Former Planned Parenthood volunteer brings life message to Planned Parenthood

A former volunteer spokesperson for Planned Parenthood knelt and prayed on the sidewalk outside a Florida Planned Parenthood on Good Friday to bring the message of lkife to the workers and the women going inside. Julie Woodley MA, said that she wanted to start a “love revolution” for the women who have had abortions as well as the workers of abortion facilities.

Julie Woodley outside Planned Parenthood

Julie is a licensed therapist, filmmaker and speaker. She founded a ministry that helps people heal from various types of trauma, including post-abortion called Restoring the Heart Ministries. Julie said that before arriving at Planned Parenthood in Boca Raton, which is nestled in a strip mall, she inquired about where the public access was and she was instructed that the sidewalk as public.

“The lawyers told me it was public property and the parking area was private, so you had to be on the sidewalk.”

So Julie proceeded to set up a prayer alter where she brought palm branches and wore a beautiful white dress symbolic of what she describes as the “handmaiden of the Lord.”
She said that she had to look beautiful for God in order to show these women and workers his love.

“We had the palm branches, the roses, and the little baby booties and I played a song by Fernando Ortego, called Give me Jesus.”

The song is a beautiful reflection that Jesus is all we need. “Give me Jesus, you can have all this world, Give me Jesus.
And, when I am alone, give me Jesus.” the artist sings.

According to Julie, after about 15 minutes Planned Parenthood noticed that she was outside the doors and began to bully her. They then ordered her to leave. Rather than argue, Julie said that she decided to go to the street where other picketers were and she joined them in prayer for about an hour.

Before she left, Julie said that went back to the sidewalk and took her roses and baby booties and placed them in front of Planned Parenthood’s door where she left them.

She recorded her prayer in a video as she took the roses and booties back to the doors of Planned Parenthood. With her sweet spirit that just expresses the love of God, Julie said:

“So pray for me today and pray for the young girls that we meet today that God will save those babies and the girls will think twice about what they’re doing. And the grace of the love of God will come through us as we love on these girls.”

Julie’ motivation for this beautiful tribute to life came from her own past, where death and depression almost killed her.

Julie’s story with Planned Parenthood began as a young woman where she was recruited by the abortion business as a volunteer spokesperson while on the University of Minnesota. It was there that Julie said she attended a Planned Parenthood’s training in St Paul. “We were given the language to convince people to have abortions,” she said. “I was trained to be a volunteer in the clinic and talk to women who came in. When they saw I was a good speaker, they put me as a speaker for them speaking on college campuses.”

Julie said that when she volunteered for Planned Parenthood she thought she was really helping women, “They really brain washed us. We were never to call it a baby or speak about life.”

Not long after that, Julie said several things happened in her life that led her to become a believer in Christ, including two abortions.

She told Saynsumthn that following the murder of one of her close friends she literally broke down emotionally. Julie said that she got to a point where she was so depressed that she tried to take her own life. After crying out for help, one day Julie said that she heard the Lord tell her He loved her, “More than any time in my life, I knew someone loved me. For the next years I pursued God.” She was later discipled by Christians and said that her life was completely turned around.

“I began to see that someone loved me and I could be forgiven for all the abortions and men I had slept with. I could be born again- clean with God. People began to walk me through my healing.”

But, as Julie noted, her abortion healing was years in the making. Julie recounted that her first abortion was in Spokane Washington and her second was in Minnesota at the Medowbrook Women’s Clinic. She recalled that the abortion clinic was very dark and depressing. Ironically, in front of the clinic is one of the biggest hospitals in Minneapolis where Julie said she gave birth to her first born child. It was a contradiction that Julie would be forced to face years later.

Julie said that it wasn’t until she gave birth to her fourth born child that she began to deal with her abortions. She said that she had been speaking publicly about the Lord, about freedom from sexual abuse, but was still carrying the shame of her abortions. But, after her fourth child, she realized that she should actually have had two more children. That is where her grief really came to the forefront.

“The shame and regret just hit me, I just knew at that point that I had to heal from these abortion wounds. I had to bring the Love of God into that pain.”

After visiting a retreat center, Julie said she locked herself into a room and read the scriptures and prayed and meditated on how much God loved her until she felt the healing.

Julie Woodley

Besides going outside Planned Parenthood, Julie said that she routinely schedules her annual pap smears so she can go inside the abortion business and speak with the staff. She goes when God leads her and is open with the doctors she encounters.

“I know it sounds crazy, I feel like God is calling me to the heart of the battle. I can say I used to work for Planned Parenthood and I can go in a tender loving way and talk to the abortionist.”

Julie said that if she has medical issues and God tells her to go in, she makes an appointment. She said she holds off talking to the patients in the waiting room until she leaves. Julie recounted one visit she had in Duluth Minnesota where she said she gently spoke with the doctor pointing out to her that 50% of babies they are aborting are women.

It has been Julie’s experience that many Planned Parenthood centers post signs that tell women that if they or their children are the victims of abuse, to let Planned Parenthood know. So, while in the Duluth Planned Parenthood she told the doctor:

“This is a huge disconnect because you are doing the ultimate form of abuse, you are killing children. This is all while I am doing the exam. Susan, the doctor at this center kept saying to me I am listening.”

Julie said that because she sets up her statements in a loving way, the staff is generally not defensive. But, some are and after Julie talked with the attendant and asked her, “How can you do this,” she said that the Planned Parenthood staffer got upset and threatened to call the police and then had someone escort her out.

But, Julie added, a friend who was waiting for Julie in the waiting room, told her that while she was in for her exam, the TV aired a program of a woman with twins and was showing the ultrasound of the twins inside the waiting room. Her friend said that another Planned Parenthood staffer got up and was really angry and swore before turning off the TV. Julie said that she believed that God was trying to speak the message of life into that center that day.

When Julie went in for a scheduled exam at a Florida Planned Parenthood the week of Valentines Day, she said she met the abortionist and asked her several questions during the exam.

“They had double booked abortions and they kept knocking on the exam door because they had booked so many abortions that day. I told the doctor, “I just came in to plead with you to please consider getting a different job. I regretted my association with Planned Parenthood.

She listened to me and gave me a lot of time.”

Julie said that when you get an exam at Planned Parenthood they take your drivers license and credit card, so you cannot leave until it is returned. So, while waiting for the return of her personal identification, God used her to speak to the patients waiting for their abortions.

“I just walked up to all the patients and said please don’t do this. I did it, I regretted it and I give them my card.”

It is obvious from speaking with Julie that she has a heart for these workers and for the women, “Its not aggression, or bullying that will win this battle,” she told Saynsumthn.

“I am not demeaning what others are called to do. I have been on the other side. They are not the enemy- the devil is just using them,” she said.

Julie is currently developing a film project to help others recover from post-abortion. It is a 10-part video series with accompanying curriculum targeted at counseling professionals and lay people to lead them through the forgiveness journey after an abortion. It is called Into My Arms and the promo is below:

Julie encourages women and men who have been affected by abortion to contact her at http://www.rthm.cc/.