Chris and Maita's Miracle

Chris and Maita are a young hispanic couple, 17 and 16 years old, who came to Dr. Emily's Abortion clinic, (the largest abortion clinic in the South Bronx) early last week. I talked to them in the front of the clinic just briefly, I was able to get out my normal spiel that this was going to be bad and painful for them and that we had help to get them out of this situation. I could tell that they didn't want to go through with an abortion, but like most people their age they felt like they had no choice.

Later in the day, they ended up coming out the back of the abortion clinic because they were having second thoughts about it. They talked to Joanie, (another intern and sidewalk counselor) but again after their conversation they decided to go back in. The boyfriend, Chris, we found out didn't want her to do the abortion at all. After she had gone back in, he had tried to get her out and take her home. When he got to the front desk, however, the Dr. Emily's staff told him that she was inside getting the abortion and there was nothing they could do to interupt. He was despondent, broken down, freaking out, and puffing away at cigarettes with one of his girlfriend's friends in the back of the clinic.

Normally I have giveaway rosaries for boyfriends or whoever may need one, but I was fresh out. I called over to him and offered him my personal rosary and said "Listen man, cigarettes arent going to get her out of there at this point, only God can. You need to pray." He and his friend were visibly moved. He didnt want to take my rosary, he wanted me to pray for him, and I compromised by saying that we could pray together. He helped me say the intention at the beginning, and the closing prayer after we said a decade of the rosary.

After we finished the prayer, I said to him that it was most likely that the abortion will happen, it was getting late in the day and once a girl goes in they rarely come out with the baby. So I told them that they especially have to pray for each other, both for their souls and for reconciliation. But I also told him to not rule out a miracle, and that I had seen crazy things happen there.

Literally 5 seconds after I said that, Maita walks out the back door. "I didnt do it" she mouths to him. He runs over to her, gives her the biggest hug I've ever seen, they start crying in each other's arms. He looks up to heaven and says "It worked! She didn't do it! She didn't do it!" Their friend looks at me and says quietly, "Thank you. From someone who doesn't believe, thank you."

I absolutely couldn't believe what I witnessed, it was no doubt a miracle. I gave them all the pregnancy help material I had and gave them my personal number. I hope to hear from them soon. Personal lesson: Prayer works and always needs to be a part of the work that we do.