{"id":326939,"date":"2025-03-01T16:33:49","date_gmt":"2025-03-01T22:33:49","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.liveaction.org\/news\/?p=326939"},"modified":"2025-02-28T23:56:36","modified_gmt":"2025-03-01T05:56:36","slug":"coerced-abortion-helps-others-mercy-forgiveness","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/archive.liveaction.org\/news\/coerced-abortion-helps-others-mercy-forgiveness\/","title":{"rendered":"Coerced to abort as a teen, she now helps others find ‘mercy and forgiveness’"},"content":{"rendered":"
<\/div>

Tammy Holly was a good Christian girl who attended church every Sunday. When she faced an unplanned pregnancy at the age of 17, she was coerced by her boyfriend and parents to end her pregnancy. What was shocking however, was that her parents had been counseled by their pastor that abortion was the best solution for Holly and her family.<\/span><\/p>\n

Holly told Live Action News, \u201cThe abortion had already been prearranged and paid for with \u2018blood money.\u2019 No other surgical procedure requires payment up front. I didn\u2019t have a choice.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

On the day of the surgery, the doctor asked Holly if she was consenting to the procedure.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI told him absolutely not,\u201d Holly said. \u201cHe said that I\u2019d have to talk to my parents which would have been fruitless. They were instrumental in me having the abortion. I was like a frightened animal that was backed into a corner.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

The pressure she felt was intense. She was at 11 weeks gestation, close to the 12-week limit when abortions could legally be performed, and her anxious parents wanted it over quickly.<\/span><\/p>\n

Holly said, \u201cThey told me the procedure was simple, but it was very painful. I was given a sedative but could hear the awful sound of the suction machine ripping my baby from my womb. As my body convulsed, three nurses held me down and told me to be quiet as to not disturb others who were waiting for their abortions.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

The pain of abortion reverberates for years<\/strong><\/p>\n

Afterward, Holly felt violated and empty. A myriad of emotions swirled inside, including grief and sadness. She blamed herself for caving into pressure and subverting her own feelings.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI struggled with severe depression and contemplated suicide,\u201d Holly said. \u201cI wanted my baby, but I buckled to what others wanted for me.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Yet Holly continued her relationship with her boyfriend and they married two years afterward, as she ignored the red flags that would later prove consequential. She became pregnant again, hoping for a baby to replace the child she had aborted, but her second pregnancy ended in a miscarriage.<\/span><\/p>\n

Holly said, \u201cThis pregnancy was supposed to be my restitution for the baby I had lost. I was crushed when I miscarried. I wanted this child so much. I felt God was punishing me for the abortion I had. But I was never informed that the risks of suffering miscarriages after abortions were high.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

READ: U.S. Bishops\u2019 message to post-abortive women: \u2018Come home to Jesus\u2019 during Lent<\/em><\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

Five years after her abortion, Holly delivered a healthy son. Ironically, the obstetrician who brought her baby into the world was the same man who terminated her first pregnancy. During her prenatal exam, she learned about fetal development through the models she was shown at the doctor\u2019s office. It struck her that she had not been shown these models before her abortion.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI asked the office administrator if they had the fetal models when I had my abortion and she told me they had,\u201d Holly said. \u201cI became very angry and asked why I hadn\u2019t been schooled in fetal development at that time.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

For Holly, the joys of new motherhood eluded her. She felt no attachment to her son. In her heart, she believed she didn\u2019t really deserve to be a mother. She subsequently discovered that it\u2019s not uncommon for post-abortive women to have difficulties bonding with their first child after an abortion.<\/span><\/p>\n

Holly said, \u201cBeing a first-time parent was taxing both mentally and physically. I would just let my son lay on the floor crying and cover him with a blanket.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Her marriage had devolved into an abusive, dysfunctional relationship which added more strain on her.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThe abortion affected me in so many ways,\u201d Holly said. \u201cPhysically through my miscarriage, sexual dysfunction, my inability to bond with my son and self-destructive habits. I became a workaholic to distract myself from thinking about the abortion.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

After 23 years, Holly’s marriage came to an end. She initially felt anger and bitterness towards her husband for wanting to end their baby\u2019s life, but chose to forgive him to release the anger and hate she\u2019d bottled up within.<\/span><\/p>\n

Holly said, \u201cSo much of my life was messed up and broken. I couldn\u2019t fix those areas until I surrendered to Jesus Christ and let him take control of my pain. That\u2019s when my life was transformed.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Her healing journey led to a mission of helping other women find redemption after abortion loss<\/b><\/p>\n

When a pregnancy center was launched locally, Holly went to a meeting to learn more and got involved with the center.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI started my own healing journey and became a pro-life advocate,\u201d Holly said. \u201cI found that abortion recovery plays a huge part in helping women find redemption and joy. Jesus can put the broken pieces back together as only He can.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Since 1988, Holly has been an abortion recovery facilitator. She became involved with Operation Outcry in 2001, sharing her testimony to further pro-life legislation at a federal level.<\/span><\/p>\n

Holly said, \u201cI will always have the memory of a child who could have been. That will never go away. Abortion hurts and victimizes women and because of that, I refuse to be silent. But God is good and faithful. He has restored the years the locusts have eaten. My mission now is to help other women find mercy and forgiveness. I strive to make a difference one person at a time.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Tammy Holly was a good Christian girl who attended church every Sunday. When she faced an unplanned pregnancy at the age of 17, she was coerced by her boyfriend and parents to end her pregnancy. What was shocking however, was that her parents had been counseled by their pastor that abortion was the best solution […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":798,"featured_media":326940,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"om_disable_all_campaigns":false},"categories":[9455],"tags":[],"yoast_head":"\nCoerced to abort as a teen, she now helps others find 'mercy and forgiveness'<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"When she faced an unplanned pregnancy at the age of 17, Tammy Holly was coerced by her boyfriend and parents to end her pregnancy.\" \/>\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\/coerced-abortion-helps-others-mercy-forgiveness\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta 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