The following testimony was given by myself during the "Silent No More Awareness Campaign" which is part of the "March For Life" that is held annually , on Parliament Hill in Ottawa. This particular testimony was delivered to several thousand people on May 12th/05. My name is Dale Barr and I'm from Cornwall, Ontario.  I'm here today to tell my story about my abortion experience.  I was 16 when I became pregnant and I remember the night I told my mother and how upset we were.  Soon after that my parents and I met with a panel of doctors called a “therapeutic abortion committee” and it was decided that the abortion would be the best solution.  I have a lot of amnesia when it comes to remembering details of my abortion experience.  My next memory , aside from the evening that I told my parents is the day of the abortion.  I remember the shame and guilt I felt as I lay on a stretcher in the hospital hall and overheard the nurses talking about my situation.  Then I remember waking up in my room after it was finished to find my Dad sitting beside my bed.  I was grateful for his presence but I was heartbroken that my Mom could not be there.  I returned home that day and we pretended like it never happened.  For the next 9 years I abandoned the Lord and engaged in a lot of destructive behaviour which is typical of post-abortive women.  I drank, smoked, did drugs and lived a very promiscuous lifestyle.  It wasn't until I was married at 25 and attempted to start a family that the deeply repressed feelings/emotions surrounding my abortion started to resurface. I miscarried 3 times in the first couple of years of my marriage which I believe was a direct result of having the abortion.  At that time I believed I was being punished by God and I feared not being able to have children but I know now that God is not a punishing God but a merciful and forgiving God.  After miscarrying a fourth time I'm happy to tell you that my husband and I have been blessed with 4 beautiful children (Thanks be to God).  They are all very supportive of my coming here today to speak the truth about what abortion really does to women  God has placed some very special people in my life over the past 16 years who have been instrumental in leading me back to Christ.  It took a very long time for me to feel totally forgiven but I do remember the exact moment that I felt my heavenly Father's embrace and experienced his mercy and forgiveness.  It was at a "Lift Jesus Higher" rally in Toronto in March of 1999.  I had just returned to my seat after being prayed over by the prayer ministry team at the conference.  I was sitting quietly with my eyes closed when I heard one of the leaders of the conference say over the microphone: "I just have a sense that a young person here may have had a teen-age pregnancy-aborted and that God is healing you.  He wants to lift that burden from you and he loves you totally-totally-he is just bringing you into his wholeness and just loving you into wholeness." I remember thinking to myself that out of some 7,000 people who were in attendance he's speaking to me.  My God is speaking directly to me.  I will never forget that moment- knowing that God touched me that day.  Since then God has led me into post-abortion ministry where I hope to bring the message to those who have been wounded by abortion that there is hope, there is healing and there is forgiveness.  Thank you for reading my testimony and may God bless you abundantly. Sincerely , Dale Barr And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God , to those who are called according to His purpose.   Romans 8:28