A Brother, a Gift

The other day, Nacho and I were in the Bronx, and we talking with a woman who wanted an abortion, she had a son that was five. She wanted an abortion because she can´t maintain other child because she didn´t have a job, but the worst of her problems was that the father of her kid was her friend and he was already married. She was very scared about what God would think of her.

Then, not only did we give her solutions for her economic problems but we also told her something that she didn´t know: by aborting her baby she is not taking away her problem; first of all because the baby is not a problem it is a gift.We let her know that having another baby would give her son the possibility of having a brother, something incredible. Having a brother is a reality that cannot be compared to any other. From our personal experience (Nacho and I are brothers) we can say that having a brother is the best thing that could happen to you, because a brother is not only a brother, he is your best friend, someone that you can trust, the person that first comes and helps you whenever you have a problem. To sum up the crying shoulder that we all need at some point, sooner or later.

Once upon a time (part 1)

The other day I was at the Brooklyn office and I was amazed by the quantity of women that we saw. The modus operandi there is is a little bit different than the rest of the clinics that we have, because we do group counseling at the very beginning and then we have individual counseling. Linda, the woman that runs the office there told me and the rest of the women her story. It was pretty amazing and shocking, it helped the girls there to change their minds.

One of the girls that came there was 16, she was pregnant and she did not want to keep her baby, I was gonna start telling her the side effects of abortion and the importance of keeping a life when Linda told us "when those young girls came here looking for abortion, we need to let them know that this is about them, we are here to help them, they do not need to hear about babies yet, they need someone that listens to them and makes them feel safe, comfortable and them they would stay and listen to everything".

That was really beautiful, I realized that in EMC we care not only about the babies in the womb but about their mothers; it's because of them that we are here working, we want to make their lives better, to make them realize how wonderful and full of meaning their lives could be.

Ignorance

These days I have been talking to women about their situation with abortion, and most of them said that their parents, boyfriend, or friends didn´t want them to keep their babies. They said that the reason they wanted them to have an abortion is this, not for personal problems, not for lack of money, not for her health… And it is very bad that this people who supposedly have to help to keep her baby, they do just the opposite. They only think about themselves and the problems that they could have if this babies were born. They don’t think about what they want to do or what they could suffer with abortion.

The other day at Emily´s a women had an abortion. She was with her mother, her boyfriend and her boyfriend´s mother. I couldn´t believe what happened: While the girl was crying with her boyfriend because she had an abortion, her mother asked the boyfriend´s mother why her daughter was crying, incredible. It was in that moment when I realized that a lot of people have no idea what abortion is and the consequences that it has. And worst of all do not want to learn or be helped.

The poison in small bottles continues being poison

Last Wednesday I read some news about Amnesty international. They are pushing the government of Nicaragua.(in Nicaragua abortion is a crime) for legalizing Abortion using this argument:

"It should be possible for a woman who is raped or is in danger of losing her life, to decide whether or not to abort"

Of course the case of "rape or danger to the life of the mother" is extreme,where the suffering of an innocent woman seems to rise to intolerable heights, so that anyone with a little human empathy admit not to punish the woman who aborts, if she is already in such a terrible situation. But if we admit this kind of abortions, we could admit that some humans can be a threat to our convenience.

Even though this is not what we are defending, because we think that in spite of the severity of the situation, we must remember that we are talking about a human life, and every human is equal and has the same rights.

Therefore, these people offer us those "little bottles of poison" hidden in boxes of natural and reasonable compassion. This could look like a very little package, in a situation too justified and rare. But if we take it, we not just destroy a human life, we destroy the principles that all human life is irreplaceable and you can never seek the death of an innocent man.

The Start of Healing

Abortion is never a healing process. It's not something you can stuff in the back of your head and forget about. You may be able to "get away with it" for a few years but it's a ticking time bomb. Some day it will hit. Maybe not today, not tomorrow, maybe not even ten years down the road but it will hit.

I talked to a girl the other day who came in wanting to parent. I started talking to her about women's health and started to show her a short non-graphic film on abortion procedures and risks. She asked me to pause it right after the film started. I stopped and asked what was the matter. She started to explain how she knew about abortion because she had one before. She started crying and told me the whole story.

She kept telling me that she was over it but her crying and expression said the exact opposite. We gave her information about free post-abortion counseling. I really hope she tries it - if a woman has had an abortion she needs to talk about it. She needs to cry and let the emotions out.

That is the start of healing.

*Rachel's Vineyard is a great resource for post-abortive counseling and healing.

The Summer of Mercy

The Summer of Mercy kick off was tonight. This starts a week long peaceful and prayerful gathering of pro-lifers from all over the nation.

The Summer of Mercy 2.0 is the "updated" version of the very first summer of mercy that happened in 1990 in Wichita, Kansas. Thousands of men and women from around the country came to Wichita and prayed for the end to abortion.

Specifically, this week, we will be praying in front of the abortion clinic Leroy Carhart works for. As a few of the speakers stated tonight we don't hate Leroy Carhart - we care for him. We're not just concerned for the lives of the unborn but for the lives of the born as well.

I'm looking forward to participating in this event. Even if you won't be attending the Summer of Mercy please be praying with us this week. For the end to abortion. For the end to injustice. For Leroy Carhart. For the men and women who are brave enough to stand up for what is right.

Hugh Hefner and abortion

In 1973 a court made a decisión that has changed the live of a lot of babies. This trial involves parts prolifers and proabortion.

A few days ago I discovered that one of the most important doners of the proabortion lawyers was Hugh Hefner, the founder of Playboy. My question is: Why a man whose image of women consist of them being sexual objects without more ambitions than becoming the sexiest one, wanted to help pregnant mothers? Is the point of view of Hugh Hefner about sexuality and women the best way to help pregnant mothers?

For a lot of years proabortion have being saying that abortion is a gun for helping mothers. I’m tired of listening arguments like this when you see the mothers that have had an abortion crying. I’m tired listening arguments like that when one of the men who’s less interested in woman rights and says it.

http://www.esquire.com/features/what-ive-learned/ESQ0602-JUN_WIL

Our Father

Our Father, Who is in heaven,

Holly is Your Name;

Give us this day our daily bread
And forgive us our sins
as we forgive those who sin against us;
and lead us not into temptation,

but deliver us from evil.
Amen.

This is our secret weapon to end abortion.

See you soon

I don’t have words to describe my thankfulness for staying here, in EMC, helping women, and also in the Lifehouse.

Thanks to all the people who work here and also those who donate money, with their enthusiasm and effort, this job is done well.

Something that I have in common with this people is the value that we give to life.

I met people from different countries, cultures… and the virtue that impressed me is the importance of fighting for what they believe in.

It will be easy to arrive home and be the same as always but I can’t. If somebody thinks something he should have the guts to make it real.

Thanks to the people who fight for this. I’m really impressed and I want to show my country what I have learned.

I hope to come back soon.

On Sunday I will go back to home in Spain. I am proud of myself and also of EMC Pregnancy Centers, because of our work done this summer. First of all I have learned that abortion is dangerous for the baby and also for the mother. I have also learned that if abortion still exists it is because it generates a lot of money and because there are a lot of people who don't know the consequences of having an abortion. I am happy for all the babies that I and EMC have saved this summer. I will never forget the happiness and the joy of a mother when she discovers that in her womb there is a doughter. But I also feel a little bit upset because, despite having done all this work, there is still a lot of work to do; that is why I am going to become an ACTIVE pro-lifer in Spain. I am planning to learn more about the abortion clinics and the pregnancy centers.

I hope to come back soon.

Jerome Ave

Today is my first time at Jerome Ave, and it was great, we put up a stand with the T.V. With a video about the development of the baby during the pregnancy, and the models of the different stages of pregnancy. Those little realistic dolls catch the attention of everybody, and that's why most of the people stopped asking us, what are we doing there. Also we hand out some pamphlets about us and the life of the babies.

The fact that the stickers say "free abortion alternatives" allows us to talk with a lot of people about who are us, and that we are Pro-life.

I was very surprised about how many people are Pro-live in the Bronx, they support us and tell us what good we are doing.

I remember talking with two men:. The First one was an African American boy that came and asked us for information like everybody, but 20 minutes later, he returned and told us that he belongs to a group that fights against abortion in Ghana, and he would like to work with us.

The second one was a boy that came so excited, and he ask me about which is the size of a 3 month baby, we showed him and he told us that he has a baby that size on the way, and he looked so happy!!!

Today was a great time today at Jerome Ave!

Bye Bye NY

This is my last post, I just want to say thank you very much for all I have learned in my six weeks of internship. I am very happy to have had the opportunity to join EMC because I love the work it's been doing here in New York, It's a difficult work but very important for the society.

Only for saving a life it will be worth being here for six weeks.

Although I have worked very hard here fighting against abortion, at the abortionist clinic Emily's and the pregnancy centers doing counseling, we still have a lot of work to do so I hope to continue this work and bring all I have learned to Spain in order to continue fighting until the end of abortion.

See you soon.

Pro-Choice?

Last week while I was in Emily’s I saw a situation that really impressed me in a bad way. I saw a pregnant mother who was walking in front of the door of Emily’s house when pro-choice told her they were sorry because of her pregnancy; and then she invited her to have an abortion what she refused.

I was really surprised. Prochoice understand having a baby as a tragedy and a huge problem difficult to solve. Prochoice don’t understand babies as a gift of God and a cause of happiness; otherwise they feel depressed when a mother choose life for her baby. The thing is: Do really pro-choice defense both options? I say no, don’t fool me, what they really want is abortion, that’s why from now on I will not talk about pro-choice I will only talk about pro-abortion.

When she does counseling

There’s an intern in the house who’s shy, quiet and quite closed. She doesn’t like to discuss or being in hurries. Last week I was, for first time, doing counseling with her at the Bronx Center.

At the beginning I was the one who was really talking, but as soon as it seems that the mother really wanted to have an abortion the intern began to talk. My colleague begins to talk about the mother’s family, God, values… I don’t know if that mother will have an abortion but I am sure that this intern really has removed her mind.

What really impressed me about this intern is that she really was conscious about that what that mother had inside was a baby; it’s this feeling and knowledge that it helps you to take profit of all your resources in order to safe a life.

Opportunities

This past week I went with some friends to a little trip to Virginia and Maryland. There we had a great time: we went to the Luray Caverns, to the Natural Bridge ... We also spent some time in pools, hanging out. We had a really great time.

Does somebody not deserve to have the chance of having these kind of trips? Of spending their time with friends? Of travelling all around the world?

Who are we to decide if a child must be born or not? Would anybody like it if their parents would abort him or her and not have the oportunity of living his life? I guess that the answer to that question would be NO, so, why are every day thousands of women running this kinds of operations? Don't you think it's unfair for this little people, the babies?

Every single person in this world deserves to be born, to see what his world looks like, meet his friends, to make his mistakes, get over them and grow as a person. To live his life.

Grass Is Greener?

She had one child 14 years ago, and came in hoping she might be pregnant. When I spoke with her, she was considering getting a Dilation and Curettage procedure done. Not because she wanted an abortion, but because she thought it might help her conceive! Although I am not a doctor, I was able to share with her the risks of the procedure. One of the most common is infertility. Another is miscarriages of “wanted” pregnancies. The South Bronx Center Director Liz was able to give her information on who she could contact about Natural Family Planning.

What made this woman stick out in my mind, is the realization that women who don’t want a baby right now are the ones who get pregnant with ease. And the women who have been trying to get pregnant often have a harder time. Why do people always seem to want what they can’t have, at least until they have it?

From Jerome Avenue...

Using our method of setting up a table with a TV showing pro-life videos like National Geographic's "In the Womb," and using our motivated and talented young people to hand out pro-life literature on the streets, we've been able to reach many people.

In addition, we also have a realistic set of fetal development models that attracts countless people who may otherwise not have access to that important information.

Many interesting conversations arise - as you might imagine - doing pro-life activism on the street. One girl for instance shared with me that after her abortion she suffered severe physical complications. Luckily for her, it was committed in the hospital so the following hospitalization wasn't further complicated by needing an ambulance. Many others will just say good job and give us a kind smile.

It has been a blessing to be able to listen to and share with girls the Good News about being pro-life, and if not for EMC, maybe this population would never hear such a message.

In the Streets of New York City

Before coming to New York City I was afraid of all the need and brokenness I would encounter and that everything I had would be needed in order for God to work powerfully in their lives. Since being here, it is certainly true that all is required. It's hard to allow that to happen, but when a person comes into your life who truly has no one, you can either shy away from their need or fill it. When a young woman comes in who is terrified of her pregnancy and no one will help, no one will give answers or support or tell her she can do it and you present her with all those things she will cling to you like a lifeline. Because you are: for her and her baby. She relies on you for hope, for encouragement, for direction and for love.


She shows up in your office for an abortion and doesn't seem to want to hear anything you say. You don't know what to do so you just look her in the eye and love her and say we are hear to help you with anything you need. And you mean it. Then she leaves and it's in God's hands. Prayer is what's needed now, by you and everyone else. Suddenly the next day she sends a text asking for a job. I don't know what to do but I say I'll call some people. Hang in there, don't worry, it's going to work out. From there an open line of communication is created over the next couple weeks. Suddenly she says she is thinking of keeping her baby. When did that happen? But she won't have a place to live. As she puts it, she'll either "have to kill my baby or sleep in the streets."

We continue to work on it. Calls are made and arrangements put in place. She is very worried and getting pressure from boyfriend and mom to abort. She is moving every week and up late worring. Through it all, she says she wants to keep, no matter what everyone else is saying, but she doesn't know how it will work. She comes for a sono and we set her up with prenatal. She has plans now to live with a relative. But does that mean the relationship is over? No, she is still pregnant, scared, has no idea what to do and is being stressed out by her mom. So who does she go to? The only one who came into her life offering to serve and help her: me. She told me I am her guardian angel. I told her she is a blessing to me.

The story does not end here, but God has been brought into this situation and as with every circumstance we encounter here, we do our best and trust him to take care of everything much better than we can.

In which the Author is upset

Lies.

That's all I could think after I read an article written by a woman who was adamantly pro-abortion. Why did this upset me? The article was written against an upcoming pro-life event going on in Germantown, MD (very close to where I live.) The event is called Summer of Mercy 2.0. It is a peaceful, prayerful rally in which people from around the nation are coming and pleading for justice. We are standing up for what is right in the worst holocaust this country has seen.

The lady who wrote this article accused us (us being pro-lifers in general) of not caring for women. She wrote that the only reason we are "pro-life" is because we are religious fanatics who believe that the biblical mandate is that women should have babies - and lots of them.

Where is this coming from? The Bible does not require women to have tons and tons of babies. That's not the point - and the verses this woman quoted were thrown completely out of context.

I am pro-life. I love women. I deeply care about them. I care about their health. I care about their situation. My heart breaks for many them. These aren't easy situations. I have talked to women who have been raped. Who have been abused. Who are suicidal. Who have had multiple abortions. Who are left on the street. Kicked out of their house.

I care.

I also know that abortion is not a healing process. I have met many, many women who believe that abortion will "fix" their lives, that the pregnancy was a mistake and that an abortion can make things go back to the way they were. But abortion is not a quick fix. It's a decision that deeply affects a woman's physical and emotional health for the rest of her life.

I'm not saying this just because I'm a Christian. I'm saying this because I've seen it. I've heard many women tell me their abortion experiences.

I've seen her sob heartbrokenly.

I've seen her doubled over in pain leaving the abortion clinic.

I care.

And I won't stop.

Out of the mouths of babes

A few days ago I was counseling in the North Bronx. A woman walked in with her five year old son. I was a little startled to see that she brought him - mainly because she was contemplating an abortion. The little boy sat quietly on her lap while we talked about abortion procedures and her alternatives. We showed the lady a fetal model of what her baby looks like at her specific stage of pregnancy. The little boy loved the little babies - he like touching them and asking lots of questions.

A few minutes later we showed the lady a simple non-graphic film that explains the two most common abortion procedures and the risks associated with them. The little boy was in the room the entire time. During the first explanation of the abortion procedure:

"Mommy, what are they doing to the baby?"

"They're taking the baby out."

"Why?"

"They're killing (yes, the woman used this word) the baby because the mommy isn't ready right now."

"Why...."

"Shhhhh."

The little boy looks at the little fetal models on the desk next to us.

"Mommy, are they going to kill those babies too?"

"Shhhh."

Apparently the little boy had told his mom that she was pregnant about a month before she knew. He calls the baby "my baby".

This little boy will be the one who talks his mother out of aborting his little sibling.

Talking on the Sidewalk

I had the opportunity to sidewalk counsel at Emily's last Saturday. On Saturdays there's a lot of activity out there. There were a lot of pro-abortion volunteers and a lot of pro-life people praying and counseling.

First of all I prayed the rosary with the Franciscan friars for all the mothers and babies that entered the abortion clinic, the friars really surprised me because of the peace and joy they transmitted to people.

Then I tried to counsel a women who was leaving the clinic, but an escort hindered me from talking with her. I just gave her a brochure with information about how we can help her in all her needs and said that we will pray for her. After that, I asked the pro-abortion volunteer why they don't let us talk with the woman. He told me that they are scared of us because we are harassing them outside Emily's. So I started a conversation with him, first I told him that all we are doing is helping, that we don't want to hurt anybody. You only have to ask a woman what she feels after an abortion and how she feels after having her baby, here the difference is doing the correct thing and giving the world a new life.

Relationships

This Tuesday I did my first counseling session on my own. The girl I talked to was facing a very big problem which is not particular to her alone, it is a common problem faced by many nowadays: "relationships". Actually it should not be a problem, because when you give yourself to another person and receive him or her back it should be the best feeling ever. Problems appear when instead of love there is selfishness. Well, this was the problem she faced: her boyfriend. He seemed to be selfish and egocentric, only caring about himself. This women didn't want anything from him, including her baby.

What I'm trying to say is that when your relationship is not good anymore, is not making you happy and you think it's going straight to nowhere and selfishness, you should end it before something wrong, as in this case, happens and then you have something to regret.

As one friend told me before: "first, you have to love yourself. Then figure out what you want for your life and after all that, try to share it with someone who feel the same, someone who's worth it". If you fulfill all this, then having an abortion is something completely out of your mind, no matter the age, no matter the situation you're going through.

The Special People

There are a lot of kinds of people. And almost everyone develops their personality while their are growing up. There are important influences from the environment, the place, people (family and friends), education, the economic situation, etc... But, finally, all of us choose the way that we want to act, to have relationships, to have hobbies, to plan our future...

But there are also many people that cannot choose any of that. Those are the people with disabilities, physical or mental. These special people are as much a person as any of us and they have to be treated as equals. So they are not less or inferior. And of course, they have the same right to live that other babies do. It is very common that many women who want to abort their babies and know that the baby is coming with any disability, they want the abortion much more. That's complete nonsense.

These special people need to be loved more than anyone else. Although they can't respond to us in the same way, they really appreciate demonstrations of love and they really need to feel people's love around them. That's why we cannot consider these special people less than us and it's a crime to kill them before they born.

The Pope for Life

John Paul II was beatified on May first of this year. Thousands of people met together in St. Peter’s square to follow the beatifying event; also millions of people followed it through the media.

He was a charismatic leader loved by believers and non-believers alike, whose words were listened to and respected around the whole world.

What made him so interesting? One of the things that he defended during all his live was the respect for human dignity. His messages were so attractive because they were always about human dignity and his testimony was really convincing and authentic. John Paul II was the defender of life, his most important teachings are about the defense of unborn babies, mentally handicapped, and he reminded us that each and every person is unique and unrepeatable, that’s the reason to respect their lives from conception until natural death.

Maafa 21

Recently I had a friend over and for fun we decided to watch the documentary Maafa21 and see what all the buzz was about. (Gives you some idea of how much of a pro-life nerd I am :) Well, I expected it to be informative, but it turned out to be a whole lot more than that. It is a film done about the history of Black Genocide. What's that, you may ask? In American history it begins with slavery (we all know about that one), continues with the KKK, birth control and....that's right: abortion.

Sounds like conspiracy theory? I challenge you get to get educated on it. Do the research if you dare to find out what's going on under our noses, supported by our tax dollars. The holocost was almost unbelievable in it's inhumanity but it happened. Is it any less believable that while that was happening in Germany Hitler was getting some of his ideas from Americans who were looking for way to implement their own genocide on African Americans? Well, it's really something we all need to learn about and come to terms with for ourselves, especially if there is any hope of working against it.
I leave it up to you, you can start here: http://www.maafa21.com/

Don't be afraid to learn something. Knowledge is power.

Ignorance

There's a big necessity of education about pregnancy and abortion in our society. Today at Emily's a girl came with all her relatives. Her mom, her boyfriend and her boyfriend's mom. All of them pushing her to get an abortion. All of them yelling at us to shut up. Three times they passed by, three times they didn't want to listen to us.

When the girl came out she didn't stop crying, she was really hurt. The mom wondered what was happening to her, why was she so sad. From my point of view, it seems almost unbelievable that not even the moms take care of what their daughters go through.

We need to educate our society. No wonder they get so easily fooled after what we see on the streets. Not only do they not know what a pregnancy or and abortion is, they don't even know how contraceptives work. This ignorance make them vulnerable, because they think they know everything, but no one is wiser than the most humble.

We have to start something, not only us, the interns by the work we do this summer on the streets and offices. We have to start moving and keep removing this ignorance from anyone we know. Let's spread the message, let's fight for life!

Reproductive Racism

This past Tuesday I worked outside of EMC´s Jerome Avenue office in the North Bronx. While there, Gabriel and I were responsible for setting a table up and showing a video describing the natural cycle of a pregnancy. Along-side the television set was a set of fetal models which progressively show the size and weight development of the baby while in the womb.

In addition to utilizing these visual aids, we also pass out pro-life literature which covers a range of topics including Planned Parenthood´s ultimate goal to suppress the minorities in America under the guise of ¨helping¨ get rid of unwanted children. This controversial magazine drew many questions including my favorite: ¨Are you even Pro-Life?¨ I confidently described that, through strongly woven deceit and manipulative tactics, strategy that Planned Parenthood formed so long ago under the guidance of a racist woman named Margaret Sanger.

This woman is painted as being a progressive who wanted equal woman rights, rather than the bigot who formulated a plan similar to Hitler´s Holocaust. Except unlike Hitler, Sanger had wealthy philanthropists on her side, as well as a deceit stronger than Hitler´s. This is evident in that Hitler was stopped in 1945, whereas Sanger´s plan stemming from Black Genocide has morphed into a Genocide of Minorities.

For those in disbelief, check the stats. For those who agree, take a stand for those who don´t or can´t take a stand themselves. Thank you for reading.

The parable of good samaritan

Jesus answered, "A certain man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and he fell among robbers, who both stripped him and beat him, and departed, leaving him half dead. By chance a certain priest was going down that way. When he saw him, he passed by on the other side. In the same way a Levite also, when he came to the place, and saw him, passed by on the other side. But a certain Samaritan, as he traveled, came where he was. When he saw him, he was moved with compassion, came to him, and bound up his wounds, pouring on oil and wine. He set him on his own animal, and brought him to an inn, and took care of him. On the next day, when he departed, he took out two denarii, and gave them to the host, and said to him, ‘Take care of him. Whatever you spend beyond that, I will repay you when I return.’ Now which of these three do you think seemed to be a neighbor to him who fell among the robbers?" He said, "He who showed mercy on him." Then Jesus said to him, "Go and do likewise."

That parable reminds me of the attitude that a prolifer has to have in life. You don't have to be a priest or a religious person in order to fight against abortion. When you see that something is wrong you have to fight in order to stop it.

In Unexpected Places

As I have been working here for the past three months I have often been amazed at how I am able to minister to people. Sometimes I am able to change a “Pro-Choicers” idea of what Pro-Lifers are like. Once I was able to work with a homeless woman. (That was outside of EMC work.) There are many chances for all of us to reach out and touch people’s lives.

This morning however was different. As I was headed to work, a man sat down next to me. I smiled at him, and rested my head on my hand again. He asked if I was alright. I said I was, that I was just exhausted. Concern filled his eyes and he wondered if I had a rough night. (I actually slept well!) I explained that my job could be emotionally draining, and we started a conversation about what I do.

His interest was evident, and I quickly learned that he was Pro-Life. When I went to get off at my stop, he shook my hand and thanked me for doing this work. As I walked into the office, I realized I wasn’t so exhausted anymore. God placed that man in the right place, at the right time; knowing I would need to have an extra boost. I was able to give my clients 110%, thanks to a complete stranger.

Their Redeemer is strong; the LORD of hosts is his name: he shall throughly plead their cause, that he may give rest to the land, and disquiet the inhabitants of Babylon.

Jeremiah 50:34

Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.

Mathew 11:28

Miracle Child (Part 2)

This past weekend I got the chance to attend a pro-life camp in Utica, NY. But that doesn't mean I had a weekend off of work. At 11'0clock Saturday night I got a text from Ana* telling me that her boyfriend kicked her out of her apartment, she had no place to stay the night, and needed my help.

The next morning she called and told me the whole story. She came home to find her boyfriend had moved in a new girlfriend and was doing drugs in the apartment she paid rent for. The fighting began and the police were called. Legally he could not kick her out of the apartment she paid rent for, but after the officers left she felt to unsafe to stay. So at 11'0clock at night and 19 weeks pregnant, she left. A few phone calls and days later, I helped her get into a maternity home so she would not have to stay in a shelter while she figure out her situation.

Ana and her baby are survivors. No matter what life has thrown at her so far, she finds a way to persevere and stand her ground. She will do anything to protect her baby, uphold the miracle of life, and find the courage of motherhood.

The Moment When They Realize the Truth

Yesterday I went to work at the Bronx center. We had the opportunity to do counseling with two women that were expecting a babies.

What really surprised me about those women was the fact that they really didn't know anything about abortion, what are the procedures were and what they really have inside is a baby not a blob of tissue as they thought before the counseling.

The first women was really impressed by the information we gave her about a real abortion, after that she was crying and said to us that she couldn't do this to her son, she was six weeks pregnant so we showed her how her baby was developed at that time.

TRUTH

People know us, we are EMC, we help pregnant women to have their children. We support them, we listen to them, WE HELP THEM.

We know that there are people that don't like us, they don't like what we do. But for these people I’m asking this question: "Are we doing something wrong? Do we force someone to do something that they don't want to do?¨ Here is my answer: no. We try our best but there are hundreds of women that don't listen to us and keep their choice of having an abortion. It is not ok but we cannot do anything else.

Yesterday I went to Doctor Emily's clinic, there were some of these people that don't like our job. We don't disturb them, and we don´t listen to them. The problem is that they do care about what we do, they write false things about us and they say lies about us. There’s no need to speak lowly of us. Do you people, improve your benefits by criticizing us?

What I’m trying to say is that the world deserves truth, pregnant women deserve truth. That’s what we offer. Does anyone really think that having an abortion is completely safe? Check this out: http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1469-7610.2005.01538.x/full and this is only one medical article. At least, before doing nothing they should know everything related with the abortion procedure and all the risks.

Poker Face?

The other day we were playing poker after work and I realized something: poker players are like some of the women I've met Some of them sit at the table and risk what they have until the very end, no matter what happens. Those are the women that get pregnant but are not afraid to carry their pregnancy to the end, so they are the winners. But the reality is that most of the women are like those players that wanna play but don't wanna take risks, they fold as soon as they can and then they are upset and sad because they haven't won.

What I wanna point out is that in life, like in poker, if you don't risk, you don't win. The thing that women need to know is that obviously risking is risky, I mean, in poker you need to risk and so you call and you raise and finally you win. There are some moments when you really think you are gonna loose, that you have no chance of winning but at the end you are the winner, the happy one. In abortion that would be the one that even if she is afraid of losing (not her money but her friends, job, etc) she keeps trying and fighting for her baby until he is born and they end up being the happy ones. On the other hand the woman that risks but gets scared and folds does not win, she's the sad woman, the ones that aborts and ends up with nothing. She may have kept her money but she has lost the possibility of winning, or, what is worse, of meeting her child.

If you play poker, risk it.

Oh Me Of Little Faith (Part 2)

Victoria* has come to the office a few more times to visit with us. She is always wearing her white nurses scrubs because she is on her way to or from work or school. She normally walks in quietly and sits down in the same chair in the waiting room. She likes to wait for one us to see her and stop and say hello instead of announcing her arrival herself. It is always a treat to see her sitting there smiling.

Last Monday, she came in on her way to work just to say hello and tell us about a potential job opportunity she found. Sandra asked her how her baby was doing and she told us that she was bleeding. "Spotting?" she asked. "No, clots." she responded. All of our eyes got wide. "You need to go to the hospital!" Sandra said. She gave her a sonogram. I saw that the shape of her uterus was not round like a pear but elongated like a banana. Worst of all, the baby had no heart beat. We sent her immediately over to the ER and told her to call us once she found out what was going on. Later that day we got the phone call. She had miscarried.

I never thought that I would feel so much sadness over this. Maybe it is because her turnaround was such a shock to me. Maybe it is because I saw the sonogram and have an image of what a miscarriage looks like. Maybe it was because I had seen her several times and felt as though I had a relationship with her. Maybe it is a combination of all these things. No matter what the reason, it reminds me that the death of all babies, not just the aborted ones, is a tragedy. As I grieve the loss of this little one, I remind myself that earth bears no sorrow heaven cannot heal and that one day all will be made well.

Another Day, Another Child

Today, while working in the Brooklyn office, I had the experience to meet a young mother who was strongly abortion minded. After our consultation, she went for a sonogram and found out she was not in the early stages of pregnancy, rather in a late term pregnancy.

Though she is already a mother, she recognized what was the right and natural thing to do. She decided to choose life, and to embrace the hardships of raising yet another beautiful baby. Despite financial, and emotional concerns, she gave thought not only to what she had planned and wanted, but also considered the ¨the mass of cells¨ a.k.a. her baby.

The beauty of this change of heart was immense and it is moments like this that truly make the work in the Pro-Life Movement very, very worthwhile. Prayers and support bolster our work, so please keep the mothers, and future mothers in your prayers.

If it's Worth Having it's Worth Fighting For!

This week has been pretty exhausting and for the first time since I came here I have missed Spain. Not because I don't like NYC anymore or because I am tired of working for EMC, but because working against abortion and facing hundreds of women has made me realize how different my country is from this one. We both have good and bad things but one thing that I really miss about Spain is that, we are not such a progressive one. So some values, like the family ones, are better established.

It makes me want to cry when I see girls that do not see the importance of commitment in a relationship, which means that they don't believe in true love. This might sounds corny but I don't care, I need people and specifially young people that firmly believe in love, in a life long love.. Because a life without love is not a life.

How can a 16 year old girl who has grown up in a traditional family (with father, mother and siblings) not believe in true love? Easy, because she hasn't had a traditional family.

Kids nowadays grow up in a very difficult atmosphere, surrounded by single mothers, step-siblings or divorced parents.

What I want to point out is the strength and importance of having a real and good family. From my point of view I think I am really lucky; I was born into a family that truly loves me. I have grown up seeing the love between my parents and understanding that I am a fruit of that love. What young women need to understand is that when it gets tough we gotta fight more, we must face reality and accept the fact that relationships are not perfect, because we ourselves are imperfect. So, when things go wrong we cannot just break up, or run away or divorce: if we truly love that other person we fight to solve the issue.

I just wish the rest of the kids that are about to be born would have the same example and the same blessing that I had: being born into a family that believes in love.

Couples

It's easy to be the man in a couple who is pregnant. It's the woman who is faced with the real issues. The man is not pregnant, and in fact can never be pregnant and as such how could a man truly understand and relate to a woman’s pregnancy? If the woman chooses she can give birth and keep the baby, however if she chooses abortion she will end a life, the choice is solely hers in the United States. She will be admitted to the hospital to undergo childbirth or in the "hospital" while the"doctor" is killing your baby while you are in the waiting room reading the newspaper.

Is this our role? Of course not! A lot of women come to us considering abortion. When asked about the father of the child, the majority of the time the relationship is not very good and often times we find that the man is pushing for abortion.

A lot of women say that if they were in a stable relationship they would have the baby. Where is the man? We should stand by our Significant Others and our children. We men also need to understand that children are a gift and not a “burden”. We need to stop being selfish and stand up as men, protecting our children and the women in our lives from the heart wrenching pain of abortion.

Remember, she holds the child in her body, but it is your child too. You should fight for the family and love it despite all the difficulties that arise. Men have much more of a role than we thought in the mind of our women.

We are not alone!

The other day I was at Jerome Avenue, a place where some of us give information to people about abortion. There are people who stop to talk to you, to ask about what we do and what our personal point of view is. There are also people who thank us for our work, who support us in the cause. It is very gratifying to know there are people that hold common beliefs with you.

Once, a man asked me for information and he told me he agreed with us. In fact, he told me about his experience and one of the things that he told me was that he was impressed by how ignorant the women are who have an abortion.

I would like to thank those people, because their support makes us feel stronger and gives us hope for the future.

Languages

I have been utterly amazed at the diversity of languages and cultures in New York. I was even able to work with a client who made me remember that what I do is as much a heart to heart counseling as it is a factual counseling. She had a difficult time understanding me, but we were still able to communicate.
Yes, a lot of the women speak Spanish, some even speak other less common languages. This woman however was deaf. She could not hear the words I spoke. She could not hear the videos. But with what little ASL I know, and her ability to read lips, we were able to talk.
It was not my words that touched her. It was not my facts that moved her. It was my heart reaching out to hers. The language of hearts is a gift. It is special, not because few have it. But because few use it.

Changing Hearts, Creating Families

Our work is not just about saving one life, it's about saving as many lives as possible. When God is brought into a life and someone makes a courageous decision in trust it always effects everything around them. When a woman decides to keep her child, a beautiful miracle takes place. When her boyfriend and sometimes even her family gather around to support her, it is a host of incredible miracles that we are blessed to be a part of. Most of the time, a woman does not have the support of her baby daddy, at least initially. But when he comes into the picture, another great miracle has happened and beautiful family is formed. The family bonds are extra strong because of the strength, courage, and willpower it took them to make the decision they made.

Some of these situations look hopeless on the onset, but something have to continue to remember in every part of our work is...this isn't our work, it's God's, and nothing is impossible for God. It is in situations like this that I most especially see his power at work. Not just one life is saved, but three. And from what began as a lonely, hopeless and unhappy situation results in a uniquely beautiful expression of God's love: a family.

This picture is of our Brooklyn Center Director, Linda, with a "turnaround" family.

The Power of Prayer

On Saturday I went to sidewalk counsel outside Doctor Emily´s Abortion Clinic. However, this week, our band of interns was neither little nor afraid. As we walked out of the subway station, I felt as though God had bestowed new courage on me, not to mention there was five Friars there as well. Their prayers and counsel helped me to overcome the fear, apprehension and hate for the Pro-Choice escort crew.

I sadly admit I did not get the opprotunity to turn around any woman´s opinion, I feel as though a huge impression was made this past weekend. Not only were the women fully informed about the abortion procedure, but the local residents supported us with kind words and affirming attitudes.

Unfortunately that will be the last Saturday I could possibly be outside of Emily´s, but what a day to witness the power of God. The Friars proved the importance of prayer in this fight against abortion.

As the Beatles say: All you need is Love.

In respect to the problens that our women have, they are not economic problems, or problems with their boyfriends or that they haven´t finished their studies. The principal problem is the lack of education. Most of the women that visit us and I have spoken with have grown up in an envirionment without a stable family life or a healthy emotional experience. That´s why I encourage them to start from the beginning and give the best to their children because of the effect it will bear in their lives which they themselves were deprived of. That they give their children a good childhood like they would have wanted. I am referring to what I recently spoke to a woman about. If these children grow up with love, education and formation they will be healthy and solid as adults.

Bloodmoney.

Yesterday I read an article about a Pro life film; Blood Money. The narrator of the history is the Doctor Alveda King (Matin Luther King nephew) she guides the spectator throw the history about the abortion in the EE.UU, since the first public politics about family planning until the actual business situation.

A lot of Viewers tell that the movie is helping to change lives by providing hope for women and offer them a better choice.

Blood Money. The value of a life is a risky bet done by the film director David K. Kyle and presented by the same distributor that few years ago presented Bella film.

So if you want to help with abortion you can show this film for help other women also keep your eyes open, and when you come across a young women in crisis, be there to listen, to support, and then tell her the truth.