Reclaiming Our Children: A Blog About Healing After Abortion

The last few weeks I have been corresponding with someone who is looking to come to our sibling day in March. She is an insightful woman whose own quest for healing has brought her to think about abortions impact from many perspectives.

Recently she asked me what I thought about healing for abortionist children. Although I am sure there is much need, I have never personally come in contact with it. The only abortionist I knew personally was Dr Bernard Nathanson, and he had his son after his conversion and was living a life condemning abortions and all he had done.

I cannot help but think most kids of abortionists have no idea what their parent is doing for a living until they are much older. Much like anyone else with abortion, I imagine when they find out, they justify it as a good being done for women, rationalizing because they do not want to look at the truth. In fact, I bet most even consider their parent a hero saving women from “unwanted” pregnancies, adverse diagnosis, abuse, etc.

Others I am sure, go through much guilt and shame not unlike the siblings of those aborted. I am sure many of the same questions flood their minds, ”was I wanted?”, “was are they allowing me to live?” etc. It is heartbreaking to even think of the multiple dynamics surrounding this.

Anyway, my email friend then went on to think that abortionists are serial killers, so she researched children of serial killers to see how it had impacted their lives. She came up with this video at vimeo

Vimeo.com/22001307 about Melissa Moore, daughter of “ The Happy Face” serial killer, Keith Jesperson. Melissa grew up adoring her dad. The killing began after her parents divorced, and although she had seen a darker side once when he had killed some kittens there was no indication of what he would become. Moore was 15 when she found out about her dad’s killings.

 At 15 years old Melissa also found herself pregnant. Imagine having a father in prison for serial killing and then finding out you are pregnant. She lived with the secret, guilt and shame of her dad and I am sure  also the abortion she decided to have. I don’t know the details so I cannot comment on the circumstances surrounding the abortion. Upset and wanting to share it with someone, she decided to write to her father who was by then, serving multiple life sentences for killing 8 women. I wonder if in some way she was already thinking what her dad ended up telling her and that is why he was the one she chose to confide in. In the reply she received from he told her, now, they were “both killers”.

I can only imagine what an impact that had on her as a 15 year old who I am sure was already traumatized, hurt and confused by all she had been through.

 I don’t know if Melissa has ever dealt with her abortion but there is no question that she is nothing like her dad. Amazingly Melissa has pulled her life together and even written a book Shattered Silence: “The Untold Story of a Serial Killer's Daughter." I have not read it yet, but I plan to. Obviously, Melissa’s life has been far from easy and it has taken much courage to work through all the issues surrounding her life, but from what I saw in the video and have read she is walking a road of healing and sharing to help others.

Like for any of us, God can bring good from our terrible sins and experiences. As Melissa shares in order to let people know you can heal and be freed, let’s keep her and her family in our prayers.

Thank you Melissa!