{"id":274607,"date":"2022-08-22T12:38:57","date_gmt":"2022-08-22T17:38:57","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.liveaction.org\/news\/?p=274607"},"modified":"2022-08-21T21:53:02","modified_gmt":"2022-08-22T02:53:02","slug":"pressured-abortion-god-loved-never-left","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/archive.liveaction.org\/news\/pressured-abortion-god-loved-never-left\/","title":{"rendered":"Pressured into abortion, she later learned God still loved her and had never left her"},"content":{"rendered":"
<\/div>

As young college student, Lisa Ewers could never have imagined that a one-night liaison with a casual acquaintance she met at work would result in an unplanned pregnancy. Scared and shocked, she was fearful of telling her devout Catholic parents. Desperate, she turned to the young man for help, but he instead offered words of condemnation and shame.<\/p>\n

Pressured into abortion<\/h3>\n

\u201cWhen I called him about the pregnancy, I broke down crying,” Ewers told Live Action News. “He told me that if I went through with the pregnancy, he would want nothing to do with me or the baby and would refuse to pay child support. He painted a picture of me being forced to drop out of college, subject to a life of abyssal ruin. He claimed my parents would be so disappointed in me and that I could lose their love and support.\u201d<\/p>\n

Frightened at the prospect of a bleak future, Ewers called Planned Parenthood to schedule the abortion. A few days preceding her appointment, a family friend who worked as a Catholic women\u2019s retreat director unexpectedly called.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis woman, who was like a second mom to me, wanted to know what was going on in my life,\u201d Ewers said. \u201cShe said God had put on her heart to call me, that I was facing something heavy. I lied, telling her I was just frustrated with school and work. I couldn\u2019t let on what I had decided to do.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\"

Photo Courtesy of Lisa Ewers<\/p><\/div>\n

Abortion spurs years of anger and anguish<\/h3>\n

After the abortion, Ewers struggled with self-blame, berating herself for not being strong enough to fight for her baby and stand up for herself. She agonized over her failure to be honest with her parents, and for allowing fear to become a stranglehold over her life. The weekend after the abortion, she unexpectedly encountered the man whose uncaring attitude facilitated her decision to end her pregnancy.<\/p>\n

\u201cI took my friend to where my Civil War Reenactment unit was camped out to meet the crew and as we were walking around the area, the guy who had gotten me pregnant walked by,” she recalled. “When he noticed me, he just smirked like he was trying not to laugh. I panicked when he tried to talk to me and walked quickly away.\u201d<\/p>\n

READ: Why Maya Hawke\u2019s gratitude for a sibling\u2019s death by abortion is unsettling<\/a><\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

But he was persistent and convinced Evers to go for a walk with him to \u201ctalk things over.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAll I could do was cry and tell him I wanted my baby back, and how much I hated him for making me have an abortion,” she said. “In retrospect, I was angry at myself for allowing him to make a crucial decision for me that had caused so much suffering.”<\/p>\n

A confessional meeting leads to forgiveness and healing<\/h3>\n

Hoping to ease her anguish, Ewers went to confession and told the priest what she had done, wondering if she would be excommunicated from the church. To her surprise, the priest responded with compassion, showing concern about how she was working through her pain.<\/p>\n

\u201cAs I cried a river, he told me God had forgiven me and that He held my baby in His loving arms,” she said. “He advised I get counseling to start the healing process, and mentioned Rachel\u2019s Vineyard. He said one of the pastors associated with Rachel\u2019s Vineyard hosts retreats through our diocese. He directed me to the website for more information.\u201d<\/p>\n

At a diocese retreat a month later, Ewers came clean with her mother\u2019s friend who had called her prior to her abortion. The woman stood with Ewers in support as she told her mother about the abortion.<\/p>\n

\u201cShe was devastated I hadn\u2019t opened up to her,\u201d Ewers said. \u201cShe told me that she and my dad would have supported me and the baby, and helped me finish college and get a good job.\u201d<\/p>\n

Together, Ewers and her mother attended a Rachel\u2019s Vineyard retreat, where she learned that only through forgiveness can the bonds of guilt and shame be broken. She felt compelled to write a heartfelt letter to the man with whom she shared a painful history. For Ewers, it was a necessary step in the healing process.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe eventually called me and said he showed my letter to a friend who was a minister,” she said. “He wanted a way to repent and apologized for what he had done. He seemed sincere in his regret and accepting his apology finally set me free, allowing me to move on.\u201d<\/p>\n

A transformed life filled with blessings<\/h3>\n

Ewers eventually graduated with an associate degree in Early Childhood Education, and was accepted to Franciscan University of Steubenville in Ohio, where she attended pro-life conferences featuring people who had worked in the abortion industry. For Ewers, who attended her first March for Life in Washington, D.C., shortly thereafter, it was another step forward in a long and arduous journey of self-forgiveness.<\/p>\n

\u201cI was astounded to see people from different walks of life and religions come together to fight for the preborn,\u201d Ewers said. \u201cThere was just so much love and acceptance, no judgement.\u201d<\/p>\n

READ: Women describe their trauma after taking the abortion pill<\/a><\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

Years later, Ewers again became pregnant while dating her now-husband after struggling with infertility. But this time, she pushed through the fear of uncertainty and chose life for her son, not knowing whether she would marry his father. For a while, she struggled financially, but received help through government assistance, faith-based non-profit organizations, and her diocese. Today, her son Michael is an energetic three-year-old and she relishes motherhood. Her life today is filled with unexpected blessings.<\/p>\n

While Ewers suffered from years of depression, anxiety, and infertility following her abortion, she eventually realized God had been walking alongside her during that time. She wants to be a beacon for other women facing similar circumstances.<\/p>\n

\u201cI want women to know that it\u2019s okay to be scared \u2014 but know there are resources and pregnancy support centers that can help; you never have to walk alone,” she said. “Your child deserves a chance at life. Abortion destroys lives and should never be an option. Women deserve better than abortion.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cLike\u201d Live Action News on Facebook<\/a>\u00a0for more pro-life news and commentary!<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

As young college student, Lisa Ewers could never have imagined that a one-night liaison with a casual acquaintance she met at work would result in an unplanned pregnancy. Scared and shocked, she was fearful of telling her devout Catholic parents. Desperate, she turned to the young man for help, but he instead offered words of […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":798,"featured_media":234805,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"om_disable_all_campaigns":false},"categories":[9455],"tags":[19,18720,18719,243,14,1804,938],"yoast_head":"\nPressured into abortion, she later learned God still loved her and had never left her<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Thinking abortion was her only option, she was pressured into the procedure after an unexpected pregnancy, until a pro-life retreated helped her heal.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/archive.liveaction.org\/news\/pressured-abortion-god-loved-never-left\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Pressured into abortion, she later learned God still loved her and had never left her\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Thinking abortion was her only option, she was pressured into the procedure after an unexpected pregnancy, until a pro-life retreated helped her heal.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/archive.liveaction.org\/news\/pressured-abortion-god-loved-never-left\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Live Action News\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/liveaction\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2022-08-22T17:38:57+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2022-08-22T02:53:02+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/archive.liveaction.org\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/11\/GettyImages-1223592615-woman-sad-upset.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1194\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"654\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Lisa Bast\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@liveaction\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@liveaction\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Lisa Bast\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"5 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/archive.liveaction.org\/news\/pressured-abortion-god-loved-never-left\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/archive.liveaction.org\/news\/pressured-abortion-god-loved-never-left\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Lisa Bast\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/archive.liveaction.org\/news\/#\/schema\/person\/34782b86b64b0e02332ac29878e1cacf\"},\"headline\":\"Pressured into abortion, she later learned God still loved her and had never left her\",\"datePublished\":\"2022-08-22T17:38:57+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2022-08-22T02:53:02+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/archive.liveaction.org\/news\/pressured-abortion-god-loved-never-left\/\"},\"wordCount\":1078,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/archive.liveaction.org\/news\/#organization\"},\"keywords\":[\"abortion\",\"Franciscan University of Steubenville\",\"Lisa Ewers\",\"March for Life\",\"Planned Parenthood\",\"post-abortive\",\"Rachel\u2019s Vineyard\"],\"articleSection\":[\"Human Interest\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/archive.liveaction.org\/news\/pressured-abortion-god-loved-never-left\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/archive.liveaction.org\/news\/pressured-abortion-god-loved-never-left\/\",\"name\":\"Pressured into abortion, she later learned God still loved her and had never left her\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/archive.liveaction.org\/news\/#website\"},\"datePublished\":\"2022-08-22T17:38:57+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2022-08-22T02:53:02+00:00\",\"description\":\"Thinking abortion was her only option, she was pressured into the procedure after an unexpected pregnancy, until a pro-life retreated helped her heal.\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/archive.liveaction.org\/news\/pressured-abortion-god-loved-never-left\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/archive.liveaction.org\/news\/pressured-abortion-god-loved-never-left\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/archive.liveaction.org\/news\/pressured-abortion-god-loved-never-left\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/archive.liveaction.org\/news\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Pressured into abortion, she later learned God still loved her and had never left her\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/archive.liveaction.org\/news\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/archive.liveaction.org\/news\/\",\"name\":\"Live Action News\",\"description\":\"Covering Human Rights, Abortion, & Pro-Life Issues\",\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/archive.liveaction.org\/news\/#organization\"},\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/archive.liveaction.org\/news\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":\"required name=search_term_string\"}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Organization\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/archive.liveaction.org\/news\/#organization\",\"name\":\"Live Action\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/archive.liveaction.org\/news\/\",\"logo\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/archive.liveaction.org\/news\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/archive.liveaction.org\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/06\/Live-Action-Logo-Black.png\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/archive.liveaction.org\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/06\/Live-Action-Logo-Black.png\",\"width\":701,\"height\":710,\"caption\":\"Live Action\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/archive.liveaction.org\/news\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/\"},\"sameAs\":[\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/liveaction\",\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/liveaction\",\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/liveactionorg\/\",\"https:\/\/www.pinterest.com\/LiveActionFilms\/\",\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/user\/LiveActionFilms\"]},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/archive.liveaction.org\/news\/#\/schema\/person\/34782b86b64b0e02332ac29878e1cacf\",\"name\":\"Lisa Bast\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/archive.liveaction.org\/news\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/a29a0208d5fe076ee78a14cdb67b6c0a?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/a29a0208d5fe076ee78a14cdb67b6c0a?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"Lisa Bast\"},\"url\":\"https:\/\/archive.liveaction.org\/news\/author\/lisa-bast\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Pressured into abortion, she later learned God still loved her and had never left her","description":"Thinking abortion was her only option, she was pressured into the procedure after an unexpected pregnancy, until a pro-life retreated helped her heal.","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/archive.liveaction.org\/news\/pressured-abortion-god-loved-never-left\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Pressured into abortion, she later learned God still loved her and had never left her","og_description":"Thinking abortion was her only option, she was pressured into the procedure after an unexpected pregnancy, until a pro-life retreated helped her heal.","og_url":"https:\/\/archive.liveaction.org\/news\/pressured-abortion-god-loved-never-left\/","og_site_name":"Live Action News","article_publisher":"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/liveaction","article_published_time":"2022-08-22T17:38:57+00:00","article_modified_time":"2022-08-22T02:53:02+00:00","og_image":[{"width":1194,"height":654,"url":"https:\/\/archive.liveaction.org\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/11\/GettyImages-1223592615-woman-sad-upset.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"Lisa Bast","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_creator":"@liveaction","twitter_site":"@liveaction","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Lisa Bast","Est. reading time":"5 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/archive.liveaction.org\/news\/pressured-abortion-god-loved-never-left\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/archive.liveaction.org\/news\/pressured-abortion-god-loved-never-left\/"},"author":{"name":"Lisa Bast","@id":"https:\/\/archive.liveaction.org\/news\/#\/schema\/person\/34782b86b64b0e02332ac29878e1cacf"},"headline":"Pressured into abortion, she later learned God still loved her and had never left her","datePublished":"2022-08-22T17:38:57+00:00","dateModified":"2022-08-22T02:53:02+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/archive.liveaction.org\/news\/pressured-abortion-god-loved-never-left\/"},"wordCount":1078,"publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/archive.liveaction.org\/news\/#organization"},"keywords":["abortion","Franciscan University of Steubenville","Lisa Ewers","March for Life","Planned Parenthood","post-abortive","Rachel\u2019s Vineyard"],"articleSection":["Human Interest"],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/archive.liveaction.org\/news\/pressured-abortion-god-loved-never-left\/","url":"https:\/\/archive.liveaction.org\/news\/pressured-abortion-god-loved-never-left\/","name":"Pressured into abortion, she later learned God still loved her and had never left her","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/archive.liveaction.org\/news\/#website"},"datePublished":"2022-08-22T17:38:57+00:00","dateModified":"2022-08-22T02:53:02+00:00","description":"Thinking abortion was her only option, she was pressured into the procedure after an unexpected pregnancy, until a pro-life retreated helped her heal.","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/archive.liveaction.org\/news\/pressured-abortion-god-loved-never-left\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/archive.liveaction.org\/news\/pressured-abortion-god-loved-never-left\/"]}]},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/archive.liveaction.org\/news\/pressured-abortion-god-loved-never-left\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/archive.liveaction.org\/news\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Pressured into abortion, she later learned God still loved her and had never left her"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/archive.liveaction.org\/news\/#website","url":"https:\/\/archive.liveaction.org\/news\/","name":"Live Action News","description":"Covering Human Rights, Abortion, & Pro-Life Issues","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/archive.liveaction.org\/news\/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/archive.liveaction.org\/news\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":"required name=search_term_string"}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/archive.liveaction.org\/news\/#organization","name":"Live Action","url":"https:\/\/archive.liveaction.org\/news\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/archive.liveaction.org\/news\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/archive.liveaction.org\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/06\/Live-Action-Logo-Black.png","contentUrl":"https:\/\/archive.liveaction.org\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/06\/Live-Action-Logo-Black.png","width":701,"height":710,"caption":"Live Action"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/archive.liveaction.org\/news\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"},"sameAs":["https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/liveaction","https:\/\/twitter.com\/liveaction","https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/liveactionorg\/","https:\/\/www.pinterest.com\/LiveActionFilms\/","https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/user\/LiveActionFilms"]},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/archive.liveaction.org\/news\/#\/schema\/person\/34782b86b64b0e02332ac29878e1cacf","name":"Lisa Bast","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/archive.liveaction.org\/news\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/a29a0208d5fe076ee78a14cdb67b6c0a?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/a29a0208d5fe076ee78a14cdb67b6c0a?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"Lisa Bast"},"url":"https:\/\/archive.liveaction.org\/news\/author\/lisa-bast\/"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/archive.liveaction.org\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/274607"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/archive.liveaction.org\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/archive.liveaction.org\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/archive.liveaction.org\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/798"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/archive.liveaction.org\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=274607"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/archive.liveaction.org\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/274607\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":274723,"href":"https:\/\/archive.liveaction.org\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/274607\/revisions\/274723"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/archive.liveaction.org\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/234805"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/archive.liveaction.org\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=274607"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/archive.liveaction.org\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=274607"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/archive.liveaction.org\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=274607"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}