Monday, May 31, 2010

PRECIOUS LIFE, DELICATE BEGINNINGS



"Life is Precious, Life is Sacred; Preserve it' the Prolifers would say. Yes, life is both precious and sacred. But this fact is yet to be accepted and confessed by many. Prolifers all over the world have a wonderful apostolate, namely to preserve and secure the most vulnerable of human life: the life of the pre-born. It hurts to know that the recipients of these precious gifts(the most precious of God's gifts to mankind) hate these gifts to the point of death. It hurts to know that these recipients are being confused by those who think the human embryo is not human until birth. It hurts to know that the abortionists make huge profits from the sale of the embryo which they deny its humanity. I wish the parents of aborted babies would come to realise this.

Abortion promotes promiscuity, and the rate at which young, single New York girls become pregnant is a handy evidence. If so many of them would want to have their babies and come in for counseling at the EMC centres, how much more aborted theirs? How much more used contraceptives, and never got pregnant? How much more never had any reason to prevent pregnancy or to abort it? This is really alarming. Everyone should answer the clarion call of the Prolifers at EMC Frontline Pregnancy Centers, New York and Prolifers all over the world: Let us join hands to end this dirty evil of baby-milling.

Perseverance Against Great Odds


“A little girl was walking along a beach upon which thousands of starfish had been washed up on during a terrible storm. When she came to a starfish she would pick it up and throw it back into the ocean. She had been doing this for a long time when a man approached her and said, “Why are you doing this? Look at the beach, you couldn’t possibly save all these starfish. You can’t even begin to make a difference.” The little girl thought about it for a moment then bent down, picked up another starfish, and threw it into the ocean as far as she could. Then she looked up at the man and said, “Well, I made a difference to that one.” The man looked down at her, thinking about what she had just said, and began helping the little girl throw the starfish back into the ocean. Soon, many others on the beach joined in and all the starfish were returned to the ocean.” – an adaptation from the Star Thrower by Loren C. Eiseley

Working on the front lines of the pro-life movement can be defeating sometimes. At the end of the day it’s hard to hear the other interns say they had seven or eight women change their mind on abortion while I only witnessed two or three. It makes you wonder what could I have done differently or who could I have reached out a little farther to? Sometimes, it’s easy to forget that the glass is half full instead of looking at it half empty. But like the little girl persevering against great odds to save the starfish we, the EMC interns, persevere against great odds to stop a culture of death. Everyday, we fight to save the lives of innocent children who, before us, would not have had a future. Every time we shed light on the lies abortion tells us we make a difference.

Happy Mom in Queens


One day last week Carmen and I had a happy surprise in Queens. One of Carmen's clients came in just to say hello. This mom came into Carmen's center a couple of months ago wanting to have an abortion. Today, she is 4 months pregnant and happy as can be. She is graduating from high school this month and excited about starting college in the fall. Looking at this young mother, I would have never guessed she ever had wanted to destroy the life inside her. Her eyes shone with love when she talked about her baby. During my first week of work, this mom filled me with joy. Women like her are the reason I am here. I am here to help a girl's sorrow and fear turn to hope and joy. What a great job to have!

Thursday, May 27, 2010



EMC Frontline Pregnancy Centre is doing a wonderful, philanthropic job in New York City. In Nigeria, the Project for Human Development (PHD) upholds the virtue of abstinence from sex before marriage and fidelity in marriage. But EMC goes far beyond that. My internship training programme here will broaden my knowledge and expertise in the issue of helping young, expectant mothers who are in need of love, emotional (and otherwise) support and the knowledge of the truth about human sexuality. I've worked for few days at the Brooklyn centre, and have already learned a lot. Young, pregnant girls in the age range of 15-21 years are afraid to keep their babies because of their education, family economic status and the shame of being a young single mother. But EMC is putting a smile on their faces as many of them who opted for abortion later decided to have their babies. The centre does not do this by brainwashing them but by telling them the truth and the dangers (to the woman's own person) of abortion. The scope of PHD will widen by the time I go back to Nigeria with so much knowledge and experience.

Breakout Breakthrough

I have been with the EMC Preganacy centers for the 4th time since I started and it was a successful day that I could feel good about. My other visits included two or three girls with myself having little or nothing to do with the process of caring for these women. This day was different but it started with a hard case. The girl was seventeen with a friend and had come in early before her appointed time. Us interns weren't sure what to do so we had her fill out a form and took her to a room to talk. Through conversation we found out that she didn't want to dissapoint her mother who had already been apart of early pregancies nor did she want to get side tracked from going to college to be a forensic scientist. Once she figured out that we didn't want her to have an abortion she really shut us out. I didn't know what to do with her so we let her go watch a video. Later, Linda would show up and talk to a group of couples other cases of people altogehter including this girl. She spoke very powerfully and got through to everyone. This particular girl was still aprehensive even during and after the sonogram, which is when many open up. Linda had to have another one-on-one talk with her before you could see a bubbling and promising seventeen year old again. This example goes to show that despite tough exteriors that all these girls just need to be shown that they are loved, know we can help them, and we can still see the world the same way, for what it is, not what we figure.

Beautiful Beginning to an Incredible Summer

2 weeks ago I found myself driving to Orlando, FL for the Heartbeat International conference. I headed to spend a week with people I'd never met before and would be spending the next 3 months with. I have to tell you, I was a little bit nervous. My fears were soon cast aside, however, as I met some truly incredible people. There are few things I love more than meeting people who share my passion for the pro-life cause.

In addition to meeting EMC employees and fellow interns, I also met countless men and women who have dedicated their lives to serving others. The conference was mostly attended by executive directors and board members of pregnancy resource centers around the country and the world. It was a week of thanksgiving to God for calling us to this ministry and a chance for us to learn from each other.

During the sessions I attended, I received tips on effective fundraising techniques, learned good public relations strategies, and heard how to share the joy of sexual purity with young women. I learned so much during this conference, and it was a great way to start the internship. Being able to relax a bit and get to know some of my fellow interns and EMC employees before heading to New York was perfect.

Forgiveness


My first day on the job found me in front of Dr. Emily's. I was so nervous and had no idea what i was going to say to change anyone's mind.
The first person that anyone counseled that day was a man, lets call him Tony. Julie was doing the talking and i just stood back and observed sadly as he told his story.
He had brought his best friend here to be supportive, but, had tried to talk her out of an abortion the entire pregnancy. As Julie continued to talk to Tony the realization showed on his face what was happening.
Inside his best friend was waiting in line to have her baby ripped out of her by a so called doctor. She was waiting in line for a procedures who's emotional scar will never fully heal, and he was the one who drove her here.
After taking a brochure he quickly went inside to try to talk her out of it before it was to late.
A few hours later i was in the back and happened to notice him sitting in his car. I walked over to the fence and asked him if he was alright.
He looked at me and said "I tried to talk her out of it." "they are doing it now".
I noticed he had a rosary necklace on as his eyes were filling with tears. I asked him if he wanted to pray with me. He nodded yes, not wanting to break down in front of me.
I started off by asking him to state his intentions. He asked for one very simple thing, for forgiveness. For God to forgive his friend and himself.
As we prayed the The Lords Prayer and a Hail Mary, Tony could not hold back his tears anymore.
As i walked away i knew that God would forgive him. I knew that God will forgive anyone, no matter how grievous their sin, as long a you truly ask for.
Please pray for Tony's friend, that she will seek and find forgiveness

Inspiration

My first trip to Orlando Florida also marked my first week on the EMC internship. I was very excited to start work and saving babies. The week was extremely full of learning and inspiration. The two days of the conference left full of new knowledge and even more excited to start work.

But, the most inspiration didn't come from the conference. No, it came from a very sad event in the life of a fellow intern and friend.

Jessica is a close friend of intern Kat's family. She has suffered from a debilitating disease called cystic fibrosis for all of her life. She courageously continued her life, graduating from school and becoming a respiratory therapist.

Then she met the love of her life and got married. When she found out she was pregnant, over two years ago, the doctors all advised her to abort. They said that people with her condition rarely get pregnant and when they do, If they survive the pregnancy, they always have a drastically shortened life because of the strain of the pregnancy leaves them weakened.

Jessica made the hardest and bravest decision anyone could have made, she decided to keep her baby and face the dangers.

Sadly, last week she passed away, leaving behind an absolutely beautiful, two year old girl.

In carrying her baby Jessica made an absolutely selfless decision, and in doing so gave her little girl the chance at life. She is the ultimate pro-life woman. She shortened her life so that someone else could have a chance at one.

Every day when i am tired and hot outside the abortion mill, I will think of Jessica's sacrifice, and be happy this is all i have to do for the sake of life.

Wednesday, May 26, 2010

One Love


Something you learn fast here working at EMC is that there is no prototype counselor. There is no “right way” to counsel a woman. Of course, there are things every counselor should know how to do or know not to do. But, each counselor has been blessed by God with his or her own unique way to reach women.
At the Bronx center I watched Liz enact some tough love, and it was successful. I saw Veronica play the role of the encourager and empower her clients. At Dr. Emily’s I witnessed Julie compassionately reaching out to women as they exited the abortion mill. I saw Mary relentlessly trying to reach women and men from her side of the fence.
One characteristic they share, along with the rest of the EMC staff, is love. Love for God. Love for women. Love for babies. Love for families. Love for happy endings.
And, that is why the abortion mills fear us and put up signs like the one next to Mary in this picture. They know how powerful love can be and they try tirelessly to shut it out. But, have they figured out yet just how powerful love can be when it’s one love? One love between dedicated people for God and for life.
As I begin to develop my own counseling style, I feel so blessed to be around such wonderful people to learn from and love with.

Solidarity


On Tuesday I went to the Bronx center on 149th. It was quite the learning experience and I took a lot away from the day. One part of the day that really stuck with me was a conversation I had with Janel, a beautiful volunteer at the center. She is involved with diverse work here in New York: befriending the homeless, helping the women at the Bronx center, and the list goes on. She told me that she loves living in the Bronx because it creates solidarity. She explained how much she loved living amongst the very people she was serving. Janel’s thoughts on living in the Bronx touched me because here at the LifeHouse we’re living in the very neighborhood that our girls come from. Living here truly does create a sense of solidarity. The more I realize where these girls are coming from, the more I’m able to reach out to them.

Digging deeper, living in a house with all the other interns is definitely fruitful. The community we’ve established here at the LifeHouse is essential to our work. The encouragement we receive from one another, the power of our group prayer, the fun of sharing our stories at the end of the day: it’s all so important.
And, the more we share with each other and our neighbors here in the Bronx, the more we can share with the women who walk into our centers and who are outside of Dr. Emily’s. That is the beauty of our home here in the Bronx.

Forbidden, Not Just Hidden



“I remember coming home after the abortion and crying my eyes out. Tears were streaming from my face and staining a white silk coverlet on my bed. I also remember a discharge of white milk coming from both breasts. My feeling was that my entire body was crying…teardrops of milk seeping from my bosoms. I wept for days and thought I could no longer bear the agony…I did not want anyone to come near me.” This is an excerpt from Theresa Burke’s book Forbidden Grief. While the book has brilliant insight supported by research on the aftermath of abortion on a woman, it’s most striking text is the stories of countless women who painfully share abortion grief that they have hidden for years.
During the Heartbeat International conference in Orlando, Florida I was deeply touched by the post-abortive presentations. Numerous times I found myself close to tears as a brave woman stood in front of a crowded room and told her abortion story. Even more compassion began dwelling in my heart for women who have suffered abortions. I always knew that women suffered when they had an abortion, but I never quite understood why many women did not seek help for their grief. At the conference I attended a workshop that explained how our culture forbids women to grieve their loss. Whether it is the boyfriend or parents who refuse to talk about the past abortion, or the society which would never embrace a funeral for an aborted baby so that a mother could find peace, or the grief psychologists who never think to ask a woman if she has had an abortion so that he can help her get to the root of her pain.
The beautiful thing about conferences like this is that it leads to discussion about abortion, and discussion leads to understanding, and understanding leads to compassion. My heart is full of hope for a future where women can openly share their abortion grief and receive the love and help they so desperately need. A future where stories like those in Burke’s book help change the heart and minds of women, men, politicians, and abortion mill staff. A future where stories like those in Burke's book don't exist.

First Day Side Walk Counseling!


We quickly decide that I am to stay in the front of the abortion clinic near the van holding the saving grace sonogram. I am pleased with this spot since I can skip the one liner’s and just say free sonogram for your baby and point in the direction of the van and pray that they see the same gift that I see when I look at an ultrasound. The first couple of girls that I tried to stop to hand them a pamphlet of all the resources that we could offer them, just shunned me away and told me to not give them a speech. I immediately withdrew and felt as if I was very ineffective at saving babies. When I saw how Julie handled the women and how she looked at them with caring and loving eyes, but yet was forceful with them. I realized I needed to be the same way; I simply needed to be honest with these women. I needed to tell them the truth of what was going to happen to their lives after the abortion. Soon after this thought a girl whom looked lost looked up at the sign that reads Dr.Emily’s, and starts to walk in. I quickly run up and say, "hey, can I offer you some information and hand her the pamphlet." I know this is not enough since she will probably throw it away. She says,” yes I am here to terminate my pregnancy.” I told her that we offered free sonograms over there in the white van, and she looked nervous and said oh no I made up my mind. I explained that we are here to help her and she does not have to do this. She told me that she had to because she had no means to care for her child. I told her if our resources were not enough she could always choose adoption and she said, “Why would I do that, when I get rid of it now”. I yelled out at her and said, "because your baby wants to live." She closed it with, “I guess you’re right.” She continued on her way inside the abortion clinic. It broke my heart, and I kept wondering if I should have said something else. I just prayed and prayed that she would walk out the back door and not do it. I still wonder what she decided, and I pray my words burrowed a hole in her mind that day. Although it is not certain what this particular woman decided, there were so many other lives we saved that day. (Seven babies to be precise) If I had room I would tell you about them all. But what everyone should know is when you see an abortion minded woman see her baby on the ultrasound and she starts to cry and says she wants to keep her baby, nothing is more exciting! In just a few months there will be a little baby roaming around New York that would not have been there if we did not stop the young woman from opening those doors.

Women's Choice?

Hello world! I finally arrived in New York City this past Saturday after months of excitement and anticipation. I am so grateful God has chosen me for the mighty work of saving his sweet unborn children.

Yesterday, my first day on the job, was spent at a place that claims to be a women's health clinic. You all have probably heard it reffered to as Dr.Emily's. Dr.Emily "helps" girls decide between a traditional abortion, the abortion pill, and aspiration. Nowhere on her website could I find mention of parenting or adoption. That's why it is so important that we are there. We want these girls to know all their options so that they have a choice. We believe that the truth will set them free. Free to give life to their child. Free to accept the many blessings Jesus is dying to give them through the life that grows inside of them.



With at least 7 babies saved, we had an incredicle day!! Pray that these mothers stay strong to protect their beautiful children. I'd like to share with you the story of one girl in particular.

A couple of us were standing behind Emily's when we noticed a young girl walk out the back door. I'll call her Anna. Anna was standing by the door talking on the phone and clearly upset. We tried to get her attention, but it wasn't long before she hung up and walked back inside. She came in and out a few more times. Each time she was upset. Each time she ignored us. Each time I prayed she would find the courage to leave and never come back. After a couple of hours with no sign of her, all of a sudden we saw her coming around the block being led by a woman who was clearly her mother. She was one angry woman, allright. She marched past us cursing at us the whole time. Among the words I heard her say were:

"I'll take care of her. I'M her mother!"
"It's bad enough as it is, leave her the f*** alone,"
"She has a choice!"

Dan sweetly asked the question,"Is this your choice?" Anna's mother replied, "That's right! It's MY choice!"

*Lightbulb* This wasn't Anna's choice at all. My heart was breaking. The mother walked in. Anna hesitated in the doorway as I couldn't help but call out, "Please don't do this. You don't have to do this." The door closed. We waited and we prayed.

Time passed by and then Anna strode out of Emily's with her mother looking a lot less than happy. Anna walked past us saying, "I didn't do it, I didn't do it!" Her mom followed with angry stares.

Praise the Lord! We couldn't believe it! Anna made her choice, and she chose LIFE!!

Please, please, please keep this young girl in your prayers. She showed such strength that day standing up to her mother, but the next couple of months will be so difficult. Pray that she is able to stay strong. Pray that she does not submit to her mother's wishes. Pray that she does not return to the abortion mill.

In the Master's Hands


I arrived in New York City not knowing what to expect. Frontlines pro life work was very new to me. I admit I was scared. My first day out in the city I watched and listened to the wonderful counselors and their obvious zeal combined with the most Godly compassion gave me peace about this internship and an instant drive to reach beyond myself to touch the women and men who are in contact with EMC.

This past Sunday was Pentecost and I was amazed at how the fire of action at EMC echoes that of the Holy Spirit so long ago. God has blessed EMC with interns from all over the country and the world. He will continue to bless us with words of truth that are bewildering to the culture of death, but inspiring.

At Church, the priest told a story of a little boy at a famous pianist's concert who snuck to the stage and when the lights came up, plinked the simple, pleasant melody of "Twinkle Twinkle Little Star" on the keyboard. His mother was frantic, but the pianist came up next to the boy and told him to keep playing. He placed his fingers on the keyboard next to the boy's and began to play. Then he reached around him with the other hand and played on the lower keys, creating such peaceful and beautiful music.

Some of my first experiences at EMC were not entirely comfortable. Counseling a woman more than twice my age was difficult, and though she decided to keep her baby (praise God!), I felt that I said everything the wrong way. Discussing chastity with a young girl was less difficult, but still, I wished later that I had said more. But God works in the most mysterious of ways. Maybe to these women so starved of truth, my elementary, simple, but sincere efforts will be beautiful music with the hands of the Master around this cause for his most abused children. His hands are clearly around this organization. The babies allowed to continue in life and the mothers and fathers who are spared from the pain of abortion are God's beautiful music he makes through the people at EMC that He blesses with His fire.

First Day


Finally! I am in New York City for an EMC internship! I have been anxiously waiting to come up here from my hometown of Louisville, Ky for four months. On my first day here I went to Dr. Emily's abortion clinic and to the EMC center in the Bronx. I had never before stood in front of a clinic during its hours of operation and it tore my heart to see these women walking in to the clinic to make one of the worst decisions of their lives. Some of these women looked distraught and hopeless, while others were just nonchalant and indifferent about entering the abortion mill. After staying at the clinic for a few hours I went to Liz's center located in the Bronx. I was treated like family there and shown videos to educate me about abortion.

A video that really struck me was "22 weeks," a movie based on a true story about a young girl who goes to a clinic to get an abortion at 22 weeks. They inject her with a poison to stop the baby's heart and she was to just "pass" the baby through the next day. She ended giving birth to a live baby in the abortion clinic's restroom. She was locked in the bathroom after screaming for help and asking the clinic's workers to call 911. She had to ask her friend to call for her and by the time they arrived it was already too late.

This incident is something that should have never happened in a million years; yet episodes similar to this continue to happen. Seeing these women walk into these clinics and watching videos like "22 weeks" helped prepare me mentally for what I would be facing in counseling these women.

Conference week



I arrived in Orlando Florida on Sunday May 16, 2010 for the start of an adventure. I say adventure because it was quite upbeat and exciting. I and the rest of the bunch never knew what to expect next. Everyday brought a new and exciting day. We went to Busch Gardens, Disney World, and Gator Island. We had a lot of laughs, and enjoyed each other’s company. It brought an opportunity to bond and to share our eagerness to get to work. The conference which was the main reason for going to Orlando was about a three day conference. I learned a tremendous amount about different life saving tactics. I also met wonderful people who dedicate their lives to saving lives, and it was very inspiring and motivational to do the same. I was very eager for the week to be over so I could start saving babies in New York, but I enjoyed the fun and the learning experience. During our stay in Orlando, we stayed in a beautiful house that had four bedrooms and a pool and hot tub outside. I cannot think of a better way to relax and get to know everyone before we all worked together.

Even When Hope Is Lost Prayer Will Make Me Strong


One of the questions Chris Slattery asked me when I applied for the EMC internship was, “What are your expectations for the general experience you will be gaining here in New York City?” This was an easy question for me to answer as I’ve always tried to live without any expectations no matter how big or small my endeavor might be. As an adult, I’ve learned that expecting too much leaves you feeling let down while not expecting enough leaves you feeling overwhelmed. Living and working in the Bronx has placed me a little out of my element but having lived and worked in the Washington, D.C. area for my whole life, I wasn’t completely naïve to what the city was like either. Today in our South Bronx Pregnancy Center I met a girl, 16 years old and 8 weeks pregnant, who had her heart set on an abortion. After sitting in on a counseling session with her and one of our counselors I learned two things: the brutality of an abortion and that in our line of work nothing is for certain. Together, these two things hammered the importance of prayer even further into my heart.

This girl walked into our center today for the first time. She’d never been pregnant or had an abortion before and told us, “At first I was going to keep it.” She told us about her hopes and dreams of finishing school and going to college and med school. Eventually, she wanted to be a doctor who, “delivered babies or transplanted kidneys or something.” I found it ironic how a young girl who wanted to bring life into the world or keep people from dying thought it was ok to allow someone to kill her baby because she felt it would, “get in the way.” Her counselor asked her if she knew how the abortion worked and she said kind of so we showed her a computer animation DVD of how the abortion works and the instruments used. Most of the information in this video was not news to me but for this young girl is was. Even so, she remained unaffected and even said, “look at how easily the tools just glide in.” Then they showed her a movie titled, Choice Blues. This film was just as much a rude awakening for her as it had been for me only a few hours prior. Watching this video of an abortionist using a tenaculum to puncture the cervix on either side and pull it outside of the woman only to then watch the abortionist use gauged dilators to stretch the cervix wide enough to suck pieces of a fully formed fetus out of her. The girl being counseled sat there in silence for a few minutes taking in the brutal homicide she had just witnessed and then turned to us and said, “I can’t do that to my baby.” I turned to her counselor and smiled because we had just saved a life. However, later on her cousin came in and said that our girl was, “dumb for keeping it.” Our girl walked out of the clinic undecided as to what she was going to do even after acknowledging she couldn’t hurt her baby they way the abortionist had hurt the other baby. The bright light of hope that had come over us left just as quickly as it came.

On the subway ride back to the Lifehouse I didn’t want to think about what could become of this precious and very innocent life growing inside our girl. It was then that I realized, while it’s out of my control, I can still ask the intercession of Our Lady for these valuable little ones.

Wednesday, May 19, 2010

A Site For Sore Eyes


On any given Tuesday morning, the lobby at the EMC Pregnancy Clinic in Brooklyn, NY is filled with smiling, glowing, pregnant women. These young ladies are here for Prenatal Day! This is an amazing sight to see, especially when you consider the fact that the majority of these clients have been here before, but in their first visits they were abortion minded.

Many of them were considering abortion because they felt trapped or pressured. For many, it was circumstantial. Some may have had housing needs, been unemployed or their boyfriend may have been in need of a job, perhaps she just didn't know how she was going to provide diapers and formula for her new baby, or maybe she was feeling a loss of Hope "How could this possibly get better? Is there even a light at the end of this tunnel? I'm scared!" What about family you may say. Well so often young women in crisis pregnancy are afraid to tell their parents. Afraid that their parents will be upset, or disappointed with them. There is also the quite frequent fear they they will be kicked out of the house!

In other instances her family already knows that she's pregnant, but they aren't happy about it and she's being pressured to abort. Can you imagine what it would be like to have the people who you love most in this world,trying to convince you to have your child killed? Not a pretty picture at all! What about when it's the husband or boyfriend applying the pressure? Sadly this happens all too often! (How anyone could call that a woman's choice is beyond me.) In this circumstance she begins to feel very alone. The person who she loves and has trusted and given herself to, is now threatening to leave if she doesn't get rid of this baby. "Wow!" you may say, "What a bleak picture you paint Heather." But these are some of the main reasons that our clients, give for considering abortion. It's not easy, but it's the truth.

That bleak picture stands in real contrast with the hope and help that is available to her through EMC! For all of the afore mentioned circumstances here is help. All of them! Help with housing, help with jobs, help with material resources, help in the form of emotional support! This is what we do at Expectant Mother Care, everyday we have the joy of helping someone in a dire situation step out of that darkness.

On any given Tuesday morning, the lobby at the EMC Pregnancy Clinic in Brooklyn, NY is filled with smiling, glowing, pregnant women. It is truly a site for sore eyes!

Saturday, May 8, 2010

Rough and Tough part 1


She came in to our clinic in Brooklyn, one Tuesday morning. You could see the pain and emotional scars that come with a hard life. They were written all over her face, in the clothes she wore, and in every move she made. Her body language clearly said ‘Stay away from me. I am rough, and I am tough, and I will mess you up!’
Right away I could identify with her, with that mask that she wore. I was very familiar with this, for I too used to hide behind that facade. I knew there was someone on the inside of this rough exterior who had suffered, life had not gone the way she had planned. I knew that I had to get to that person, if we were going to save this baby.
No case is the same. There is no cookie cutter fix, no cure all for the woman in a crisis pregnancy. You must get to the root of the problem. What is the reason that she is considering letting a doctor take the life of her child?!! Oh Sure, an education in fetal development, the abortion procedure and the risks and complications, is of great help! But what is the underlying pain? What is it that is giving her that sadness in her eyes? What is it about the situation that makes it all seem SO HOPELESS to her? Find the answers to these questions and you start from there.
At the core of that rough shell, there was a young mother who had given all for everyone else, and all they had done was take. She had been selfless and they had been selfish. Somewhere in all of the giving she had forgotten to give to herself. It had gone too far, and now in order to reclaim her sense of self, she was about to take very drastic measures.
“Every one thinks I should keep the baby! My mom, my boyfriend, my friends, all of them! I’m always doing EVERYTHING for everyone else! I want to do this for me!” she cried. “ I don’t think I will be happy if I keep this baby!”. But would aborting make her happy? Does it ever really make a woman happy? I have seen it cause nothing but grief!