Outside the Clinic

I once thought that counseling outside a clinic was a mean thing to do, that hounding the women only lead to greater levels of depression and suicidally, that these women were already grief stricken and that it simply added to their pain. Then I started doing it.
The women we help don't want abortions, they are struggling with economic hardship and poverty, and they simply want help. This is the foundation by which the prolife movement is based upon, love is our cornerstone and hounding the girls is not part of the program.
Take "Amanda" for example this is not her real name however she wanted an abortion, until she heard their was help. Amanda lived in poverty, had an abusive boyfriend and had 4 children. She was raped with her first child and still braved the pregnancy and gave birth, and followed up by having several more children. We spoke outside of Dr Emily's (the abortion clinic here in the S. Bronx) and gently I told her about the programs we had available, she looked unconvinced. Then I suggested a free sonogram. She looked at the van and then broke down, she admitted she couldn't kill this life any more than she could any of her others and she stepped into our van for a sonogram. A life saved thanks to modern day technology and somebody who cared enough to say hi and listen.