She was a bit of a rock and roll groupie, so when 15-year-old Elizabeth Bristol scored a date with an older guy in the local band, she and her friends were thrilled. She never expected to be pressured into having sex while under the influence of drugs and alcohol.
Bristol told Live Action News, “I went to a party at a hotel with him and willingly took the drugs and alcohol, but I didn’t know it was a setup to take advantage of me while I was in a vulnerable state. Essentially, I lost my virginity to date rape.”
While Bristol’s friends thought her experience was “cool,” she didn’t think so. Still, she continued to have sexual relations with him, to keep his interest alive. A few months later, Bristol and her musician beau parted ways and she began engaging in more promiscuous behavior. It was typical in the town where Bristol lived to engage in casual sex, use recreational drugs, and use abortion as a method of birth control.
While Bristol had attended church to prevent sinking into moral turpitude, she didn’t have an authentic relationship with Christ.
“I was just 17 when I discovered I was pregnant,” Bristol said. “I had been ‘tripping’ on LSD at the time but knew the exact moment I conceived. My boyfriend and I were fighting a lot, but I asked him to stand with me, yet he left town to go to Texas. Once his mother found out about the pregnancy, she got him out of dodge fast.”
Unplanned Pregnancy Results in Abortion
While her boyfriend escaped responsibility, Bristol was left with the fallout. She was afraid to tell her parents and cringed at the thought of being the subject of town gossip, but then, the girlfriend of her boyfriend’s brother stepped up and asked how she could help.
Bristol said, “I had decided to get an abortion. My parents had high expectations and telling them would add so much stress to the situation. I felt I had no other option.”
She booked the appointment immediately with an abortion business she found in the yellow pages. To Bristol, it seemed like the only way out. Soon she was riding on the train to Boston along with her friend. Once there, she was required to participate in a counseling session for the facility to receive its grant money.
“I sat with other women in a group, and nobody looked at one another,” Bristol said. “The counseling was just basic and not helpful at all.”
Once inside the procedure room, Bristol was given medication that made her feel euphoric. Ironically, she was doing the worst thing she could ever do, and terminating the only pregnancy she would ever have.
Bristol said, “I remember hearing the horrific sound of the vacuum. Afterward, I went home, wanting to quickly escape the shame and guilt. My friend suggested we go out and snort some cocaine and I agreed. I wanted to numb the emotions swirling inside of me.”
Later, she battled intense pain that was both physical and spiritual, and began passing large blood clots. She told herself she’d rather die before she reached out to someone for help. “I just wanted it to pass so I could get on with my life, go to college and put the whole experience behind me,” Bristol said. “I was fighting with my parents and couldn’t wait to leave.”
A Period of Uncertainty and Turmoil
It wasn’t long before her former boyfriend and father of her aborted child contacted her, hoping to rekindle the relationship.
Bristol said, “He demanded to know why I got an abortion. My first thought was I’d get back together with him, then leave him like he left me. But I ended up living with him for four years.”
When Bristol thought she was pregnant again, her boyfriend left but came back the next day. Tired of the relationship, she moved to Boston and when her boyfriend followed her there, Bristol’s father sent her out of the country so she could start anew.
By then in her mid-twenties, Bristol was working at a church in Alaska when she finally entered a more intimate relationship with Christ. But all was not well there. The church’s pastor was engaging in extramarital affairs with a few of Bristol’s friends. Bristol knew this wasn’t right and struggled with resentment. One day she decided to take a long ride to clear her head.
A Life Transformed Through Forgiveness and Faith
As she poured out her heart to God, she heard His voice tell her she hadn’t forgiven herself for the abortion she had years ago.
“I pulled off the road and talked to God for four hours,” Bristol said. “I wanted to know the gender of the baby. I felt God had told me I had a daughter and when I asked what her name was, He told me to name her. I experienced such grace and mercy at that moment that was breathtaking.”
She finally understood that once she had forgiven herself, she could forgive others their indiscretions.
“I realized that forgiveness is tied into everything,” Bristol said. “It was like an epiphany, a defining moment in my quest for understanding and healing.”
When a friend brought her an ad for a Forgiven and Set Free abortion healing class for the church bulletin, Bristol took it as a sign she needed deeper healing.
Bristol said, “I was hesitant at first because I was worried about being judged, but I learned the leader was also post-abortive. Also, I convinced a friend to take the class with me. Going through the class with her helped me to see my own dead zones; issues that I had buried for so long.”
God continued to work in Bristol’s life, leading her into more profound inner healing, compelling her to fulfill her desire to write and share her message of faith.
“A friend set up a writing room for me,” Bristol said. “Eventually, God showed me how to write about all the hard stuff in my life. I wanted others to find healing through my stories and to see how all our experiences intersect at some point.”
In her book, “Mary Me: One Woman’s Incredible Adventure with God,” Bristol chronicled her date rape, abortion, and healing with God. She partnered with CareNet to speak at events, hoping her message of forgiveness and reconciliation would resonate with those whose experiences mirror her own.
Bristol said, “I can’t bring my baby back and will miss her first steps and attending her dance recitals, but I can help spread life affirming messages wherever God leads me. For that, I am grateful.”
