For eight years, I performed abortions on every patient in my practice who asked me to. I held their hands, wiped their tears, heard their stories, and loved them unconditionally. I knew that they never planned to wind up with unexpected pregnancies, and they needed compassion, not judgment. If my choice made one woman’s painful journey more peaceful, then it was all worth it. [And if a fetus has to die for it, so what?]
But it wasn’t easy. A few months after I started my job, I found my name on the front page of the Catholic News as the “new abortionist in town.” I prepared myself to face angry picket lines at work the next day, but praise God, they never came. I never quite felt comfortable in the skin of a doctor who aborts babies. I tried to resolve my confused conscience by extensively counseling my patients to make sure they understood all of their options, practiced smart birth control, and realized the fact that abortions are not without their consequences.
...
Now, in my office practice, I don’t do surgeries at all anymore, so I no longer perform abortions. In some ways, it’s easier this way. I don’t have to feel conflicted about how to stay true to my integrity in the face of a duty I find hard to perform. But I have no regrets about the time I spent serving my patients in that way. I would do it all over again, but I’d still struggle. Sometimes it’s not easy to stand up for what you believe in. But it’s always worth it when you know you’ve been true to who you are.
Gee...true to who you are AND conflicted? That doesn't ring true.
H/T: NRLC
