A California mother, who almost aborted her baby when she was a teenager, shared her experience on the grim reality of abortion and encouraged other women to dismiss the idea of undergoing this horrendous procedure that will end life.
Rebekah Hagan was a college freshman at Sacramento State University when she got pregnant with her second child in 2013. Having been warned by his parents to never get pregnant "under their roof again" after having her firstborn at 17, she got confused with her situation and decided to abort her baby.
In an interview with The Epoch Times, Hagan revealed the lie behind the abortion propaganda and the psychological trauma women encounter undergoing this procedure.
She said that she visited a Planned Parenthood clinic to undergo chemical abortion. But after taking her first abortion pill, she felt "completely deceived" by the clinic.
"Grief, guilt, and regret kicked in within a few minutes and as I sat in the parking lot. I kept asking myself, 'What did I just do? I don't even believe in abortion!'" she revealed.
She said that fear makes people do "irrational things" like what happened to her at that time, wherein she thought abortion was a "responsible choice."
"After I began the process and swallowed the first abortion pill, I realized that was all a lie and that abortion can never be good-not for the baby and not for the mother," she continued.
She revealed that the marketing stunts are lying by making it appear that chemical abortion is "simple, easier to hide, less invasive, and more natural" but the psychological impact of this procedure is actually "extremely traumatic."
"I was simply told the first pill would end my pregnancy and that the second would just expel my pregnancy and to expect cramping and mild bleeding. I was not told that the second medication was labor-inducing but that is what Misoprostol does. It literally induces labor," Hagan shared.
Moreover, she uncovered that women are sent to their homes to complete the abortion process themselves.
Realizing that she was "not emotionally or physically prepared" to go into labor at home without medical supervision, she decided to dismiss her abortion plan and took abortion pill reversal treatment instead to continue her pregnancy.
Feeling the guilt on her supposed abortion, she asked God for forgiveness.
When she called up the Planned Parenthood clinic to inform about her decision, the staff discouraged her and warned about it.
"The clinic worker said, 'Do you have any idea what you're doing? Because of the abortion drug you already took, you likely won't carry to term, and if you do, your baby could very well have severe fetal anomalies. It was an awkward phone call to say the least, and their words remained with me throughout my pregnancy," Hagan recalled.
But the clinic worker's prediction was proven wrong when she gave birth to a healthy baby boy.
"I named my child Zechariah, which means the Lord remembers, because when I look back I see God saying, "Pause, Rebekah. Trust in Me. I have a better plan," she said.
His son now excels in school and is a "perfect addition" to her family.
With her experience, she aims to help other women, who are challenged with pregnancy, by sharing her story on forums.
She testified about the abortion pill reversal informed consent bills before state legislators in Idaho, Nebraska and Oklahoma. She also shared her story fighting against California's Senate Bill-24, requiring state colleges to "administer chemical abortion pills in health centers on campus."
Hagan, who now has four children, met her husband when she spoke about her story at the church of his parents.
She is scheduled for several speaking engagements in the fall and is set to speak at Tennessee's Abby Johnson's Pro-Life Women's Conference in June.
She is hoping that her son would be proud of her someday, seeing his mother as a woman who committed but rectified a mistake to save the life of her child.
Looking into her own experience, Hagan declared that God can transform an ugly story into something new, adding that the Lord also gives grace "even when we don't deserve it."
"God went as far to pull me out of the mess I created and saved not just my unborn baby, but He also saved me, and as a result, my family," she said.
In conclusion, she shared that she applies her faith by loving others and sharing what God has done in her life.
"I live out my faith by trying to love the broken-girls like me who are considering abortion. God radically transformed my life, and I am living to tell others He can do the same for them too," Hagan further stated.
Hagan now works for Heartbeat International, a pro-life pregnancy center whose mission "is to make abortion unwanted today and unthinkable for future generations" by helping women with unwanted pregnancies make the right choice to not abort their unborn baby and instead let them live.
Heartbeat International was "[c]alled into existence by the Christ-centered pregnancy help movement" and has been helping women in unexpected pregnancies since 1971.
