Life, Respect and Forgiveness

by Stephanie Raha, Editor-in-chief, The Christophers
“I can live with the adoption; I can’t live with the abortion.”  Those words spoken by one young woman to her girlfriend more than 40 years ago have changed the lives of thousands of people. 
The woman who said those words had two unwanted pregnancies.  She aborted one child, but gave the other up for adoption.  However, she never really got over the abortion and told her friend, Vicki Thorn, about her grief and inability to come to terms with what she had done.  Thorn never forgot what she heard that day and decided to do something to help those women who have suffered the loss of a child through abortion. 
She became the Director of the Respect Life office in the Archdiocese of Milwaukee in 1977, working to support the pro-life movement in a variety of ways.  But she never forgot her friend or her concern for all the women who have had abortions.  Thorn also knew that the American bishops had discussed the importance of post-abortion counseling after the 1973 Supreme Court decision, Roe v. Wade, made abortion legal in this country. 
Finally, in 1984, Vicki Thorn decided to take the plunge and create such a ministry herself.  With the support of her local bishop, she invited some priests, therapists, Catholic Charities workers and women who had abortions to a meeting.  “When I started Project Rachel, I thought it would be a nice little local diocesan project until the next day when it was in all the media,” says Thorn.  “I started getting calls from people in other dioceses because we’d all been talking about post-abortion ministry for years.”
The name comes from Jeremiah 31:15: “Rachel is weeping for her children; she refuses to be comforted for her children, because they are no more.” 
Thorn became, as she puts it, “An expert in a field that didn’t exist.”  From the beginning, Project Rachel has offered strong spiritual and psychological elements as well as anonymity to those seeking healing.  Immediately after an abortion, most women feel relief but, over time, many suffer from guilt and loss.  Reactions can range from mild grief to serious symptoms including a deep sense of anger, depression or isolation.  These women may experience sleep or eating disorders, drug or alcohol abuse, failed relationships and other problems.  A woman seeking help after an abortion often wants God’s forgiveness for her role in ending her baby’s life.  With the support of Project Rachel, she is reminded that God’s love and mercy never falter – no matter what we do. 
In recent years, the organization has also offered support to fathers, grandparents and other family members who may have played a part in the abortion and are now trying to deal with their own spiritual and emotional problems.  More than that, Project Rachel has spread to over 150 dioceses in the United States, as well as to other countries from Europe to Asia.  In the 26 years since its founding, the ministry has assisted thousands upon thousands in finding the healing for which they desperately yearn.
And all because one young woman heard a mother’s words of pain, guilt and grief and chose to translate them into a language of reconciliation, love and life. 
For a free copy of the Christopher News Note, ABORTION: STAND UP FOR LIFE! write:
The Christophers, 5 Hanover Square, New York, NY 10004; or e-mail: mail@christophers.org