Beyond the Centers

After a long day of consulting multiple women and giving them hope at the Brooklyn EMC Pregnancy Center, a woman with her three sons and sister walked in. She looked desperate and asked for Linda. Linda, busily sanitizing the center, yelled who it was. The women yelled back, “It’s Elizabeth!” Linda’s eyes instantly lit up, and she said,“Oh, Elizabeth! How are you?” Elizabeth then proceeded to tell us that her landlord was forcing her and her family to move out of the apartment within the month because the landlord had illegally sanctioned out the home and needed time to fix it before the authorities found out. Elizabeth had already applied for a new apartment, but she needed more time to be accepted for it and move out of her current home. She pleaded with her landlord that she needed at least three months, but she refused.

Linda instantly closed the clinic momentarily, and she, another intern named Gonzalo, and I headed with Elizabeth to the Brooklyn Courthouse to support. Her sons were so precious. The oldest was actually supposed to be aborted ten years ago, but then Elizabeth met Linda. Despite being a single mother and having a disability, she has never regretted her decision and seemed to immensely love all her children. Once at the courthouse, Elizabeth went up to the judge to plead her case while we watched her children. The judge listened intently and considered her case. Elizabeth was ordered to send Proof of Certification to her landlord as well as the court clerk. After leaving the courthouse, Elizabeth and Gonzalo immediately headed towards the post office to send the certificates, while her kids and I went to go get lunch. Looking at their bright happy faces, I got an even better understanding of what the Pro-Life cause is about. It is more than being against abortion. It’s about respecting all forms and aspects of life. Helping a woman doesn’t end at getting her to keep her baby. It’s about helping anyone at any point in their lives.