Myra Jean Myers and her husband had children throughout the beginning of their marriage. When Myers discovered she was pregnant with her sixth child, it should have been an exciting time for the couple. But when she told her husband about the pregnancy, his response shocked her.
Myers told Live Action News, “Roe had just been passed into law and my husband began listening to the pro-abortion argument. He told me there was only one thing to do. He insisted I terminate my pregnancy. I had always been co-dependent on my husband and just did what he wanted me to do. I never asked why, and he never told me why.”
While her husband didn’t use the word “abortion,” Myers knew what he meant. She felt coerced into calling Planned Parenthood to schedule an appointment.
Because the births of the couple’s children were close together, Myers assumed her husband didn’t want any more children.
“A year after giving birth to my third child, I was pregnant with my fourth child, then was expecting my fifth child again six months later,” Myers said. “Just 18 months later, I was pregnant with my sixth child. It was a lot of pregnancies in a short time.”
Although Myers wasn’t a Christian, she prayed fervently for God to show her a sign if what she was about to do was wrong. The next day, she received a phone call from Planned Parenthood notifying her the doctor was canceling his Saturday appointments.
Myers said, “I guess I didn’t expect an answer to my prayer, so I didn’t make the connection between my appeal and the call the next morning. The clerk asked me what I wanted to do so I turned to my husband for advice. He urged me to reschedule the appointment for the following Saturday.”
While her husband stayed in the car, Myers went into the abortion facility and waited. She noticed a young woman sitting alone, sobbing. Suppressing her emotions to avoid confronting her pain left Myers feeling numb, as if she was in a trance-like state.
“When my turn came and I was lying on the table, I couldn’t ever recall being in that position before, even though I had given birth five times,” Myers said. “My denial was so strong that I had blocked everything out.”
Afterward, her husband asked how she felt. She responded that she felt “nothing,” yet her anger with him – and herself – simmered beneath the stony façade.
A journey toward healing and salvation
One morning, Myers watched in horror as her toddler fell off a chair trying to grab a vitamin that had rolled off the kitchen table. The self-loathing she had repressed bubbled to the surface.
Myers said, “I thought I’d deserve it if she broke her neck. She did break her collarbone, but I was thankful she was going to be okay. I told my sister, who was a Christian, that because my child wasn’t seriously hurt, that meant God had forgiven me and she agreed.”
Yet Myers was still steeped in denial. Attending church with her brother-in-law and his family during a visit would provide a glimmer of hope in her dark world.
“During the church service, my husband saw me crying,” Myers said. “He urged me to talk to the pastor, which I did, but I wasn’t yet ready to face anything.” As worship ended, Myers believed she heard Jesus’ voice, asking her to stand up and acknowledge him. But she didn’t, though she would continue to search for Him.
Myers said, “As a child, I learned about a God who sent His son for salvation, but never quite understood the concept of asking Jesus to come into my heart. Yet I realized that trying to run my life on my own strength left me feeling as if I was running around in circles.”
Later, her husband was traveling for business and Myers was alone with the children when she felt compelled to take her family to church. As she sat in the pew, the pastor began talking about the importance of submitting to God’s will.
“I was filled with the presence of the Holy Spirit there,” Myers said. “I felt the weight of conviction and silently confessed to God my part in the abortion. I felt peace for the first time and understood God was no longer far away. I belonged to Him, and I was going to live as He intended.”
Spiritual transformation spurs a fight for the preborn
In 2004, Myers enrolled in the nine-week “Forgiven and Set Free” abortion recovery program to begin the deep healing process. She subsequently served alongside the leader as a small group leader facilitating the study at the Gatesville Women’s Prison twice a year for three years.
Myers’ transformation ignited a desire to assist women over the world in making life-affirming decisions. She attended her first March for Life in 2004 and traveled to Israel with Norma McCorvey, returning four times to collaborate with other pro-life ministries. She provided her testimony for an amicus brief through the Justice Foundation’s Operation Outcry program to help further pro-life legislation.
Years later, Myers finally confronted her husband about the abortion. He revealed he knew she was carrying a human life, but his fear of potentially losing her to childbirth surpassed his desire for another child. He had mistakenly believed that childbirth posed more of a threat to Myers’ life than abortion.
Myers said, “Nothing wounds women, men, families, and our nation more than the lies from the abortion industry. The loss of protection for the child in the womb who is a separate and unique human being has resulted in the loss of respect for all life. If abortion had been illegal, I don’t think I would have aborted my baby. Now, it’s up to us to speak for those whose voices aren’t heard.”
