There are many opinions on childbirth. Each individual opinion is valuable and may be carefully considered. One opinion that has polarized our nation is that on abortion. No matter where you stand on the issue politically, one woman’s story has made an immense impact on the discussion.
Abby Johnson, a pro-life activist, grew up in Rockdale, Texas, and received a Bachelor of Science in psychology from Texas A&M and a Master of Arts in counseling from Sam Houston State University. During her time at college, Johnson started volunteering for Planned Parenthood after seeing their booth at a volunteer fair hosted by her college. Even though Johnson was raised in a conservative “pro-life” family, she personally identified as “pro-choice”, eventually having two abortions of her own.
Johnson’s role with Planned Parenthood evolved from volunteering to becoming a full-time employee for the organization. In the span of eight years, she eventually became the director of one of the clinics, and in 2008, Johnson was named Employee of The Year.
In September 2009, everything changed for this clinic director. Johnson was asked to assist in an ultrasound-guided abortion of a thirteen week fetus. During the procedure, she watched the ultrasound screen and witnessed squirming movement in the womb. The preborn baby was attempting to avoid the vacuum tube used in the abortion. Horrified at the procedure and the reality of the abortion taking life from the womb, Johnson soon resigned from Planned Parenthood.
As Johnson started sharing her experiences at Planned Parenthood, the organization fought back, taking immediate action in an attempt to silence Johnson’s story with a gag order. However, the lawsuit was seen as a sham and quickly rejected in court.
After her resignation, Johnson revealed that while working for Planned Parenthood, her supervisors pressured her to increase profits by increasing the number of abortions at the clinic. Johnson stated that Planned Parenthood claims that abortions comprise 3% of their health services when, in reality, the figure is actually closer to 12%. [1] Johnson’s eyes were not only opened to the horrific procedure that is abortion, but also to the deception exhibited by the organization itself.
After her resignation, Johnson joined the efforts of Coalition for Life, a pro-life organization. Interestingly enough, members of this very organization often prayed outside of Planned Parenthood while Johnson worked there.
Johnson is also an author of two books Unplanned and The Walls Are Talking: Former Abortion Clinic Workers Tell Their Stories. Unplanned specifically retells the story of Johnson’s eight-year career with Planned Parenthood and her ultimate decision to resign. In 2019, a film was released depicting this riveting story.
Johnson also founded a nonprofit organization, “And Then There Were None” which lobbies abortion clinic workers to leave the industry, quit their jobs, and works to provide financial support and counseling to those that choose to do so.
Today, Johnson is one of the biggest advocates for the preborn and travels around the world sharing her story and educating people on pro-life issues. Regardless of the varying opinions and political stances one may have, Abby Johnson’s story is an enlightening influence on the topic of childbirth and abortion.
[1] Johnson, Abby. (2011). “Exposing the Planned Parenthood Business Model.” The Hill.
