Have You Prayed for an Abortionist Lately?

Posted by John Jansen (March 10, 2010 at 10:10 am)

Joe Scheidler (center) with former abortion providers (from left) Marian Johnston-Loehner, Luhra Tivis, Judith Fetrow and Joan Appleton in 1993

Carol Everett. Anthony Levatino. Beverly McMillan. Joan Appleton. Luhra Tivis. McArthur Hill.

What do these people have in common?

All of them used to work in the abortion industry. Doctors Levatino, McMillan, and Hill actually performed abortions themselves, Joan Appleton was an abortion clinic nurse, Carol Everett was an abortion clinic administrator, and Luhra Tivis was a medical receptionist for late-term abortionist George Tiller.

Along with many other former abortion providers, they have all spoken out publicly about how they came to be pro-life.

I thought about these former-abortion-industry-workers-turned-pro-lifers when I realized today, March 10, is the National Day of Appreciation for Abortion Providers.

What can we as pro-lifers do to counter this “Appreciation Day”? Lots of things, I suppose, but the first thing that comes to my mind is prayer.

We should pray for abortion providers out of love for them, precisely because we want them to repent of their involvement in abortion and seek the forgiveness and peace that can only come from Jesus Christ. Indeed, those who have stopped their involvement with abortion very often credit the compassion and patience of individual pro-lifers with bringing about their conversion.

Prayers offered for the general conversion of everyone involved in the abortion industry are always good, but even better than that are specific prayers offered for the conversion of the staff of the abortion clinic nearest where each of us lives, outside of the facility itself. (You can find a nationwide listing of abortion clinics here, and a listing of those at which 40 Days for Life vigils are currently being held is here.)

Recently I talked to a fellow who occasionally prays during outside of an abortion clinic near our office. He owns a small roofing business, and he said that business has been relatively slow lately.

Rather than see this a setback, however, he has used the extra down time to pray outside the abortion clinic on a more regular basis.

I couldn’t help but be edified by the strength of this man’s dedication. How many of us can say the same of our own commitment to prayer?

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