking her view of lethal injection syringes and an ultrasound monitor with her soon-to-be dead baby's image on it.  She considered that a successful intercession.  But where will these abortion helpers be when days, months, or years later, these hurting mothers are faced with an inescapable sense of loss, depression, and regret?  What jokes will they distract them with then?

This phenomenon is a tragedy of wolves in sheep's clothing.   Not only does the masquerade deny women the true support they need, it also presents an ironic problem for the abortion community itself.  They've spent decades claiming that terminating pregnancies does not bring difficult, painful, or troubling consequences.  Promoting this service is the ultimate admission they were wrong.

Unfortunately, the existence of the abortion doula could be the start of a bigger push.  These helpers could soon be the ones to fill in for a nationwide shortage of abortionists by administering lethal drugs, too.  If so, you can count on us to push right back.  We'll always champion for baby birthdays, not death days - and that's something every doula should be doing, too.

Written by Bradley Mattes for Life Issues Institute.  September 3, 2010. 

P.S.  Read Sarah Mae's post today.  Must be a theme.