Sharry had made her decision. Scared and shaking, she lay on the cold table with endless tears flowing. She heard the hum of the vacuum after the nurse hit the switch.
In a coarse hateful voice the nurse told her, “It was a boy.”
After the abortion procedure, she felt the life had been sucked out of her, not her own but that of her baby. She was broken, empty and numb.
Years later, the wife and mother from Boulder reflects on her two abortions.
“I was 17 when I had my first abortion,” Sharry said. “It was here in Colorado off of Colorado Boulevard. I will never forget throwing up on that very street after my procedure. I never got any counseling. I never got an ultrasound. I’m thankful my parents knew about it even at 17, [but] I was still a child. They left the choice up to me — I wish they hadn’t. I wish they would have said, ‘You can do this and everything will be fine.’ I made a choice 41 years ago that I have to live with and regret every day of my life.”
Sharry, who regrets the abortion she had when was younger every day, opposes Reproductive Health Equity Act, HB22-1279, a state bill that will radicalize abortion law in Colorado.
Sharry opposes Reproductive Health Equity Act, HB22-1279, a state bill that will radicalize abortion law in Colorado. It passed a House committee early Thursday morning, March 10. The removal of parental notification rights and unlimited access to abortion are some of the dangerous aspects of the legislation currently under consideration by state lawmakers. Contact your state legislators now at this link on the Colorado Catholic Conference website.
The Catholic community and pro-life advocates decry the proposed bill that will also permit discrimination based on sex or race or ability level, and remove all rights under law for a fertilized egg, embryo or fetus.
All people who support Marisol Health and oppose radical abortion are invited to a public rally at 11 a.m. this Saturday, March 12, at the state Capitol in downtown Denver. Hundreds of people are expected to gather on the steps of the Capitol to unite in opposition to this radical bill.
Women share stories of abortion, life
Sharry shared her abortion experience with state lawmakers this week. Now a pro-life advocate, Sharry has volunteered at Marisol Health in Lafayette to counsel couples considering abortion.
Many women experienced obstacles before seeking help at Marisol Health, a medical clinic and social services outreach under Catholic Charities of Denver that helps women facing unexpected pregnancies every year.
“Marisol Health strives to support women in vulnerable situations, primarily unexpected pregnancies,” said Sara Lugo, program director of the clinic in Denver. “We can provide a full range of medical services, including prenatal care, gynecological care and then also well women’s care as well as wrap around social support.”
Feelings of great anxiety and fear are commonly shared with staff, who offer emotional support and the licensed medical care.
Kendall, a mom who experienced two unexpected pregnancies, said abortion is not a solution.
Mom Kendall and her daughter.
“After I had my first pregnancy and abortion, I thought I would feel this overwhelming sense of relief and it was the complete the opposite,” shared Kendall in February 2019, who was in college when she was first pregnant. “I was devastated for a very long time. It took me a lot of work and prayers to get to the place to tolerate my decision. The biggest thing when it comes to abortion is to know that it’s not the easy way out.”
Local mom Denisa, who has two children, said she also felt fear when facing unexpected pregnancies but later regretted her abortions.
“I was going to go have an abortion across the street at Planned Parenthood,” said Denisa before she went to Marisol Health’s clinic for medical services and support in 2018. “I would also go there because to me it was a quick way to solve a problem. With Planned Parenthood, they don’t emotionally care why you want to get an abortion. They don’t ask you, ‘Are you sure [or] certain? How are you feeling?’ You don’t really get over abortion. It’s something I carry every day.”
Mom Denisa and her two children.
Kisha also received support and medical care from Marisol Health in Lafayette for her first pregnancy. She shared her testimony in a video in 2020.
“I felt accepted and I could just be honest: ‘Yes, we took a Plan B pill (and) it didn’t work,” Kisha shared about finding the clinic for prenatal care. “It was beautiful. That’s huge for someone who’s so young to have a baby and not be married and not have planned it. … Marisol gave me every single tool that I needed and all the strength that I didn’t know I had.”
Mom Kisha says that Marisol Health “gives me love and hope.”
Kisha is now married and has two children. She said Marisol Health is like family to her.
“That’s what Marisol does for me,” she said while inside the Lafayette clinic. “It gives me love and hope. I see so much good here and you can’t find that many places.”