A Simple Yes - Interview with Abby Johnson

By Becca M.

What do you do when God corrects your course? Do you run to obey God and say, “Yes! Here I am! Send me!”?

For Abby Johnson, the answer was yes.

Abby’s career was promising. She believed she was helping women as she’d always wanted to do. But one day Abby had an eye-opening experience that changed everything.

Abby considered herself a Christian when she became one of the youngest directors in the nation of a Planned Parenthood clinic. During that time, Abby had believed a fetus was not a child until it was viable outside the womb.

One day, she was asked to assist the doctor with an ultrasound-guided abortion. What she saw on the ultrasound machine was a 13-week old child fighting for his or her life, and losing.

Abby immediately quit her job as director, went to the other side of the fence, and began actively speaking out against abortion.

Abby is now an author of two books and the founder of two non-profits, the mother of eight children, and has spoken at the RNC about the dark side behind Planned Parenthood.

In 2019, a movie was made about Abby’s story. Unplanned was written and directed by the producers and writers of God’s Not Dead, and released by Pure Flix Entertainment. The film surpassed past box office expectations by making $21.1 million.

We are so excited to share Abby’s story today!

CBM: Hey Abby, and WELCOME! We are so excited to have you at Crown of Beauty! Would you mind talking about your story for readers who might not be familiar with it?

ABBY: Although I grew up in a wonderful and loving Christian home, upon leaving the safety net of home and going to college, I became pregnant and had an abortion. Shortly after I began volunteering at Planned Parenthood. During that time I obtained my second abortion. Shortly after I began working there full time and continued down a path of sin and deception as compromise and dishonesty became a way of life.
I had to lie to myself in order to continue to lie to the women who sought our services.

In September of 2009 I witnessed an ultrasound guided abortion and it changed my life forever. I quit my job and was surrounded by love and grace within the prolife movement. The longer I was away from the abortion industry, the clearer my mind became, and the stronger my faith grew.

Today I run two non-profit organizations. And Then There Were None is an outreach to abortion industry workers, just like me. I know that many of them have a faith foundation and cannot continue to live the lies that the industry requires. We assist the workers in their exodus from the industry and accompany them on their healing journey. Prolove Ministries is a project geared to offer new solutions to old problems.

We seek to fill gaps in the prolife movement and eliminate the issues that women in crisis face, causing them to consider abortion. To learn more about or support the ministries I run you can visit prolove.com and proloveministries.org.

CBM: What was it like having a movie made about your testimony (and your book, Unplanned)?

ABBY: Writing my book was difficult, it was like inviting everyone into my head to learn about the worst parts of myself. Having a major motion picture made about my life, that was a million times more vulnerable to experience. It was embarrassing in many ways but also very empowering because no matter how ugly my past was, God has redeemed my life and if He would rescue me, He will rescue anyone!

CBM: You also have a book called The Walls Are Talking: Former Abortion Clinic Workers Tell Their Stories. Can you share a little bit about what that’s about?

ABBY: The Walls Are Talking is my second book.
It's a compilation of anonymous stories from myself and other former abortion industry workers who weren't quite ready to share their names with the world. It can be a very difficult read, even for those with a strong stomach, but it is a necessary read if we want to understand what is really happening inside the walls of these facilities.

CBM: The movie shows us some of the persecution you've faced for being vocally pro-life. But it also shows how you are victorious through Christ! What helps you do the right thing in spite of all the opposition?

ABBY: Jesus said that if they hated Him, they would also hate us. As Christians we are to expect persecution, so I say bring it! I know that my rewards are in heaven and not on this earth, so that's good enough to get me through the harder days!

CBM: I think it’s so awesome when pro-life women adopt. Can you share a little bit about your experience adopting?

ABBY: Our adoption journey has been anything but the norm. We had a two week notice, private adoption and honestly, I do NOT recommend that route if for no other reason than the fact that agencies exist to be a support to the birth mother. There is a reason why it costs more to go through an agency and those fees are worth the peace of mind in knowing that the birth mom is taken care of and has adequate follow up care. My husband and I saw to these details with our son's mom because we knew that no one else would.

The adoptive family she had lined up backed out at the very last minute and that did not allow for anytime to do anything other than a private adoption, but like I said, our situation was anything but the norm but we all adapted and in record time!

We have a very open relationship with his birth mom, in fact we have always referred to her as his mom or other mom. Our son will grow up knowing the truth, that his mom loved him so much and desired to protect him and give him a life that she could not due to her circumstances.

She visits him face-to-face as often as we are all able to make our schedules work and she has even joined me at many prolife events even when I couldn't bring our son! Our relationship has become very close and I love her dearly.

CBM: What do you think girls can do to help stand up for life, even at a young age?

ABBY: There are many opportunities today to start up or join in prolife groups or activities in schools.

You can check out studentsforlife.org for more info on that. Serving at a local pregnancy resource center is another way to put action behind your beliefs.
Volunteering to help young moms with babysitting is always a great way to affirm their life decision and remind them that they are not alone.

In addition, wearing prolife t-shirts and posting information on social media is a great way to spread the prolife message to your peers. You will never regret being courageous with the prolife message.

CBM: There are several scenes in Unplanned (both the book and the movie) that illustrate greatly how abortion harms women—especially you in your story. What would you say in response to someone who argues that abortion is a women’s right?

ABBY: Anytime our 'rights' infringe on the life of another human being then we need to reevaluate whether it is a 'right' that we should fight for. Also, 50% of aborted babies are female, where are the rights of those women?