Living in a single-parent household and still in high school, 18-year-old Adriana Camp panicked when she discovered she was pregnant. She knew her life would change dramatically and saw no other way “out” but to have an abortion.
Camp told Live Action News, “I knew it would be a hardship for my mother to have me and a baby under the roof. Also, a close family member had an abortion when she was just 14 years old, so that made it seem like a viable option to me.”
She told her boyfriend of her decision and he agreed she should get an abortion. When she made the appointment, her doctor also suggested an abortion was the best choice. But she didn’t have any money to pay for the abortion.
“They made it all so easy for me by suggesting I apply temporarily for Medicaid to get the abortion procedure covered,” Camp said. “So, I did and was accepted. The path had been cleared for me to have the abortion.”
When she went for her scheduled appointment, Camp was led into the examination room by a pleasant looking woman who assisted her in getting on the table. A mask was placed on her face and she was told to count to ten.
Camp said, “When I woke up, I was in my bedroom at home. I didn’t remember anything after the mask had been put on my face. I don’t know if I was heavily sedated or if I purposely blocked out the whole experience, but it was as if I was spared of the horror of the procedure.”
Still, she grieved, lying in bed crying inconsolably, yet silently.
“I really didn’t feel I had a right to grieve because I had willingly made the choice to abort my baby,” Camp said. “I really started bargaining with God and prayed for another chance to have a baby.”
A second chance to become a mother
Camp’s prayers were answered when she again became pregnant — and this time, she chose life for her baby, yet she continued to suffer.
Camp said, “I experienced such terrible anxiety attacks. I would have nightmares and wake up screaming. I really thought I was going to be condemned to hell for what I had done.”
Now married to her boyfriend, she suffered from his cruel behavior, which added to her torment.
“My mother made us get married when she found out I was pregnant,” Camp said. “My boyfriend started making my life miserable shortly after the abortion and it continued during our marriage. When he began abusing me in front of our child, I divorced him.”
Soon after, Camp married again to a kind, gentle man whom she had known previously. Camp said, “When I married him and became pregnant with our child, the nightmares suddenly stopped. I had always felt this sense of uneasiness but found healing in my second marriage. God had mercy on me.”
Salvation offers new beginnings and a chance to make an impact
Along with her new husband, Camp attended church and accepted salvation, yet she still felt as if the one sin – her abortion – could never be forgiven.
“I often felt as if I’d go to my grave burdened with guilt, shame and regret,” Camp said. “I struggled for 33 years with this monkey on my back and couldn’t forgive myself for what I had done.”
In 2019, Camp received an email from a girl she didn’t know well who invited her to a March for Life event. With trepidation, Camp decided to attend.
Camp said, “I felt like a lost dog among a sea of women who I assumed never had an abortion. I wondered why I was even there. I thought that if these people knew I had an abortion, they’d despise me for it. Then, I saw a woman walk up to the podium and she began to speak about her abortion. I glanced around and didn’t see any strange reactions.”
As she listened to the woman speak, she heard God tell her someday she’d be that woman. A voice inside her screamed, “no, not me!” But afterward, Camp felt compelled to go after the woman, feeling as if she was meant to connect with her.
“I looked around but couldn’t find her,” Camp said. “Then, I felt silly, as if I just imagined God wanted me to meet her. I was walking out of the gym where everyone had gathered when I heard a voice call to me. I turned around and it was her.”
The woman told Camp she heard she was searching for her. Camp then confided that she, too, had an abortion and wanted to tell her story.
Camp said, “I sat down with her and poured out all the details. She urged me to get into an abortion recovery program. She was hosting a weekend retreat at her house in two weeks and wanted me to attend. She said, between now and then, God will reveal something important to you.”
A week later, Camp was standing in the kitchen, thinking about her oldest son who was now married and lived across the street. His name was Alex, but for some reason, she had wanted to change his name to Eric. Her husband, however, insisted she keep his name as Alex. At that moment, she heard God tell her, “You already have a son named Eric.”
“As I heard this, I fell to the ground, weeping,” Camp said. “It was a very powerful moment.”
At the weekend retreat, the woman told Camp she knew God had revealed that her aborted baby had been a boy.
Camp said, “She said I had been referring to my child as ‘he.’ She also told me she knew God have given me a name. I was stunned.”
When Camp decided to take one of her sons to see the movie, “Unplanned,” her daughter encouraged her to tell her sons about her abortion.
“My sons, my entire family, were loving and supportive,” Camp said. “My children said, ‘Mom, nothing you have ever done could change the kind of mother you’ve been to us.’ I was so grateful for their love and compassion.”
In January 2020, Camp traveled to Washington, D.C., to attend the March for Life and gave her testimony on the steps of the United States Supreme Court.
Camp said, “I couldn’t believe it was me up there. A video of my testimony went viral on Facebook and women who were post-abortive starting calling me to tell their stories.”
She continues to speak at venues, including 40 Days for Life and at conferences for medical professionals.
“I don’t have a college degree, yet here I am speaking to doctors and nurses,” Camp said. “It’s so amazing how God can use something so horrible for good. There’s power in our testimonies and our voices need to be heard. I want women to know that whatever they’ve done, the blood of Jesus covers them with forgiveness.”
