by Chuck Raymond

Husband of Linda Raymond, Regional Coordinator for the Silent No More Awareness Campaign in Missouri, USA

Thirty-three years ago, I permitted the abortion of my son. While I was only 17, I should have been responsible enough to protect my unborn son and to protect the mother of my child from a horrible, misguided, irreversible choice.

Today I would do anything to have that choice back, to have had the courage to say, "NO."  Instead, I said nothing and did nothing but accompany her to Planned Parenthood to destroy my child.  During the procedure, I felt numb and helpless.

From that moment on, there was a chilling silence about the abortion. It was not spoken of again by anyone for many, many years. My response to the pain was to block my emotions with a hardness of my heart. I also felt trapped into accepting the lie of “choice,” the supposed right to choose death over life. 

This young lady and I somehow endured and we married five years later. Only now do I understand that a woman’s love for her child is stamped in her heart by God. Her baby cannot be ripped away without a devastating and permanent wound.

Finally, five years ago, we found healing through an amazing retreat program called Rachel’s Vineyard. Learning that God still loved us, we were finally able to forgive ourselves.

I know there are millions of men like me in pain or living with a hardness of heart that they may not even recognize.

You can read Chuck's story on page 8 of the 2010 edition of Human Life Alliance magazine, She's a Child, Not a Choice here:

https://www.humanlife.org/shesachild.php