In the July/August 2001 issue of Ramah’s Voice (Volume 2, Number 4), Myfanwy Saunders tells how she began post-abortion ministry inside a prison. After ten years in crisis-pregnancy-center work, she felt her energy fading and wondered whether God might be releasing her to something else.
On February 3, 1998, she watched a Larry King interview with Karla Faye Tucker, who spoke about finding faith in prison. Saunders found herself asking how many women behind bars were hurting after abortion, and whether anyone was offering them help. She later wrote that she even thought God would have to “hand write it on my garage door” before she would do that work.
The next morning, Sydna Massé, then at Focus on the Family, called. An inmate at the Logan Correctional Center in Lincoln, Illinois, had written after hearing a broadcast on post-abortion healing titled “Hush Little Baby,” and asked if someone nearby could visit. Saunders lived about 45 minutes away and said yes.
When she tried to arrange a visit, a staff member invited her agency to speak during Women’s History Month. On March 16, 1998, Saunders and her staff addressed the women at Logan about parenting, abstinence, and the pain that can follow abortion. A hush fell over the room; some left, and many later asked them to come back and help. Their first post-abortion class met at Logan in May 1998 with six women. By the time this issue was published, more than 200 women had gone through the program, which had also grown to include studies on specific loss and sexual abuse.
Saunders compares ministry inside prison with work at a pregnancy center, stresses a respectful relationship with chaplains and staff, and offers practical counsel for anyone who believes God is calling them to prison ministry. The same issue also includes “Taming Dove,” a short reflection on grace, and Ramah’s Resource Corner describing pro-life training seminars then offered by Ramah International.
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