A NOTE FROM MELISSA
When Amy first connected with us three years ago, she was shocked (like most survivors are) to find out she wasn’t alone. I have been deeply honored to watch Amy heal, be empowered, grow stronger, find her medical records that detail the abortion she survived, start to communicate with her biological family and find and use her voice.
She went from saying, “I will NEVER share my story publicly,” to saying, “YES! I was born for this!” when we asked her to share her story in a chapter of my upcoming book, More Than A Choice: Abortion Survivors Break Their Silence. This groundbreaking book will be released in January 2024 by a major Christian publisher.
Amy said “YES!” when we sent her name to the Susan B. Anthony List for a National ad campaign to educate and impact our culture about the humanity of the preborn as the Supreme Court was hearing oral arguments in the Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization case. Roe v. Wade, Amy’s intended death sentence, met its demise, thanks in part to her courageous, healed voice.
Melissa Ohden – Founder and Director
AMY’S STORY
Finding the Abortion Survivors Network has been a blessing and it has been amazing to get to know other survivors of abortions. When I first connected with Melissa, this group had just under 200 survivors that they had connected with, and to date, this group has grown to over 600 survivors worldwide. I never imagined that I’d have friends in Australia, Canada, Sri Lanka, or South Africa! This network offers a healing program for abortion survivors and going through this process alongside others has been life-changing for me.
It has grown my heart and expanded my faith in ways I can’t even express properly. I now see more clearly, the “big picture” of my life’s story and God’s plan. Did you know He has a plan for each and every one of us? I have been able to reach a place of forgiveness for my birth parents and I pray for them often. My birth parents are people just like you and I who are loved by their Heavenly Father and worthy of the same grace and forgiveness that He gives me.
The Abortion Survivors Network hosts events to spread the word about survivors to a world that doesn’t even know people like me are a thing. By speaking up survivors are given the opportunity to share their stories (some for the very first time!). This allows us to speak the truth and to give a face and name to “choice.” I have been blessed with opportunities to share my story on the news and other media sources. I’ve been able to talk to groups in Texas and Washington DC. I even got to participate in an interview for a pro-life event in Ireland! All the new friends and traveling have been a fun change for me.”
MORE TESTIMONIALS
I was never unwanted and alone. God has been by my side this entire time and with him I can overcome every obstacle I have faced. No matter what cards you’ve been dealt with; you can always reshuffle them for a better outcome. Abortion Survivors Network has been life changing for me. I’ve met some beautiful souls who made me feel like I was worthy and I wasn’t alone during this healing journey. That I could turn my pain into power and use my voice to help others.Destiny
I wanted to kill that baby. She survived the abortion because of the pain that they endured. I was that baby.
But The Abortion Survivors Network touched my core and my life has been changed forever. Julian
ASN has been incredibly beneficial to my life in so many ways. I felt that I was set free when I was finally able to open the door that had previously been locked and said “Do Not Disturb” written on it. I was the skeleton in my closet. Just discovering that I am not alone and that there are others who really understand has been monumental. The fact is a lot of us have carried this knowledge for more years than we may like to admit. We have not had the support, connection, or even knowledge of any other survivors!
When I joined the healing group at ASN two years ago, I found a group of people who quickly became my second family. These were people from all over the world! As we went through the journey of the healing group together we became incredibly close. Having a group of people who really understand what being an abortion survivor is like is nothing short of a miracle. We were finally able to discuss our personal pains openly and ease the ache of trauma and rejection together. As we went through the Healing Workbook that Melissa created, there was such a sense of family. We had a safe place to share our deepest wounds and support each other no matter what stage of healing we were at individually.
This vital support network has given me a safe place to truly be able to talk about the ‘unspeakable subject’ of being an abortion survivor. To talk about who I am and what I’ve been through. A place where I can bare my soul to this caring family of fellow survivors. Not only in sharing our hurts and challenges with each other, but also encouragement and hope. Since I have always been a Pro Life “closet” supporter, this has given me the encouragement I needed to step out with my truth. That truth is that I did survive an abortion by God’s grace, and I will go where He leads me.
I would also say that being a member of ASN has undeniably made me a much more confident version of myself. I used to feel isolated- like nobody understood what it was like to be a survivor, but now I have SO many people who understand. People who I can call on a whim to discuss struggles, or to just have a good laugh with and enjoy some genuine camaraderie. I no longer feel like I am alone, but that I am one of thousands who have survived.
I finished Speakers Training in June, and made my first public testimony in July at the Empowered By Life conference in Austin, Texas. Although this was extremely challenging for me, it was such an accomplishment to be able to share the deepest, most hidden and tender part of my life. It was so liberating to be able to share the story with people who were supportive, helpful, interested and ready to learn. Sharing our stories is so important. There is a reason we survived!
I will never be able to thank ASN enough. Especially Melissa, for enacting her vision of connecting all of the survivors in the world, uniting them under one umbrella to help and empower each other. I am forever grateful to ASN for giving us all a home base, a place to heal, to feel accepted, a place to grow. A place to actually get the tools we need so we can do whatever it is God has called us to do. Simply put- it has been an absolute life changer. Kim
I found so much more at The Abortion Survivors Network than I could have ever imagined. Peace, love, and most importantly, family. A family of survivors. Mica
My experience with ASN has far exceeded my expectations. I first learned about ASN in July of 2022 through my younger sister. She encouraged me to also be a part of ASN as it would help us both. I joined, not fully grasping all ASN had to offer survivors. I began the healing group with my sister in September 2022. Although working through the healing workbook was difficult at times, uncovering raw or buried wounds, I am so glad I did it. Working through it with my sister was such a blessing. I learned things about myself that I never knew were inside me. The chapter on trauma in the womb was so eye-opening and helped me understand why I behaved like I did my whole life. Priscilla and Kara facilitated our healing group and were so gentle, understanding, and loving toward us as we walked through the healing process. Not that I have arrived, but I know as a believer that I can come from a place of victory instead of defeat. Next, on to speaker’s training. Rose
My experience with ASN has been such a blessing! I started following Melissa Ohden on Facebook and was so surprised to see she reached out to me on my Abortion Survivor page (Sasha Carpenter: Abortion Survivor & Russian Adoptee) and invited me to learn more about ASN. My first connection with Kara West was wonderful to be able to share my story and encourage one another (not to mention the fun goody box that came thereafter.) I think the best part of my experience with ASN is to simply be connected to a wider community of survivors or those impacted by abortion and to create a space where we can encourage and support each other and further education and discussion about these important issues. Sasha
It took a very long time for me to join the Abortion Survivors’ Network as I was afraid of extremist views. The more I poked around the website, those fears subsided. My welcome kit was heart warming and now I realize the main purpose of the organization is healing. In particular, I was drawn to the workbook. It is well developed and I am working through it. Steven
