Breaking News Archive 2010

Twittering Abortion

Angie Jackson had an abortion last week. And broadcast it live online.

Shortly after swallowing the chemical abortion drug, RU 486, the 27-year-old single mom began posting live updates on Twitter and YouTube. More than 119,000 watched her first video. “Um, yeah, I’m having an abortion right now. It’s not that bad. It’s not that scary,” she said, smiling broadly into the camera. Angie said her goal in going public was to demystify abortion.

But over the next few days, Angie’s updates increasingly detailed bleeding, dizziness and severe pain, along with an admission that she quickly exhausted her first supply of painkillers. Though the Florida woman said she pursued abortion because of health risks, the irony is the abortion itself could have killed her and will likely leave long-term side effects. RU 486 is far from safe. At least 12 women died after taking the human pesticide, and more than 600 adverse effects have been reported to the FDA, including heart attacks, hemorrhaging, and surgery to repair damage.

Many women also say the convenience of having an abortion in their own home is, in fact, a lonely experience, so perhaps we shouldn’t be surprised people like Angie are coping by turning to social media for support. But it should shock our senses that the murder of preborn babies is shouted, even celebrated, from Internet rooftops — that a precious young life was nothing but a “squatter,” “parasite” and “tumor” to Angie, who at one point exploded: “I want to KILL THIS THING!”

This type of desensitizing can only be a desperate attempt to smother the truth, but I pray that Angie’s brazen words will be used for good, prompting others to think through the life issues and perhaps even speak out for the first time.

Her story is certainly a startling reminder that we must work harder than ever to surround young men and women with love and help when and where they need it most. We encourage you to support our own efforts to use social media to promote life by joining our Facebook group. You'll receive timely updates on news that affects the pro-life community and tools for sharing life-affirming messages with others.

Please help us save more precious lives by getting the word out online, offline and everywhere in between. Thanks.

For Truth,
Bradley Mattes
Executive Director
Life Issues Institute

03/05/10

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