Abortion can leave women in a dark place, but healing is available, says a woman who will share her post-abortion experience April 24 in Minot.

“Statistics tell us that one in four women have undergone an abortion, and for many of these women the pain, sorrow, guilt, and shame, and secrecy remain for years and years,” said Jody Clemens, who provided her story to the Minot Daily News. “Many women choose abortion believing that somehow an abortion is some magical procedure to turn back time to make the women ‘unpregnant’ – as if she had never been pregnant. Just another medical condition that can be taken care of. Unfortunately, women often believe these lies to justify their abortion and they move forward with their abortion, only to discover worse lies ahead.”

“Out of the Darkness, into the Light” is the theme of the Post Abortion Ladies Panel, featuring Clemens and six other women from diverse walks of life who will speak at two separate events hosted by Dakota Hope Clinic in Minot. A luncheon event begins at 11:30 a.m., with the panel discussion at noon, in the Grand Hotel Norse Room. An evening pizza event begins at 6 p.m., with the panel beginning at 6:30 p.m., in the Central Campus Commons and Theater.

Both events are free and open to men, women and youth from seventh grade and older. There is no charge for food but pre-registration to 852-4675 is needed by April 17.

The women on the panel will speak of their abortion journey from the time they learned they were pregnant through finding hope and healing in Christ.

Clemens recalled tears flowing down her cheeks during her abortion procedure and the intense agony that set in as she realized her baby was dying and what she was doing could never be undone. Afterwards, the message that repeated in her head was that she had murdered so must die. She said she bundled up these horrifying thoughts and vowed no one would ever know about the abortion nor would she talk about it.

“Isolated and alone. Both tools of the enemy who comes to kill, steal and destroy,” she said. “What he had once whispered was harmless, he now shouted was hopeless.”

She said her conclusion, and that of many other women experiencing abortion, is that if she felt that bad about herself, God must feel worse and will never forgive her.

“So, when society doesn’t punish us, we take it upon ourselves. The list is long – alcohol, drugs, eating disorders, cuttings, suicide attempts, depression, anger, nightmares, and on and on,” she said.

Healing from abortion is both spiritual and emotional, Clemens explained. One of the best things a woman can do is reach out to a post-abortion ministry, such as the counseling provided by Dakota Hope, she said.

The Post Abortion Ladies panel formed by invitation of 40 Days for Life North Dakota in 2009. Panelists have presented to various audiences in North Dakota and Minnesota, reaching about 150,000 people.

The real-life stories of the panelists were eye-opening, wrote the Rev. Gary Luiten, priest at Park River Catholic Church, after attending a presentation.

“I also saw the courage and fortitude that those women had in sharing their story,” he said. “It helped me see that, although the women, too, are victims of abortion, they still feel the guilt and shame that come from such a loss and that they, too can enter into and receive the healing power, forgiveness and grace of God.”

Given the estimated 60 million abortions performed each year worldwide, panelists see abortion touching virtually every segment of society. Statistics available from the North Dakota Health Department show 1,155 abortions occurred in the state in 2017, of which 839 involved North Dakotans.

The panelists say they speak publicly to share a message of hope to those hurting from abortion as well as to educate and mobilize the church and the public concerning the negative effects of abortion on individuals and society.

They state: “Our desire is to share the truth in love, in hopes that those who hear will be better equipped to reach out to others who are struggling with a current choice or a past decision concerning the issue of life. We don’t want to condemn anyone, criminalize anyone or even debate anyone. We merely want to share our stories and personal encounters with loss and redemption. Stories that few are willing to share; yet stories that need to be heard.”