Her Choice To Heal (Paperback)

~ Sydna Masse (Author), Joan Phillips (Author)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description

We are everywhere. We are in churches. We are in shopping centers. We are in grocery stores. We are in daycare centers. We are high school dropouts. We are high school graduates. We have bachelor degrees, masters and Ph.D. degrees. We work well below our level of capability. We work at the top level of corporations and government.

We are women who have experienced abortion.

We have a secret we cannot share. If people knew the truth about us they would not like us, love us, or associate with us. We have committed a sin so horrendous we believe it is unforgivable.

The unforgivable sin. The sin we carry inside our hearts. The sin we believe stamps a scarlet letter A on our forehead and soul. . . .

Society is not going to punish us. We punish ourselves with self-destructive habits: drugs, alcohol, eating disorders, sexual dysfunctions, suicide attempts or completions, abusive relationships.

Years later something snaps and we can no longer bear the burden of our sin. We confess. Perhaps tentatively, carefully, cautiously, discreetly, prudently to a friend, a loved one, a boyfriend or a husband. The pain, the pain . . .

In Her Choice to Heal, you will find women who have lived with that pain and found help, healing, and hope. They have learned they can recover from their abortions and even find peace.

Perhaps you have experienced abortion, perhaps you want to help a friend or loved one heal from the pain of abortion, or perhaps you want to better understand this issue. I encourage you to read Her Choice to Heal and recognize there is hope in the recovery process when we understand and recognize the loss of our child, perhaps name that child and mourn, grieve that loss, and accept God’s forgiveness. Then we are free to forgive ourselves and go on to the hope Christ offered on the cross and still offers today.

My friends, we have all been touched by abortion in some way. As you read, ask the Lord how He wants to use this book in your life.

Carol Everett
President
Life Network

About the Author

Sydna Masse formerly managed Focus on the Family's Crisis Pregnancy Ministry. She is president and founder of Ramah International, Inc., a post-abortion ministry. She and her family live in Colorado Springs. Joan Phillips is a home-schooling mom and former Focus on the Family employee who lives in Colorado Springs.

Product Details

• Paperback: 144 pages
• Publisher: David C. Cook; New edition edition (November 25, 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1564767345
• ISBN-13: 978-1564767349
• Product Dimensions: 8.5 x 5.5 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 6.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (13 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #647,930 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

23 of 27 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars I needed help, December 15, 1999

By A Customer

I cannot express how much help I have needed since my abortion that happend two and a half years ago. I still have not completely healed and probably never will, it is something I have to live with forever. I read this book and it gave me assurance of Gods love and forgiveness that helps me get through each day I live. I don't go one day without loving my unborn child. It wasn't my choice, but I was pursuaded by my boyfriend who didn't stay around.

16 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Wholeness, February 17, 2003

By	Barb (Aston, PA United States) - See all my reviews

As a twice post-abortive woman, this book was an amazing help to me. Before reading it, I'd felt as though God had done much healing in my heart about my two babies...but I found out He wasn't finished with me yet! Now I believe all the corners of my abortion experiences are swept clean and I know I will be reunited with my daughter and son for eternity, because of the forgiveness possible in Jesus Christ. I wholeheartedly recomend this book!

23 of 29 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A masterpiece for post-abortive women., February 4, 1999

By A Customer

The hot topic these days for those interested in the abortion debate is "post-abortion healing." And for good reason. According to Planned Parenthood's research department some 43 percent of women will have had an abortion by the time they reach 45 years of age. And who better to help women find hope and healing than two who have experienced the tragedy of abortion themselves.

Synda Masse and Joan Phillips, the authors of Her Choice to Heal: Finding Spiritual and Emotional Peace After Abortion, are leading the charge to provide women with spiritual renewal following abortion. Their recently-published book is an excellent guide for women seeking to accept forgiveness and reconcile with God.

Masse and Phillips have written Her Choice to Heal in a workbook style that combines helpful advice and choice Biblical passages with writing spaces where a woman can reflect on her own abortion situation and what she's read.

Speaking about women beginning to come to grips with their abortion, they write, "For months and even years, the only apparent truth is that she made the right decision for that time in her life." Yet women eventually find themselves with overwhelming feelings of denial, anger and tremendous guilt. Her Choice to Heal addresses each of these feelings in various chapters.

Masse and Phillips are intimately familiar with abortion decisions. Both are former leaders of the Crisis Pregnancy outreach of Focus on the Family and have previously suffered from abortion's lasting effects.

Despite attending a "private Christian college," Sydna Masse found herself pregnant. She faced a dilemma that seems to typify the desperate situation young women find themselves in -- one that compels them to feel they have no other choice besides abortion.

Her boyfriend threatened to "turn my whole world upside down" if she chose to carry the pregnancy to term. He threatened to divulge her pregnancy and refuse any support for her and her child, to reveal the pregnancy to her mother (who would likely not support her), and to get Sydna kicked out of school. "You'll be on your own! It doesn't look like you have much choice." Sydna chose abortion and began "drowning my feelings with drugs and promiscuity" -- a lifestyle she would unfortunately "continue for many years."

Joan Phillips' story shocks even readers most familiar with tragic abortion experiences. Following a high school romance that turned into a domestic abuse nightmare, Joan made an appointment for an abortion after gathering her two sons and leaving her husband. But no one heard the "silent screams" she cried during the abortion.

Phillips soon begins a sordid affair with a married man. This produced two abortions but millions of heartaches. By day she became a "supermom" to her kids; by night she'd "smoked pot until I couldn't see, cry for no reason until the tears were gone, and wonder what was wrong with me."

This book is not just for those who have a personal abortion experience or know someone who does. Every pro-life activist needs to purchase Her Choice to Heal for the outstanding explanation, in layman's terms, of post-abortion syndrome. We all should have a working understanding of the types of emotional and psychological torment women who have had abortions face. After sharing their personal stories, the authors outline just that in the first chapter.

Joy comes in the mourning. Her Choice to Heal isn't simply a plunge into the roller coaster world of post-abortion emotions. In the final chapters, Sydna finishes her personal story by touching on her newfound Christian life and husband, her work at Focus, and her goal to produce enough "courage to face my emotions and release them" and to "release my long lost baby as well."

The authors define their mission well.

"As two of those who have experienced first-hand the lasting effects of abortion, we believe that Post-Abortion Syndrome does, indeed, exist, but that it can be overcome. To the woman who is struggling, we would like to extend you our compassion -- as well as a supporting arm to guide you along the way to healing through the pages of this book. You are in our prayers as you begin your journey toward peace."

Sydna Masse and Joan Phillips have presented a masterpiece to millions of post-abortive women desperately seeking God's forgiving touch. The brilliant combination of personal testimony, dry facts and Biblical wisdom provides women with a solace many thought they might never find. The book's interactive nature, fostered by the inclusion of "Healing Place" writing spaces for reflection, dramatically enhances women's ability to understand the message and apply it to their own situations.

I encourage you to purchase Her Choice to Heal. If you have had an abortion experience, know someone who has, or simply want to better understand how abortion hurts women and how to help, Her Choice to Heal is a must-read.