I am an educator and the son of a Christian minister who has known abortion was wrong from childhood. However, it was not until the premature birth and subsequent death of my daughter,
Brooke, that the issue became real to me. My daughter was born at 29 weeks gestation almost three months before her due date. During the 40 days that she lived on earth in a neonatal intensive care unit, I witnessed firsthand her development. I had the privilege of watching Brooke and the other babies ranging from 24 to 38 weeks gestation grow and mature in plain sight. This was the first time in my life that I faced the concrete reality of fetal development and life in the womb. My experience with these children, who should still have been in the womb, completely refuted the lies of the enemy concerning preborn babies. As I watched the medical staff care for these little ones, it gripped me that several other children at this stage of development are aborted in our country every day. It was after this
revelation and experience with Brooke that I began my journey to actively defend the unborn and fight
against abortion. I believe that Brooke would want me to speak up for her brothers and sisters in the womb who are facing abortion.
I decided to name the organization Anna’s Choice in honor of the choice that Brooke made to be born early. It is believed by many in the medical profession that the unborn child actually signals when to be born, thus it is their choice. My daughter’s full name is Brooke Anna Vaughan Patchen which means little stream full of grace and mercy. I believe Brooke would want me to speak out and share God's wisdom on the horrors of abortion and the sanctity of all human life. Brooke has inspired me to love the preborn and their parents through grace and mercy, and I hope she will inspire you!
My desire to help the preborn ultimately led me to serve in a Right to Life group and to study many pro-life books and resources. It was at this time that I began to realize how ignorant I was about abortion and the pro-life movement in America. The things I discovered shocked and deeply saddened me—especially abortion’s enormous physical, spiritual, emotional and psychological impact on both women and men. I believe abortion is the largest current violator of women’s rights in the nation. Abortion violates everyone’s rights as men, siblings, future children, grandparents, parents, and all of society is affected! Equally as shocking to me was the small amount of Christian material designed to address abortion from the pulpit, small-group or book store venues. Sadly, I also discovered that the existing pro-life resources available to the body of Christ are not promoted very often by the church or sought out by believers. Anna’s Choice was born out of my desire to educate Christians about the value of all life and provide the church with a comprehensive biblical resource on the topic. I am convinced that the majority of the body of Christ does not know what the Bible says about abortion and how it applies to their lives as believers. Hopefully, this ministry will change that and clarify your role in ending abortion in America.
My heart is not to judge you, but to stir you to love God, yourself, your neighbor and those yet to be born. Come with me and discover your part in protecting God’s greatest gift, the gift of LIFE! Revelation 22:17