In 1981, Karen Ellison had an abortion. She was 22 years old and in college, but her family pushed her to have the procedure in order to hide her pregnancy from others. After feeling shame for years, Karen sought out God's forgiveness and confessed her abortion to a woman at church. “The Lord being the Lord would not let me stay in my cave and shame,” she said. “He just pursued me in all kinds of different ways. He brought me out of the dark place and it was just a whole healing process He began.”
She started to lead bible studies for women who were clients or volunteers at abortion clinics. Eventually, that led to the inception of a retreat called Deeper Still. Deeper Still now hosts three retreats each year in Knoxville, Tennessee. Attendees at these retreats share their stories, break down problems in their lives that might have caused them to choose abortion, and seek repentance.
Ellison has also written a book entitled Healing the Hurt that Won’t Heal: Freedom for the Abortion Wounded and Help for the Church They Fear. Click here for more about Karen's story.
