"All That is Necessary for the Triumph of Evil...

Is for good men to do nothing." This quote from Edmund Burke appropriately fits the pro-life movement and in particular this internship. There are so many people ignorant of the truth behind abortion. Many people pass the procedure off as a "necessary evil" but my experience with this internship has told me different. The demographic we're working with shot down my mentality that abortion is always a selfish choice. For the most part, we're not dealing with rich girls who want to get rid of a so called "accident." The girls that come in to our centers or to the abortion mills truly have a problem on their hands. Most of these girls are teenagers, they usually do not have a steady source of income, the relationship status with the father is questionable, yet despite all this, these girls are looking for a genuine source of help. Simply talking to the girls outside the abortion mill or in our center has shown me that these mothers have little education on what they're wanting to do. For example: One couple came in to our center wanting to take a pregnancy test. The girl had taken two by herself and she wanted a definite yes from our center. After she took the test we showed an abortion procedure video to the couple. She then told us that she came in knowing she was going to get an abortion if she was pregnant but after the video, her boyfriend began crying and said, "She's not getting an abortion." I remember being taken back by his comment because as he came in, I heard him mumble profanities under his breath. At the time I thought it was because he wanted her to have the abortion. Seeing him crying after a non-graphic video which explained the procedure and possible complications, I knew the comment made when he walked in was because he didn't with his girlfriend going through with an abortion.

Of course not every girl that we come into contact with makes this same decision. However, I believe our presence is enough to nudge a girls heart to really think about the decision she's going to make. After all, if we didn't think this was wrong, why would we be out there?

- Travis

This is only the first of many posts to come. Other interns will be posting their stories, pictures, experiences, etc. as time goes on. I hope you'll be inspired by the things we share. Pax Christi