Katy Flood
By Suzanne O'Keeffe
CBN.com –MEET KATY
Katy has a deep passion for women who have had abortions and is dedicated to helping them to be free from their past, and loosen the burdens of shame and guilt. Offering a Bible study that teaches women who they really are in Christ, and the truth about the way the Lord really sees and loves them is one of the avenues she uses to see these broken women restored. Katy is quoted saying, "You have to know the truth of who you are before you can share the truth of who they are." Once they can receive this revelation, then they too are equipped to offer help and hope to others.
PAST IDENTIFICATION
During Katy's college years, while a believer, she made some regrettable choices. She described herself as being backslidden in her behavior and found herself pregnant. She had dated her boyfriend for a year but said that the relationship was not a good one, she would not have married him and he was not for adoption. Katy did not want to let friends and youth group back home know she was sexually active and she wanted to finish college. The only way she could see out of the immediate situation was to have an abortion.
During the summer of that year Katy re-dedicated her life to Christ and as she said, "By God's grace, I was led to a renewed and restored relationship with Jesus Christ." Upon graduation from college she volunteered at a pregnancy resource center. Katy said, "I felt like I could give something back.. I do not believe I revealed that I had an abortion. I struggled to help women facing the choice of abortion because I was still so broken." Katy said that she thought she could just sweep her abortion under the rug and move on with life with no lasting affects, but she could not have been more wrong. Observing a dynamic relationship with God that a friend had, she began to desire to have one of her own, but the hidden abortion kept her at bay. Her own past hindered her ability to help other broken women as well. She attended a post abortive Bible study thinking she would be taking notes so she could lead a study herself never thinking the healing was for her. Unveiling her hidden act, confessing it, opened the door for total healing and her life of ministry focused on freeing and empowering others was set in motion.
Women you know from work, social activities, see in the grocery store and yes even church-to look at them they seem "normal" but many of them are walking around with a deep shameful and condemning secret. They all have had abortions. Katy explained that many women, who choose abortion, are caught in a pregnancy they don't want and think in a self-preservation mode. Abortion is the only answer to a quick way out of their situation. Fear, shame, guilt, not wanting to deal with the issues that will be difficult, some having the thoughts that they have a plan for life and pregnancy is not part of it- all these factor into a woman's decision to have an abortion. Afterwards, women hide what they have done and what they are feeling. Katy cited an 80 year old woman who doctors could not figure out what was ailing her. It came out that 50 years earlier she had an abortion and could never, after all those years, get it out of her head. During a time of counseling, Katy said as she shared her secret there was a release of pain and anguish. She had picked her fingers until they bled but after receiving Jesus as her Savior and His healing, she stopped. Letting her guard down, exposing the dark lie with the light of Truth, brought freedom and healing to an 80 year old woman, and it proves God's grace and mercy covers all time and space!
EFFECTS
Some of the effects of hiding an abortion can be short and long term. On a short term basis, it can be simply hearing the word "abortion" that sends women into a tailspin. Perhaps it is seeing a baby on TV or the topic of abortion which triggers switching the channel immediately. Some women suffer from depression while others may try and replace the life taken by having another child to compensate for the loss. Bottom line is the effects are emotional and physical and far reaching. Some women turn to alcohol, meds and sexual promiscuity to numb the pain and bury the memory. Katy shared that in abortion clinics, after the procedure, while sitting in the waiting room; they offer the birth control pill for free. It is a very vulnerable time for the woman as she is feeling worthless and abandoned; afterwards she can easily plunge into a life of being indiscriminately active sexually.
HELP TO ALL
Katy leads a Bible study called Surrender the Secret by Lifeway. She incorporates the grief cycle based on Elizabeth Kubler Ross' stages of grief. As she described it, they first look back to the time of the abortion helping them figure out who they were, where were they at that stage of their life (their thinking that led to the abortion), where was God, and how do all those pieces fit together. They figuratively lay the experience on the table, and then piece by piece pick up each section, feel the experience, and figure out why they chose it.
Next Katy begins to explain the truth to them; that they were lied to by doctors, advisors, the clinic and even well-meaning friends/family. Some were told it was a simple procedure and that no pain would be involved for them or "the fetus." That proved to be false. Katy noted that abortion clinics will not use the words child or baby, they refer to the life as "the fetus." The effort is to sterilize any emotions that could be involved.
Anger is the next issue addressed. Maybe they are angry at themselves, a boyfriend, their mom and dad-whoever encouraged and supported the abortion. The suppressed anger has built up over time and becomes a roadblock to healing. To get rid of the anger but without the "pointing of the finger", Katy has the women write letters to those they are angry with but they don't mail them. The letters are destroyed.
After addressing anger, forgiveness is introduced which a must for each and every person involved in the decision making as well as the abortion itself. This includes the doctor and nurses, professional counselors, advocates who influenced them, including anyone who hurt them. Facing into the lies they have been told and believed, they write them all down on index cards. This leads to the "great exchange." They exchange the cards of grief for the joy of gladness, all based on Isaiah 61:3 "...those who grieve, a crown of beauty instead of ashes, the oil of gladness instead of mourning, and a garment of praise instead of a spirit of despair...."
The interview closed with Katy saying it is an 8 week study of hard work but there is a light at the end of the tunnel. These women come in broken and lacking self-worth. They leave with their identity being found in Christ, knowing that God sees them as lovely, and allowing God to make them beautiful. Gone are the chains they have been dragging around with fear and scars written all over their bodies. Instead of continuing to run from God, they now move forward in Him and no longer are they "stuck." God's mercy, love, and freedom have changed them and set them on the highway to holiness where the enemy dare not tread.