A pro-life group is working to end the stigma of rape conception by organizing a march this spring in one of the first states that legalized abortion. It was 2003 when Juda Myers learned from a social worker that she was conceived in rape. Juda, who was adopted, discovered the brutal truth while looking for her birth mother. The shocking details about the woman who carried her in the womb and how she was gang raped set the stage for Juda’s mission to advocate on behalf of the rape conceived.
“The social worker’s attitude conveyed centuries of condemnation for the rape conceived,” Juda who contemplated suicide after learning the truth told Live Action News. “I was falling into a deep black abyss that brought me to the brink of a breakdown,” she said. Juda said her commitment to God kept her from doing the unthinkable, and recounted how a friend who knew nothing of the situation reminded her that God knew her before she was conceived!
In 2005, Juda met her birth mom who was in her 70’s at the time, “I walked into the nursing home stood at the desk and was about to ask for Ann when I heard my name called from behind me. I turned to see eyes of crystal blue not unlike my own. I knew it was her. Holding a picture of me when I was only 3 months old at the time of my adoption.”
Juda has told her story a number of times pointing out that those who allow abortion exceptions in cases of rape are really saying that she should have never been born. She is passionate about the lives of every preborn child in the womb and said that hearing other moms with similar stories to her mother’s experience made her realize that no one was helping moms like them. That revelation inspired Juda to found the non-profit organization Choices4Life.
The mission of helping these mothers and speaking for what many describe as a so-called “small percentages of preborn children” has not been an easy one. Juda has been the target of abusive vitriol from abortion advocates when she posts the stories of young rape victims who choose to carry their babies to term. The so-called advocates of free choice seem to draw a line in the sand if the pregnant female is a young rape victim.
But, the prejudice against the rape conceived extends well beyond abortion advocates and even reaches into the walls of religious institutions. In fact, abortion exceptions for cases of rape were sadly written into main stream denominational resolutions before Justice Harry Blackmun wrote the Roe V. Wade decision, legalizing abortion on demand. In truth, those pro-abortion resolutions helped lay the foundation for the tragic SCOTUS decision.
Since then, church leaders inside some of these denominations have apologized for their positions and recanted the resolutions. But, the bias against the rape conceived remains ongoing. In 2013, a pastor referred to children conceived in rape as a “demon seed.” His words shocked the pro-life community and prompted the mother of a child conceived in rape to write a powerful response which read in part:
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“For too long, the rape conceived and their mothers have been targets of hate speech. The assumption is that no woman who was REALLY raped would want to carry such a baby to term. That is a lie. Using derogatory language to the woman about her child often coerces her into making a decision that puts her at risk mentally, emotionally, and physically. She may consent to an abortion in order to prove that she was actually raped or out of fear that her child will be the object of continued prejudice after birth.”
Choices4Life works tirelessly to educate society that children conceived in rape are not the criminals and have done nothing wrong. “To condemn a human for the crime of another is not justice,” Juda often points out. But rape is the cornerstone of abortion and was the lie that brought the case to the Supreme Court in 1973. It is the “necessary evil” that continues to keep abortion legal today. Juda says it is time for the pro-life community to rally around the victims of rape and not give the perception that they are expendable simply because they may be few in numbers.
Juda and her Choices4Life organization contend that if we destroy this leg of abortion deception we may very well end abortion in America. To chip away at the foundation of Roe, Choices4Life is organizing the FREEDOM MARCH #LIFEWINS event next May in Mississippi. According to the event website, the first abortion law was passed in Mississippi on May 8, 1966 and it was for cases of rape and incest. Ironically, this year, May 8th happens to fall on Mother’s Day 2016.
In addition to the march, Choices4Life is organizing what they call a “hero’s welcome” reception to “these amazing mothers who saved the life of their children conceived in rape.” The hope is that listening to the stories of the brave women who rejected the lie that a child they created is worthless simply because of the crime of their fathers, will transform those who attend.
“In our day tolerance is shouted on every street corner. It’s time to end the stigma of rape conception and rally around these heroic mothers who fight for the life of their baby conceived in rape. Mothers and children are not guilty of any crime and don’t deserve to be treated as criminals,” Juda writes in the Freedom March Life Wins press release.
CHOICES4LIFE helps pregnant rape and incest victims with relocation assistance, they have subsidized rent, paid utility and medical bills and offered housing in private homes for mothers in need. The non profit has reached out to victims of all races, religious and sexual orientation ranging in ages from 10 to 42 years of age. Juda has dedicated her work to her birth mother whom she calls “a Hero.” Juda lost her Hero a few years ago but is grateful God allowed them to find each other. She tells those who support Choices4Life and women she reaches out to, “Be a hero.
“A hero is defined as saving a life,” she says.
Get more information about Choices4Life here.
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