This is no doubt a controversial book, but an interesting and sincere memoir. Regardless of your viewpoint in the abortion debate, this book is required reading to see both sides of the issue. Abby Johnson is raised in a pro-life family, but does not really internalize these values. She goes off the rails sexually in college, partying and doing poorly academically, rudderless. By junior year, when career choices need to be made, she is easily persuaded by Planned Parenthood's talking points. Abby knows she wants to help women in crisis, having always felt inclined toward helping those in need of assistance. Going through one surgical abortion and one prescription abortion, she feels this safety net should be available to all women.

Abby rises within Planned Parenthood in eight short years, becoming director of a clinic. She is clearly a talented, passionate counselor and manager. Problems start to arise when her values and those of Planned Parenthood start to diverge. Abby wants to reduce the number of abortions, seeing the procedure as a failure of the organization's efforts to educate women in being proactive in their contraceptive choices and use. Her management urges her to double the number of abortions, as that is the money maker for the organization. Paying the bills is not Abby's priority; educating and assisting women in reproductive health choices is.

The deal breaker comes when she is asked to assist during an ultrasound-guided abortion. Another hand is needed by the doctor and nurse, a hand to hold the ultrasound wand in place during the procedure. Abby is forced to confront face to face the reality of abortion, watching the baby torn to bits and extracted from the patient's womb. Witnessing the atrocity that she has allowed herself to mask in denial to herself and the patients, she can no longer be a part of this. It is the beginning of her journey to "the other side of the fence", to join the pro-life movement.

Abby must confront the reality of abortion, the reality of her personal choices, and to admit her inconsistency of values and behavior. All attempts to suppress these inconsistencies are stripped away, as she begins the path to personal integrity. Her courage is met and supported by the prayerful resistance she has encountered on the fence line, members of Coalition for Life. These volunteers have prayed and peacefully supported her for eight years, offering kindness and any help she may need to see the truth and change her life. They provide emotional, legal, and spiritual support, with no pressure, meeting her where she is in her journey.

Johnson and her husband started a nonprofit organization, And Then There Were None, which helps workers in the abortion industry make the transition out of that work, offering financial, legal, psychological and spiritual assistance. She is well-positioned to offer that help, knowing well the challenges personally. I have not yet seen the movie based on this book, but I have watched one of Johnson's talks on YouTube. Her conversion story is a testimony to the power of prayer. I highly recommend this memoir, regardless of your political position.