Before going through childbirth, many women will seek out a midwife or a doula and utilize them as a companion during the life-changing, life-affirming experience of ushering a new baby into the world.

These women (and a few – though rarely – men) provide physical care and emotional support during the strenuous, exhausting hours of labor. Truly, their role in helping a woman deliver a child is a beautiful thing.

Now, however, there is a growing push for doulas who do just the opposite. Yes, there is such a thing as an “abortion doula.” Instead of helping a woman joyously experience the birth of her child, these doulas exist for one reason alone: to make murder more palpable.

A recent feature in the Style section of The Washington Post paints a glowing image of abortion doulas as selfless caregivers while they hold the hands of women as the unborn lives within their wombs are violently vacuumed out.

A doula, traditionally, was trained to support a pregnant woman through her delivery, explained a facilitator from a group called D.C. Doulas for Choice. Traditional doulas weren’t medical professionals, but they could hold hands, offer distraction, supply heating pads.

D.C. Doulas for Choice, a volunteer-based collective, believed pregnant women needed equal support if they decided not to become mothers at all, the facilitator explained. And so, if the aspiring doulas in this room made it through training, and apprenticed through a series of shadow shifts, then this is what they were signing up for: To be in a surgical room with a woman through one of the most intimate emotional experiences of her life; to hold her hand while she has an abortion.

“We’re going to come up with a mission statement,” Lindsey, the facilitator, had said at training. A sentence-long definition of what this class of doulas wanted to represent.

“Nonjudgmental,” someone called out, and Lindsey wrote it on the whiteboard. “Client-centric,” suggested another. Lindsey wrote down everything, adding semi­colons, transforming the suggestions into an unwieldy sentence. “Anything else?” she asked.

From the back of the room, Grace half-raised her hand.

“A doula is water,” she said.

“Explain that?”

“Taking the shape of whatever role is needed,” Grace explained. “Like water.”

From the whiteboard, Lindsey nodded. “If someone getting an abortion calls it a baby, it’s a baby,” Lindsey said. “If she calls it a fetus, it’s a fetus. If she doesn’t say anything, don’t talk about it.”

She turned and wrote on the whiteboard: “A doula is water.”

To these women and their facilitators, nothing is black and white. The truth, only a few inches down from where they’re seated, is dismissed in favor of “but we’re helping these women feel better about their decision!” Nevermind that true help would be to support and promote life for women and their unborn children no matter the circumstances of conception, age of the mother, financial, educational, or relationship situation.

Abortion is never the answer.

But abortion doulas remain silent, proudly telling themselves that they’re providing a compassionate service when really their only role is an accomplice to death.

Ask what patients were planning to have for dinner — they wouldn’t have eaten since the night before. Talk about their kids. Patients who already had kids loved talking about their kids.

The sound of the doctor’s medical vacuum was about as loud as a Dustbuster. There was blood in a tube; the doctor worked fast.

Five minutes with the second patient: Talking about whether there was anything good on Netflix.

Five minutes with the third: Talking about workout regimens, whether it was better to go to the gym every day or let muscles rest.

Five minutes: “I’m so f—ed up about this,” the patient said, rubbing her eye with her fist. “That’s okay, that’s normal,” Tahira said. “I’m so f—ed up,” said the patient again.

Now tell me, why does a doula need to be present at an abortion if it’s not a baby? If it’s just a clump of cells? After all, that’s what we’re told. Those are their rules. And yet, a comforting companion is clearly needed by many women. How could this be?

https://twitter.com/SouthernKeeks/status/935722964108087296

Because despite all the rationalization and justification, these abortionists, nurses, doulas, and women know the truth, if only deep down. Abortion is murder. Abortion ends the life of an unborn child. It is a choice to kill an innocent life all for convenience.

For some abortion doulas, the willful termination – murder! – of a human life can be watered down to mean almost nothing.

“Death can exist without it being murder,” a doula replied, explaining how she could agree with the “life ending” statement but still believe in abortion. “I can love animals and still eat meat. I can do this kind of work because of these gray areas.”

We’re on the same playing field as pets and chickens?! A growing, vibrant human life whose heart was stopped while in utero is given no more thought than the cow who supplies a hamburger patty. And with that, you can see how easily abortion doulas can work through these moments.

Because before birth, human life just does not matter.

That’s why Planned Parenthood abortionists can end 328,348 unborn lives in the past year, according to their most recent annual report, and it is viewed as a good thing. Just one more aspect of women’s reproductive health. Just another simple procedure.

I guess I should be glad that this death industry is starting to look at abortion as something traumatic for the women. So often, the pro-abort/pro-choice movement will contend that abortion is so routine – like a trip to the dentist – that women aren’t affected.

But as we already know, and as we can see in this article, that is simply not true.

Along with anger and frustration, there is extreme sadness. The lies being told to these women, and believed by many themselves, is forgotten as a stranger lovingly clasps their hand and eases their fears while an abortionist works to rid them of an unwanted life. Women and children deserve much, much better than the treatment either of them is receiving among the reproductive health set.

If you want to see what a growing attempt at normalization looks like, this is it. Speaking of abortion doulas as a “ministry” of compassion. Stating that women need help, but never admitting it’s because they know their unborn child has been murdered.

By recognizing only one half of the human toll from each abortion, these doulas, and the abortion industry itself can continue on with zero regrets.

And with that, the voiceless innocents are forgotten and the list of dead grows longer.