{"id":286759,"date":"2023-03-10T06:40:14","date_gmt":"2023-03-10T12:40:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.liveaction.org\/news\/?p=286759"},"modified":"2023-03-07T23:05:21","modified_gmt":"2023-03-08T05:05:21","slug":"multiple-abortions-healing-leading-hope","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/archive.liveaction.org\/news\/multiple-abortions-healing-leading-hope\/","title":{"rendered":"Devastated after multiple abortions, she found healing and leads others toward hope"},"content":{"rendered":"
<\/div>

Cecilia Sullivan was 17 years old when she discovered she was pregnant. Afraid to tell her mother, Sullivan waited for five months before she divulged the news. Sullivan\u2019s mother promptly contacted Planned Parenthood and arranged for her to have an abortion.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Sullivan told Live Action News, \u201cMy boyfriend was of no support, so I guess at the time I was glad for my mother to take control of the situation.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

At Bellevue Hospital in New York, Sullivan didn\u2019t know what to expect. She recalls seeing a five-inch needle injected into her abdomen with some type of fluid. She waited, alone, to go into labor and was given a metal pan.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI didn\u2019t want to look into that metal pan,\u201d Sullivan said. \u201cBut I later found out my baby was a boy. Afterward, I was provided with birth control pills.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

The abortion changed Sullivan\u2019s life. Gone was her innocence. She indulged in drugs and alcohol and engaged in sexual relationships resulting in three more abortions, never receiving counseling or education about fetal development.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Sullivan said, \u201cIt was as if using abortion for birth control was widely accepted. But beneath it all, I languished in self-hatred, living a life of hopelessness and desperation for about 10 years.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Finding restoration and healing<\/b><\/p>\n

Sullivan later married and gave birth to a daughter, but the marriage was short-lived. She moved in with a friend and subsequently returned to her old lifestyle. She was, however, happy to help her new roommate with a request \u2013 to find her a church to attend. It wasn\u2019t long before Sullivan\u2019s friend urged her to come to a church service.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI never imagined that I\u2019d feel so much joy,\u201d Sullivan said. \u201cWhen the altar call came, I went, weeping. I felt this tremendous weight come off my shoulders when I gave my life to Christ. I was instantly transformed and delivered from my destructive lifestyle.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

It was a turning point for Sullivan. In 2006, she participated in the Justice House of Prayer DC gathering, praying ceaselessly to end abortion. Justice members often congregated on the steps of the Supreme Court building, red tape with the word \u201cLIFE\u201d covering their mouths. While at the gathering, Sullivan was drawn to a baby shoe memorial created by A Cry Without a Voice, depicting innocent lives lost to abortion.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

At a subsequent event, \u201cThe Call,\u201d held at a stadium in Orlando, Florida, where attendees pray and fast to end abortion, she was invited on stage as a \u201csilent witness\u201d where again, the baby shoe memorial was showcased.<\/span><\/p>\n

Sullivan said, \u201cThese baby shoes are a persuasive illustration of the devastation wreaked by abortion. I could think of no better way to honor these children who never had a voice.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

As Sullivan’s passion for pro-life activism grew, it became necessary to face her grief and begin the healing journey. While she knew she was forgiven by the blood of the Lamb, the wound still festered inside her. After she had remarried years earlier, Sullivan experienced two miscarriages between the births of her two daughters and felt God was punishing her. If she was to be effective in the abortion battle, she needed deep reconciliation. Through the “Forgiven and Set Free” study, she was finally able to sever the bonds of guilt, shame, and regret from her abortion.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cBeing set free from a lifetime of anguish was cathartic,\u201d Sullivan said. “I was able to let go of the resentment I felt toward my mother as well. I wanted to share my testimony to help other women release their pain.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\"Walgreens<\/p>\n

A life transformed spurs pro-life activism<\/b><\/p>\n

Sullivan traveled tirelessly to churches, events, and conferences to share her story and provided a written testimony which The Justice Foundation submitted as an amicus brief for the Dobbs v. Jackson\u00a0<\/i>Women’s<\/i>\u00a0Health Organization<\/i>\u00a0case that overturned Roe v. Wade<\/em>. She used the baby shoe memorial and fetal models at churches to bring awareness about the atrocities of abortion and taught Bible studies for post-abortive women.<\/p>\n

Sullivan said, \u201cI have a heart to see our nation heal from the deep wounds inflicted by abortion. Many women don\u2019t know there is help and healing. When they are finally set free from the shameful secret they\u2019ve buried for so long, they weep cleansing tears of joy. Only when women are healed, can they be catapulted into their destiny.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Working to spread the truth about abortion throughout the world, Sullivan traveled to six countries with The Justice Foundation’s Operation Outcry ministry to make a powerful case for the human rights violation perpetuated by abortion globally. She also testified in Tallahassee to make abortion illegal when the Florida legislature was considering a 15-week abortion ban.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWhen bills are brought forth for consideration, I will continue to share my testimony,\u201d Sullivan said. \u201cIt\u2019s important to keep illustrating how harmful abortion is to women.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

For Sullivan, it was an exciting and fruitful time traveling globally and speaking at churches nationally, but she also realized the responsibility to share her story with her three young daughters to ensure they did not make the same choices as she did.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Sullivan said, \u201cI laid bare before them all the details and ugliness of that time when I aborted my child. I told them that abortion is a generational curse that needs to be shattered and that it starts with them.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

God transformed Sullivan\u2019s broken life into a passion for helping women all over the world to make life-affirming choices and to heal from the wounds of abortion. She encourages hurting women to call the international helpline at 1-866-482-LIFE where they can find support wherever they live.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cMany women don\u2019t know there is help and healing available to them,\u201d Sullivan said. \u201cWe must reach out with love and compassion, leading them toward the One who can offer hope and restoration.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Did you know that as little as $10 a month is enough to reach more than 3,000 people with the truth about abortion that no one else is telling them? Click here to start saving lives 365 days a year.<\/a><\/i><\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Cecilia Sullivan was 17 years old when she discovered she was pregnant. Afraid to tell her mother, Sullivan waited for five months before she divulged the news. Sullivan\u2019s mother promptly contacted Planned Parenthood and arranged for her to have an abortion.\u00a0 Sullivan told Live Action News, \u201cMy boyfriend was of no support, so I guess […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":798,"featured_media":286849,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"om_disable_all_campaigns":false},"categories":[9455],"tags":[],"yoast_head":"\nDevastated after multiple abortions, she found healing and leads others toward hope<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"After experiencing the devastation of multiple abortions, Cecilia Sullivan now has a passion for international pro-life advocacy.\" \/>\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\/multiple-abortions-healing-leading-hope\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" 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