It was nearly a year ago that Missy Reigel stood in front of hundreds of people at Crestwood Baptist Church and shared her deeply personal testimony.

"On Thursday, Sept. 19, 1996, I had an abortion," she told the Kentucky congregation.

Reigel shared about how she struggled to put God first in her life as a teenager and in college but got caught up in a life of drugs and alcohol, becoming a "slave to my sin."

She recalled getting pregnant during a one-night stand, wanting to keep the baby, but instead becoming convinced by the child's father and her friends that she was "too messed up to have a baby."

Reigel described the abortion as the "worst thing I have ever gone through in my life." She said the pain was excruciating, feeling "as though my very soul was being ripped out of me."

Today, Reigel, 34, uses her story to help other women who have experienced abortions confront their own demons, accept God's grace and forgiveness -- and ultimately, heal.[..]

Abortion is "like the secret sin. It's like the scarlet letter 'A'," Reigel said. "People are afraid to mention it -- especially in the church."

Judge James Russell barred the initiative, saying it violated the one-subject rule, even though the amendment only employed 14 words: "In the great state of Nevada, the term 'person' applies to every human being."

Personhood Nevada president Dr. Olaf Vancura argues that the amendment only deals with one subject: life. He believes the ruling based off Russell's speculation that voters are not "adequately" informed on the issue violates the rights of the public.

"The legal standard for what is considered at various phases of this process is one where the people bring an initiative forward," Vancura explains. "Every effort must be made to allow the initiative to proceed because this is an issue of fundamental, First Amendment. U.S. constitutional rights," one right in particular declaring that "nothing shall abridge the people's right to petition."

"We're very disappointed and we're very saddened, but we will appeal this to the Nevada Supreme Court," the Personhood Nevada president states.

Vancura is hopeful the court will put the case on a fast track, which would likely mean a hearing in February. He is cautiously optimistic of a favorable ruling. If that is the case, 97,000 signatures must be obtained to place the pro-life proposal on the ballot.

A judge Thursday ordered a Southern California obstetrician-gynecologist to immediately stop performing abortions and delivering babies until a formal disciplinary hearing can be held about the death of one of his patients during an abortion.

Administrative Law Judge James Ahler stopped short of granting a request by attorneys for the Medical Board of California to immediately suspend the license of Dr. Andrew Rutland, opting to temporarily limit his practice instead.

Deputy Atty. Gen. Douglas Lee, at a hearing in San Diego, had argued that Rutland "committed repeated negligent acts in his care and treatment" of a 30-year-old woman who came to a clinic in San Gabriel in August seeking an abortion.

The patient, Ying Chen, had a toxic reaction to a drug administered by Rutland, Lee said, and the doctor did not have the proper equipment or personnel in case of an emergency. In a written decision, Ahler said that Rutland's willingness to perform a second-trimester abortion in a facility inadequately equipped for emergencies "casts doubt on his professional judgment."

The judge said Rutland "presents a risk of danger and there is a likelihood of injury to the public" if he is allowed to continue deliveries or surgeries. He discounted the doctor's contention that he was not actually performing an abortion but merely preparing the patient for such a procedure in several days at a different facility. Ahler said that was contradicted by the doctor's earlier statements to a law enforcement investigator and a Medical Board consultant.

At the time of the death, Rutland was on five years' administrative probation stemming from another case in which he surrendered his license amid an investigation into the death of two infants shortly after delivery, according to state records. His license was later reinstated.

Zachary Littleton, a 25-year-old petty officer third class is accused of killing Samira Watkins, also 25, because she refused his request to get an abortion.

The case has a similar ring to it as it reminds officials of the killing death of Laci Peterson and her unborn child Conner.

Littleton has been indicted on a first-degree premeditated murder charge.

According to the Pensacola News-Journal, Watkins was last seen alive by her family on October 25 when she left her grandmother's home. Officials say they believe Watkins went to see Littleton, who then took her life.

Littleton is married and has another child but was reportedly having an affair with Watkins, whom he got pregnant. Wanting to keep the pregnancy a secret, Littleton asked Watkins to get an abortion, but she refused.

The newspaper indicates Watkins' body was discovered by two men riding a personal watercraft in Bayou Grande on November 3. They found her body washed ashore in luggage near a scenic overlook. The paper did not indicate how far along in pregnancy Watkins' baby was at the time of their death.