The Catholic Book Blogger
In the pro-life debate both sides of the argument have become very good at catchy slogans. As with any task we partake in there are times where we need a reminder of what the root cause of our efforts are. Former Planned Parenthood clinic director turned pro-life advocate Abby Johnson provides a book that gets to the heart of the abortion industry. The Walls Are Talking: Former Abortion Clinic Workers Tell Their Stories
This particular review is difficult for me to write, which if you know me personally, is pretty hard to believe. It is difficult because this is a topic I have never experienced or have first-hand knowledge of. It is also difficult for me because I could never understand the logic behind ending the life of a child. You see, my wife and I lost a son at 32 week’s gestation on April 24, 1998. It has always been difficult for me to fathom how one couple wanted a child and likely somewhere at the same time someone was choosing to end the life of another.
Abby’s book is a rare one that tells the story behind the walls, the inside story of what happens in these clinics. Quite frankly it’s a chilling image. The book consists of seventeen stories as told by those who worked in abortion clinics. Their names are left out to protect their privacy and allow them the ability to speak freely. Upon finishing the book I feel a need to thank Abby and these individuals for their courage in coming forward with their stories. What follows are some of their own words:
“Her memory haunts me. To acknowledge that I had a hand in not only ending the life of her baby that day, but also covering up the physical ordeal the her small body endured, is difficult to hear. When I hear people spouting off slogans such as how abortion should be legal, safe, and rare, I think of Lily and countless others like her. Some weren’t fortunate enough to walk out of the clinic and instead exited n body bags.”
“I wonder what Ms. (Madeline) Albright, having boldly declared that there is a special place in hell reserved for women who fail to help other women, would have done for Diane. I know that for my own sin of omission, for failing to protect women in crisis as a result allowing those who profit off their misery to continue to prosper, I had earned my own place in hell. And only by the grace of God am I rescued from that fate.”
“As an idealistic clinic insider, it was easy for me to believe the canned facts disseminated by the powers that be. When the nation’s largest abortion provider claimed that abortion represented only 3 percent of the services they provided, I doggedly embraced that “fact”. When anyone voiced opposition to my career, I shared it proudly. I was not in the business of abortion. I was in the business of providing quality health care to women.
The short answer to that argument is that the clinics providing abortions are part of a wholly corrupt conglomeration that has mastered the art of deception. The long answer requires an understanding for how medical billing and coding works to grasp how the industry has pulled the wool over the eyes of the American taxpayer.”
Abby Johnson has delivered a book that though hard to consume, is worth the time spent reading. It reveals a side of the abortion debate often not heard and largely ignored by the media. The stories from inside the walls of abortion clinics detail first hand what the real story is. As Paul Harvey said…that’s the rest of the story. In closing Abby has a request she ends the book with that bears sharing here:
“Pray for those who have contributed to this book. Pray for their continued healing. And most of all, pray for those who have not converted yet. We are waiting for them with our arms wide open.”
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Visit Ignatius Press to get your own copy of The Walls Are Talking.
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