Statement to Booties Project Memorial – Parliament Grounds

Media Release 25 July 2018
Here is the message being presented on Parliament Grounds today, on behalf of MARINA YOUNG, founder of BUTTONS PROJECT, and spokesperson for FAMILY FIRST NZ.

I feel that often we get blasé about statistics. However, seeing 13,000+ pairs of booties with each pair symbolising a baby lost to abortion is quite sobering. I then think of the 13,000 women changed in some way through the abortion experience, the often-forgotten fathers, and the ripple effect that the event has on others around them.

Why is it so bad for people to see this when it shows the reality of abortion and its loss?

I was deeply affected by my abortion and suffered for years with periods of depression, low self- worth, troubled marriage and trust issues. I came to realise I was not alone in this. It took me a long time to come to a place of healing and peace.

This is why Buttons Project was born www.buttonsproject.org to help women and men towards healing from abortion. Like me and so many others (including my husband), the baby aborted is never forgotten. There are often many triggers of remembrance during one’s lifetime and the decision to abort should never be made lightly.

Buttons Project has received 1000’s of buttons, and each button represents a baby lost to abortion. These have been received from people who have been personally affected by abortion, with the underlying message “What happened mattered. This is a way to remember, to grieve and to love”.

From these buttons, and from my own experience, it confirms that having an abortion isn’t as straight forward as you may think it is, and is life changing. For some people they may say they are good, but for many they are not and they often suffer in silence.

Who can I reach out to regarding my abortion experience? Who will truly understand what I am going through? A person starts to heal the moment they feel they have been heard.

Their abortion loss needs to be acknowledged and their feelings of grief / loss validated. It is okay to reach out for help – which needs to be available.

There needs to be honest informed consent of the risks and support available to women. There seems to be a very one-sided view in the media which fails to acknowledge abortion research showing the harms abortion can have on a woman. Depression, anxiety, suicide ideation to name a few.

These women shouldn’t be dismissed, because of a few that say it was the right decision for them. Their loss and regret need to be validated so that they know that they are not alone with how they feel.

I would encourage people to be more informed, and to find out more about what supports are out there for post-abortive women and men. Without this, we cannot hope to be truly effective in bringing healing and hope to those who are suffering from this wound.

This display today is for the many women and men who have suffered as a result of an abortion, and for the many lives (both female and male) who have never had the opportunity for life.

Let us not be silent about things that matter.
ENDS