Denver Catholic

23 DENVER CATHOLIC | AUGUST 8-21, 2015 Abby Johnson received this anonymous letter from a member of her organi- zation, and passed it along to Denver Catholic. Johnson runs And Then There Were None, a group dedicated to helping employees of the abortion industry fi nd new jobs. You can learn more at attwn. org. " Three years ago I was the hap- piest guy on earth. I had a great job paying over $100K a year, an amazing wife, and a beautiful step son. I learned that it only takes a few things to bring everything crashing down. It started in May of 2012, when the President of my company notifi ed us that the business was closing for good eŒ ective the 1st of June. I had two weeks to fi nd another job. I immediately started combing the job sites, contacting friends, and doing an emergency search for jobs. The prob- lem was that our company wasn't the only one hurting. After a few weeks, and zero interviews, I was getting worried. My wife and I played poker nearly every day, quite successfully, and used the winnings to keep us afl oat. This went on for over six months. Then I saw an advertisement for a Director of Security position. It was an absolute perfect fi t for my skill set. Lots of security reviews of facilities, per- sonnel protection of company leaders, alarm systems, and best of all, training of employees. It was as if the position description had been written utilizing my resumé as the format. The only problem? It was with Planned Parent- hood of the Rocky Mountains. As a former military member, and lifelong conservative, that did present a slight problem. However I justifi ed my inter- est with the simple thought that my job wasn't going to be doing abortions. My job was to protect the employees. I mean, everyone deserves a safe work place, right? And what they were doing was 100% legal, right? So I applied, and as anticipated, they thought I was as perfect of a fi t as I did. I even explained to them that although I didn't personally like abortion, I cer- tainly felt that people should not be in danger simply because they did. And that's where the happiness ended.°Over the next year, I suŒ ered from extreme depression, my wife and amazing step son moved out, I drank way too much, my weight ballooned, and overall my life went straight down the toilet. I spent day in and day out watching young women come in to the facilities with a hesitant smile, and leave in the afternoon in tears. Protestors stood outside our facilities screaming some of the vilest things I have ever heard, all in the name of their Lord. Workers for the company would sit inside and make some of the worst jokes you've ever heard about abortions, birth control, and everything else asso- ciated with the organization and the women who were their patients. I started out like every other employee, parroting the "we're a wom- en's health organization". Turns out, Planned Parenthood is an abortion facil- ity. Sure, they do many other things, on a small level, but abortion is focus #1, every day, all day. So I decided I had to get out. Now, please don't get me wrong. I needed to get away from the protestors every bit as much as I needed to get away from the organization. We had some of the worst protestors in the country at the Denver main o£ ce. They screamed at my 5 year old step son.°They followed my wife when she was driving. Sure, I met some protestors that were wonderful. The Catholics are fantastic. A nun pulled me aside one time and simply prayed for me. And I'm not Cath- olic. But it was a wonderful prayer, and I thought she actually cared about me. So there I was at a crossroads. I didn't like where I worked, and I didn't like those that protested where I worked. I had talked to friends, neighbors, and someone suggested I contact Abby John- son•from And Then There Were None;°an organization devoted to helping people quit Planned Parenthood and fi nd jobs elsewhere. Abby hooked me up with a corporate headhunter who rewrote my resume, and helped me with job interview skills. The headhunter even logged into my Linke- dIn page and turned it into something usable. Abby's organization provide me money to tide me and my family over during the transition and asked for noth- ing in return. She simply was there with a "what can I do for you" attitude. Now, I have to tell you, in my time working for Planned Parenthood, I had done lots of investigations on Abby Johnson. We were on her mailing lists. We knew where she was, and ensured we had someone in her audience whenever she visited Colorado. I was told her book (Unplanned) was a lie, and she was evil. Turns out, everything I'd been told about her was a lie. The leadership of Planned Parenthood didn't dislike her…. they were afraid of her….because she was willing to tell the truth about things the people at Planned Parenthood hide. And believe me, they do hide things. So, with the help of all these people, who have still asked for nothing more from me after all they did for me, I left. I've never looked back. I don't miss it for a second. If I have any advice upon leaving, I would give it to the following: • If you work for Planned Parenthood, all I ask is that you truly pay attention to what you're being told, and try and see the lies as well as the truth. • If you're a protestor outside the facili- ties, and you yell, scream, blow horns, and blare from megaphones….you are doing NOTHING to further the cause of eliminating abortion. Your actions hurt the cause. Most every pregnant woman who turns away when you get in their face returns when you're not there. They go to the back gate where we would sneak them in. They come in before you get there. But you don't stop them. • If you're one of the peaceful protestors, keep doing the good work. Abortion will not be ended with hatred and screaming. The only thing that ever changes someone's heart is love. • Read Abby's book, Unplanned. I was told not to read it, because it was full of false information. What I found was that I never saw one word in the book that didn't turn out to be 100% true. And from a personal perspec- tive, Abby and her organization saved my life. She saved my marriage. She saved my future." Planned Parenthood of the Rocky Mountains: An ex-employee's perspective and lifelong saved my future."

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