ATLANTA — A post-abortive mother from the Atlanta, Georgia-area recently repented and believed the Gospel after approaching two sidewalk counselors at a local abortion facility to ask if God could forgive her for ending her child’s life.
On Saturday, as Zandra Westenkirchner and Britani Anthony of the Abolitionist Society of Georgia stood ready to minister to women outside of Feminist Women’s Center in Atlanta, a woman drove up in her van to ask a question.
“I had an abortion before, and I’m not pregnant now,” the woman, named Brittany, explained. “I can’t get pregnant, [but] I want a baby so, so bad. … Do you think it’s because of the abortion?”
Westenkirchner then explained that while she could not provide medical advice, many women do have difficulty becoming pregnant following an abortion.
“Is there any way I can ask [God] to forgive me for doing this?” Brittany asked.
“Yes!” exclaimed Westenkirchner and Anthony.
Brittany explained that she had just brought her friend to the Feminist Women’s Center for her fourth abortion, and was feeling a lot of guilt and regret over her own abortion. She parked the vehicle and came back minutes later to speak to the Christians.
“[My boyfriend] was abusive,” she explained to Westenkirchner and Anthony. “I just couldn’t see myself being there with him—having that child there in my life and reminding me of the things I went through.”
But Brittany said that after she had the abortion, she immediately felt regret.
“[I]t took one minute for them to change my life, to take my baby away,” she stated. “And I was like, ‘That’s it? And I paid you $400?'”
“I was like, ‘I don’t feel so good about that,'” Brittany continued. “It just didn’t feel right.”
“You could have given that baby for adoption,” Westenkirchner replied. “You recognize that, and I can see the pain in you right now from what you did. Abortion is murder, and in God’s eyes, you ended that innocent baby’s life. And I can tell you’re burdened by that. … You’re still hurting. You’re still grieving.”
“Right,” the woman agreed. “How could I do that to a child that didn’t even know what was going on? … I just didn’t want him in my life at all and [was] not thinking that the baby wasn’t him. And it was too late for me to turn around and say, ‘God, can you please put that baby back in me?'”
Brittany explained that she began taking pills following her abortion as a way to cope with the emotional and mental pain, but became addicted to the drugs. When her mother told her that she could see the change in her, she confessed that she had an abortion and was taking pills as a coping mechanism.
“She was like, ‘That’s not the way to fix the problem at all,'” Brittany recalled. “So, from that day on, I stopped. I didn’t take no other pills.”
However, the guilt and pain remained—which is why she sought out the women when she saw them standing outside Feminist Women’s Center.
“I went back to normal. Started all over, found me a husband and I felt better,” Brittany said. “But now that I want a child, how can I ask God to forgive me?”
“Those who have a tender heart, like you coming up to us and saying, ‘I had this abortion and I regret it,’ that’s where the Lord really pricks our consciences,” Anthony told the woman. “[When] we go to him and say, “Lord, I’m sorry for committing this sin–whatever it is—breaking this commandment, [He will forgive us.]”
Westenkirchner and Anthony prayed with Brittany, who expressed her thankfulness for the Christians being there to care for her. They exchanged contact information, and Brittany later called Westenkirchner to talk further. Westenkirchner continued sharing the Gospel with Brittany, who repented and surrendered her life to Christ over the phone.
“The encounter with this young lady was not a coincidence, but a divine appointment from the Lord Himself! She was so tender, and it was obvious that the Lord had been working on her heart before we met her,” Anthony told Christian News Network. “I am so humbled to have been used by the Lord to speak about our Savior Jesus Christ, genuine repentance, and God’s forgiveness to this post-abortive mother.”
“Rescuing the unborn actually has little to do with telling others that abortion has to end. It has everything to do with showing them their hearts and allowing Christ to convict and to change,” Westenkirchner added. “We pray that Brittany will continue to grow in her relationship with her Savior, Jesus Christ. We will continue to help her, and direct her as the Lord leads. All glory belongs to God, as He is the One who uses us.”
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