Former Planned Parenthood Clinic Director Abby Johnson honored more than 50 former abortion industry workers in a special event held on Saturday at Dallas Texas.
CBN News said Johnson's organization And Then There Were None (ATTWN) hosted the "Quitters Ball," an event that intends to honor people who left working in the abortion industry. And Then There Was None provides encouragement to people who work in the abortion industry to leave it and supports them in being employed in new jobs.
Those who do leave are called "quitters" and the organization admires and celebrates them. Since 2012, the organization has helped more than 600 abortion workers leave the industry. The said workers were provided with the support they needed in overcoming the hardship of their transition.
The Quitters Ball is an opportunity then to celebrate and honor the said former abortion workers "whose lives have been forever changed with the help of" ATTWN's services. The stories of these workers are said to be "changing the way America views abortion." The ball also serves as a way to raise funds for them.
"Abortion workers are overlooked in the national conversation on abortion, yet they are just like us, people who went to work trying to support their families and wanting to help others. But they discovered the abortion industry does just the opposite: they harm women and their families. Their stories are ones of courage, redemption, and healing and I am so proud of them," Johnson said.
"One of the most incredible aspects about our quitters is that not only are they leaving the clinics but many have started their own ministries to support life, to get their friends out of the clinics, to tell their own stories," she added.
"They are profoundly courageous and every single one has a compelling story. These workers have seen the depths of hell and came out the other side even stronger," she stressed.
Johnson, who recently announced she was "thrilled" with the enactment of the Texas Heartbeat Act into law, left Planned Parenthood 12 years ago after she assisted in an abortion guided by an ultrasound. She became a pro-life advocate thereafter and wrote the autobiography, "Unplanned: The Dramatic True Story of A Former Planned Parenthood Leader's Eye-Opening Journey Across The Life Line."
The book became a blockbuster movie, "Unplanned," after it was released on March 2019. In between the book and the movie, she has traveled the country to share her story as motivation for others to follow in her footsteps. She has also launched Hurt After Abortion in February in partnership with the Thomas More Society as legal assistance for women who were physically harmed by the procedure.
In its 2020 annual report, ATTWN revealed that there is a common trend among former abortion industry workers experiencing trauma from witnessing and being a part of the death of "innocent" lives. The organization said their counseling services and healing retreats have helped address the trauma of those whom they serve though research work for it continues.
"Over the years, we have discovered demographical and psychological trends which are very unique to former abortion clinic workers. The trauma of witnessing and being party to the ending of the most innocent human life leads to, and are sometimes led by, complex experiences. Trauma begets trauma, but healed people heal people," ATTWN said.
"Along with our extensive counseling services with Dr. Amanda Willie and Peg Salkay, we continued to offer our healing retreats in 2020. Many of our clients are now participating in research projects conducted by doctoral candidates to gain further understanding of the long-term effects of abortion," ATTWN continued.
Besides counseling and retreats, ATTWN began providing two annual scholarships to "quitters" to "advance their credentials in the medical field" in 2020.
