Report from Georgette Forney

I just got off the phone with Georgette Forney of Silent No More as she heads back to Pittsburgh.

Georgette said that her main feeling about the event is how moved she was by the sense of sisterhood, camaraderie, and joy in sharing and making a difference. She's well aware of the commitment and sacrifices made by many women to drive or fly, to make sure they can be part of this work.

Hollywood producer Jonathan Flora was one of the men who gave a testimony.

Georgette said that the testimony that probably stood out the most in her mind, and for everyone else, was from a 20-year-old. This young woman had an abortion when she was 13. It was a late-term abortion, insisted on by her parents, and it was in Kansas at the infamous Tiller clinic. The procedure took five days and concluded as she stood over a toilet with clinic personnel telling her to push. She did, and I'll stop there. Although, of course, her memories and impressions do not stop there, and never will.

Georgette said that the young woman spoke with dignified eloquence about how this left her feeling empty and overwhelmed. "She felt compelled to speak out, and she did so with a sweet spirit, courage and serenity. She simply told us what had happened, said that apart from her work in an abortion recovery group she had never before shared the story, and ended by saying that she will be silent no more."

Finally, Georgette said that as always, she was "totally blown away" by the courage of the women who share.

Me, too.