{"id":333256,"date":"2025-06-25T16:51:02","date_gmt":"2025-06-25T21:51:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.liveaction.org\/news\/?p=333256"},"modified":"2025-06-25T00:29:04","modified_gmt":"2025-06-25T05:29:04","slug":"easy-route-judicial-bypass-secret-abortion-haunted","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/archive.liveaction.org\/news\/easy-route-judicial-bypass-secret-abortion-haunted\/","title":{"rendered":"An easy route to judicial bypass led her to a secret abortion that haunted her for years"},"content":{"rendered":"
<\/div>

At age 17, Brittany Poppe was in love with a \u201cbad boy\u201d \u2014 one who didn\u2019t follow the rules and wore a defiant attitude \u2014 and because her mother didn’t approve of their relationship, Poppe led a \u201cdouble life\u201d that led to an unexpected pregnancy and an abortion.<\/span><\/p>\n

Poppe told Live Action News, \u201cWhen I suspected I was pregnant, I asked my boyfriend to bring a test to my job at the mall. I was a bit in denial so when the test read positive, I couldn\u2019t believe it. For me, abortion was the only option because I wanted to continue leading the life I had been living.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Yet Poppe\u2019s boyfriend was not in agreement with her decision to terminate the pregnancy. He proposed marriage and expressed a desire to raise their child together. <\/span><\/p>\n

But Poppe was concerned that if she continued with the pregnancy, her double life would be revealed.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cHe was studying to be a mechanic and felt he\u2019d have the means to support us,\u201d Poppe said. \u201cHis mom was a teen mother so he was confident we could make it work. But it just wasn\u2019t a possibility for me. I didn\u2019t want all my secrets and lies exposed.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

While Poppe realized that she had walked away from the conservative Christian values with which she had been raised, she convinced her boyfriend to go along with her plan. <\/span>\u201cHe felt powerless and eventually became resigned to the fact that I didn\u2019t want to continue with the pregnancy,\u201d she said.<\/span><\/p>\n

Making it ‘easy’<\/h2>\n

When she called the abortion clinic and told the staff she was under the legal age of 18, she was advised to pursue a judicial bypass so she could have the abortion without her mother\u2019s knowledge or consent.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThe staff at the abortion clinic made it so easy to file for the judicial bypass,\u201d Poppe said. \u201cThey took me down to the courthouse and took care of everything for me. I didn\u2019t need to do anything.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Her reluctant boyfriend drove her to the clinic and paid for the abortion.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI had to get called out of school for the appointment so I had a friend pretend to be my mother,” Poppe said. “That way, I could get an excused absence and not raise any suspicions.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

While she was given the choice to take the abortion pill, Poppe chose instead to undergo a surgical procedure.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI was afraid to have the abortion at home with my mother present,\u201d Poppe said. \u201cBut I wasn\u2019t given anything for the pain during surgery, and it was intolerable. The doctor who performed the abortion told me to wiggle my toes as a natural pain reliever, but it didn\u2019t give me any relief.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Afterward, while in the recovery room, she was counseled on birth control and was given a prescription for the birth control pill, despite her resistance.<\/span><\/p>\n

Devastation<\/h2>\n

As she walked outside, Poppe saw sidewalk advocates surrounding the clinic.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI saw the devastation on their faces. I locked eyes with a priest who looked at me with such sadness but also with compassion as he knelt and prayed,” she said. “I knew what I had done was wrong and felt such guilt.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Two months later, Poppe\u2019s mother discovered her secret. <\/span>She was devastated to learn that her first grandchild\u2019s life had been snuffed out in an abortion clinic. <\/span><\/p>\n

Poppe was determined to be a runaway risk and was transferred to a group home. But Poppe remained with her boyfriend, “<\/span>even though things were turbulent,\u201d she said.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

She eventually attended college but struggled with alcohol abuse and continued to make poor choices.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI was such an angry person at the time and didn\u2019t do well in college,” she said. “I just never lived up to my potential.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

A second pregnancy brings shame and fear<\/b><\/h2>\n

Ten years after her abortion, Poppe married. But the guilt and shame she had carried for a decade surfaced during her second pregnancy.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI felt I didn\u2019t deserve to become a mother,\u201d she said. \u201cI had this dreaded feeling that something was going to happen to me or to my baby. I did experience postpartum hemorrhaging, which doctors told me could have been linked to the abortion.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Spiraling into depression, Poppe grappled with suicidal ideation, welcoming death to release her from her anguish. At the same time, she said, “<\/span>I wanted to stay strong for my daughter. She\u2019s the one who kept me going through the challenging times.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Later, when she gave birth to a son, Poppe again experienced hemorrhaging.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI was so devoid of joy by this point,\u201d she said. \u201cI wasn\u2019t the mother my children deserved, and I wanted to be a better parent than I was. I desperate for help.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Finding forgiveness<\/h2>\n

Poppe enrolled in a Christian Bible study for post-abortive women called \u201cForgiven and Set Free,\u201d and at last found the restoration that had eluded her all those years. <\/span>During her recovery, she felt God leading her to share her story with women across the state at small gatherings. But she felt an urge to do more.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI started a podcast, \u2018Abortion Recovery for Christian Women\u2019 to spread the message of hope and salvation,” she explained. “I wanted to help other women not stay stuck in grief and shame like I had and to know of God\u2019s love for them.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

In addition to her podcast, which ranks in the top 2% of Christian podcasts globally, Poppe now coaches post-abortive women through their healing journeys and co-leads “Forgiven and Set Free” Bible studies. <\/span><\/p>\n

From deception and heartbreak to redemption, her mission today is to assist others in finding forgiveness and freedom and to raise awareness of the destruction that abortion brings.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s vital that pro-life Christians break the stigma and extend compassion to those who are suffering as a result of abortion,\u201d Poppe said. \u201cAnd we need to realize how dangerous access to judicial bypass is for minors seeking to end pregnancies without parental consent or knowledge.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

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

At age 17, Brittany Poppe was in love with a \u201cbad boy\u201d \u2014 one who didn\u2019t follow the rules and wore a defiant attitude \u2014 and because her mother didn’t approve of their relationship, Poppe led a \u201cdouble life\u201d that led to an unexpected pregnancy and an abortion. Poppe told Live Action News, \u201cWhen I […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":798,"featured_media":333257,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"om_disable_all_campaigns":false},"categories":[9455],"tags":[],"yoast_head":"\nAn easy route to judicial bypass led her to a secret abortion that haunted her for years<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"The abortion clinic "made it so easy to file for the judicial bypass," even taking her to the courthouse. "I didn\u2019t need to do anything.\u201d\" \/>\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\/easy-route-judicial-bypass-secret-abortion-haunted\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"An easy route to judicial bypass led her to a secret abortion that haunted her for years\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"The abortion clinic "made it so easy to file for the judicial bypass," even taking her to the courthouse. "I didn\u2019t need to do anything.\u201d\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/archive.liveaction.org\/news\/easy-route-judicial-bypass-secret-abortion-haunted\/\" \/>\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=\"2025-06-25T21:51:02+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2025-06-25T05:29:04+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/archive.liveaction.org\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/BrittanyPoppe-crop-photo.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1200\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"650\" \/>\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\/easy-route-judicial-bypass-secret-abortion-haunted\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/archive.liveaction.org\/news\/easy-route-judicial-bypass-secret-abortion-haunted\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Lisa Bast\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/archive.liveaction.org\/news\/#\/schema\/person\/34782b86b64b0e02332ac29878e1cacf\"},\"headline\":\"An easy route to judicial bypass led her to a secret abortion that haunted her for years\",\"datePublished\":\"2025-06-25T21:51:02+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2025-06-25T05:29:04+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/archive.liveaction.org\/news\/easy-route-judicial-bypass-secret-abortion-haunted\/\"},\"wordCount\":1023,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/archive.liveaction.org\/news\/#organization\"},\"articleSection\":[\"Human Interest\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/archive.liveaction.org\/news\/easy-route-judicial-bypass-secret-abortion-haunted\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/archive.liveaction.org\/news\/easy-route-judicial-bypass-secret-abortion-haunted\/\",\"name\":\"An easy route to judicial bypass led her to a secret abortion that haunted her for years\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/archive.liveaction.org\/news\/#website\"},\"datePublished\":\"2025-06-25T21:51:02+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2025-06-25T05:29:04+00:00\",\"description\":\"The abortion clinic \\\"made it so easy to file for the judicial bypass,\\\" even taking her to the courthouse. \\\"I didn\u2019t need to do anything.\u201d\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/archive.liveaction.org\/news\/easy-route-judicial-bypass-secret-abortion-haunted\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/archive.liveaction.org\/news\/easy-route-judicial-bypass-secret-abortion-haunted\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/archive.liveaction.org\/news\/easy-route-judicial-bypass-secret-abortion-haunted\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/archive.liveaction.org\/news\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"An easy route to judicial bypass led her to a secret abortion that haunted her for years\"}]},{\"@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":"An easy route to judicial bypass led her to a secret abortion that haunted her for years","description":"The abortion clinic \"made it so easy to file for the judicial bypass,\" even taking her to the courthouse. \"I didn\u2019t need to do anything.\u201d","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\/easy-route-judicial-bypass-secret-abortion-haunted\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"An easy route to judicial bypass led her to a secret abortion that haunted her for years","og_description":"The abortion clinic \"made it so easy to file for the judicial bypass,\" even taking her to the courthouse. \"I didn\u2019t need to do anything.\u201d","og_url":"https:\/\/archive.liveaction.org\/news\/easy-route-judicial-bypass-secret-abortion-haunted\/","og_site_name":"Live Action News","article_publisher":"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/liveaction","article_published_time":"2025-06-25T21:51:02+00:00","article_modified_time":"2025-06-25T05:29:04+00:00","og_image":[{"width":1200,"height":650,"url":"https:\/\/archive.liveaction.org\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/BrittanyPoppe-crop-photo.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\/easy-route-judicial-bypass-secret-abortion-haunted\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/archive.liveaction.org\/news\/easy-route-judicial-bypass-secret-abortion-haunted\/"},"author":{"name":"Lisa Bast","@id":"https:\/\/archive.liveaction.org\/news\/#\/schema\/person\/34782b86b64b0e02332ac29878e1cacf"},"headline":"An easy route to judicial bypass led her to a secret abortion that haunted her for years","datePublished":"2025-06-25T21:51:02+00:00","dateModified":"2025-06-25T05:29:04+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/archive.liveaction.org\/news\/easy-route-judicial-bypass-secret-abortion-haunted\/"},"wordCount":1023,"publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/archive.liveaction.org\/news\/#organization"},"articleSection":["Human Interest"],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/archive.liveaction.org\/news\/easy-route-judicial-bypass-secret-abortion-haunted\/","url":"https:\/\/archive.liveaction.org\/news\/easy-route-judicial-bypass-secret-abortion-haunted\/","name":"An easy route to judicial bypass led her to a secret abortion that haunted her for years","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/archive.liveaction.org\/news\/#website"},"datePublished":"2025-06-25T21:51:02+00:00","dateModified":"2025-06-25T05:29:04+00:00","description":"The abortion clinic \"made it so easy to file for the judicial bypass,\" even taking her to the courthouse. \"I didn\u2019t need to do anything.\u201d","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/archive.liveaction.org\/news\/easy-route-judicial-bypass-secret-abortion-haunted\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/archive.liveaction.org\/news\/easy-route-judicial-bypass-secret-abortion-haunted\/"]}]},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/archive.liveaction.org\/news\/easy-route-judicial-bypass-secret-abortion-haunted\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/archive.liveaction.org\/news\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"An easy route to judicial bypass led her to a secret abortion that haunted her for years"}]},{"@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\/333256"}],"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=333256"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/archive.liveaction.org\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/333256\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":333324,"href":"https:\/\/archive.liveaction.org\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/333256\/revisions\/333324"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/archive.liveaction.org\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/333257"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/archive.liveaction.org\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=333256"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/archive.liveaction.org\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=333256"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/archive.liveaction.org\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=333256"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}