“Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you...”
Those who receive God’s gift of mercy often desire in their gratitude to pass it on to others. Abby Johnson is one such person. Once the manager of the Planned Parenthood abortion clinic in Bryan, Texas, Abby turned away from a lucrative career and has become a pro-life advocate, dedicated to helping workers leave the abortion industry.
Abby’s story is told in the movie Unplanned, now playing in theaters locally and nationwide. In 2009, while working at Planned Parenthood, Abby was asked to assist with an ultrasound abortion of a 13-week preborn baby. After seeing the baby fight for his life, she knew she could not continue in the abortion industry. Abby said, ““I had seen two things that I knew to be true—that there was humanity in the womb and that abortion was taking an individual human being’s life.”
After deciding to leave Planned Parenthood, Abby was afraid and unsure where to turn. She knew she would not only be leaving her career and her paycheck, but would alienate her circle of professional contacts - and personal friends. Providentially, the clinic where she worked was the site of the original 40 Days for Life prayer vigil. Shawn Carney, one of the founders of the 40 Days for Life movement, and his wife Marilisa often stood praying outside the fence at the abortion facility where Abby worked. She knew that their pro-life office, the Coalition for Life, was nearby. Abby walked away from her job and into the Coalition for Life office, seeking the help of the people who had shown her God’s love, despite the fact that they stood on opposite sides of the fence for so long.
As she waited in that office, Abby prayed, “God, I don’t know how to keep going on with this burden.” She added, “I remember… hearing Him gently saying, ‘You know, nothing you will ever do will make up for what you have done.’ That was a hard reality to grasp, but I also heard from Him that because of His Divine Mercy—because of His radical grace and forgiveness—He was ready to say that it’s finished. I had to move forward in that faith.”
After leaving her job, Abby successfully overcame a gag order from her former employer, Planned Parenthood, and began to speak out about the abortion industry. Knowing how difficult it was to leave the industry, and what a difference it made to have the support of the pro-life community in making that transition, she felt called to do the same for others. In 2012 she founded And Then There Were None, which has helped 430 workers and seven abortionists to leave the industry. Her story was told in her book Unplanned, now dramatized in the Unplanned movie. The Divine Mercy that the Lord so generously bestowed on Abby is now being shared with many other prodigal sons and daughters, leading many who were lost back to the Father’s mercy.
Celebrate and rejoice! Think how many of our brothers and sisters who were lost will find their way home because of Abby's story! Those who were dead have been brought back to life! And the Father, who loves us all despite our many sins, is waiting with open arms to receive us, if we just turn back to Him with repentance. The Lord's infinite love and Divine Mercy are freely given to all who ask. Trust in God's plan for your life - no matter how far you have strayed from His path - come home, and find "unplanned" joy!
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