Did you know…….?

25% of the women who became pregnant in the Richmond Metro area in 1998 chose to end their pregnancies by abortion.

W/E/B/A  VA
By Marjorie Anne Pegram

"Post Abortion Syndrome" (PAS) is a term that describes an incredibly painful period in the life of a woman who has had an abortion.

Holly kept the secret of her abortion for twenty agonizing years.  She had abandoned her church while in college, and partying developed into promiscuity.  She ended a pregnancy in 1974, and after her abortion, with no one to confide in and no faith in God with whom to find forgiveness and comfort, she experienced a numb emptiness.  She lost her maternal instinct as well as the moral code with which she had been raised.

Two years later Holly married, but she couldn't enjoy sexual relations, and more and more frequent, unreasonable crying spells affected their relationship, added to the fact that she was unable to conceive.  The marriage failed.  The symptoms of PAS had defeated her.

After an abortion, where does a woman go to recover?  This question is faced by over a million women, and others affected by it, each year.  PAS has deep psychological, physical and spiritual effects.  Is there a place where all these aspects can be explored and solved, under the banner of the lordship of Christ?

The answer is YES!  W/E/B/A (We  Experience healing Beyond Abortion) VA was incorporated (non-profit) in 1983, and since then has been the "voice of experience" for post-abortion women and families. The services provided are free and confidential and overseen by the leadership of the churches their membership represents.

W/E/B/A VA offers the following services:

Support Group Meetings monthly in homes or at the Crisis Pregnancy Center.

Bible Studies for post-abortion  women or men.  These studies led by a trained facilitator address the unresolved guilt and grief left in the aftermath of an abortion.       

Individual counseling by appointment with Candace on Tuesday mornings.  Professional counseling (fee-based) is also available. 

Forum for Speakers.  This trains post-abortion women or men to speak out effectively on the issue of PAS to churches and secular audiences, including national and state legislatures.  A level of Christian maturity and post-abortive healing must be demonstrated.

Materials and Resource Library.  We maintain an extensive list of research and healing sources on the post-abortion issue globally. If you, or someone you know, says, "I've had an abortion.   Where can I go for help?"  please tell her about W/E/B/A.  Whether it was recently or long ago, there are others who have been there too. 

After a second marriage in 1987, Holly returned to her childhood faith and her church in 1991.  Three years later, she met Candace Banks, and through friendship and counseling, she met Jesus Christ as her Savior.  Holly herself now serves to hurting post-abortive women.

How is W/E/B/A VA publicized, and what are its needs?  Candace Banks, Director, speaks at Women's Fellowships and at churches, and it is advertised monthly in the Richmond Times Dispatch.  W/E/B/A VA's greatest need is for post-abortion women who are healed to come forward to counsel others who have had abortions.  Finances are always a need, as its non-profit status makes the ministry dependent on the generosity of community-minded people who have a heart for troubled women. For e-mail - webava@juno.com. The phone number is 359-1500.

Next Page...