The Sad Reality

This whole week I was sent mostly to Planned Parenthood, however it was all-different. Instead of large amounts of women going in to seek an abortion, it was a large amount of employees that we hadn’t seen before. We believe that they were either having meetings or a training. We are called to not only be witnesses for the women going in for an abortion but to also be witnesses to the workers. As each one of them passed I would say good morning with a smile in my faces. Some will reply, some would be silent and some would make negative comments. What broke my heart the most was the sad reality, that over half of the people that work there are African Americans. They are working in a place that was created to destroy their population.  They are being lied to, use and manipulated to kill their own people and they have no idea! Some of the interns had some encounters with some of them and they don’t even know who Margret Sanger is. Is in it sad?  Please let us continue to pray for all our brothers and sisters that work in this place, let us show love and compassion to them. Most of all let us educate them on the reality that is Planned Parenthood.

May the Lord bless you and keep you, may he grant you the desires of your heart.

May mother Mary cover you with her love.  

Your Sister in Christ,

Michelle. 

 

The Beauty of Diversity in the Mission

This Saturday, we had the opportunity to participate in a protest outside of Planned Parenthood (PP), on Bleeker Street. It’s the original PP that Margaret Sanger started as part of her plan to eliminate the African American population, located, tellingly, in “Sanger Square”. I was just one of thousands of protesters across the nation, rallied at hundreds of PP locations. I had the opportunity to pray, sing, and listen to speakers there, including Fr. Frank Pavone of Priests for life. We had opposition, maybe 20 prochoicers that showed up and were screaming insults and slogans and chants. One line that caught my attention was “Sex is beautiful. Babies are optional.” It breaks my heart to think of how much more beautiful reality is than their perception. How they’re missing out on so much. Yes, of course sex is beautiful, and I’m glad they recognize that. But sex closed to life is selfish, merely pleasurable, even if it is mutual. The beauty is distorted. If it’s compulsive and uncontrolled, the beauty is lost. It becomes mere instinct. Sex is optional- and that’s part of what makes it so beautiful, such a gift. Sex open to life is a breathtaking display of unreserved love. And it goes without saying that the beauty of life that they’re missing is astounding. Babies are beautiful. Life is beautiful. Love is beautiful. Murder is not. The protest was a lot different than EMC’s normal method of doing things. I’m used to approaching women one on one every day, trying to begin a dialogue full of love and care. This was a large scale, direct protest, not against the women, but against the corporation. Both means are necessary. We cannot hope to obtain legal attention without demonstrating the popular support. But we cannot hope to change lives and hearts without meaningful dialogue. Whatever you’re doing for the prolife cause, please continue. We cannot do anything without your prayers and support. We need each individual to become fully engaged, to honestly commit absolutely everything they can to end the massive slaughter that our nation is permitting. May God’s mercy and grace abound in your lives.

God Bless,
Jennifer

Everything has an impact.. are you paying for abortion?

The past couple days have been a whirlwind of sidewalk counseling and working in the office. One of the most distinct moments was talking with a family outside of Choices. The woman was completely unaware that it was an abortion mill walking in, and was there for a pregnancy confirmation. I had the chance to talk with her as she came out and she will not be keeping her appointment she had scheduled. She told me her story, how she was raped about ten years ago, but decided to keep her child. Her baby girl had complications in utero, and did not live very long. However, this woman knew the hardest of cases, and was completely pro-life. She was now married with two young children, and she looked beautiful with a mother’s rosary around her neck. She was appalled at the abortion industry, and was very adamant about refusing to give them her business as soon as she knew. Throughout that day I also had the opportunity to talk with about 5 other women who considered for the first time that they were essentially funding abortion by giving Choices their GYN business. Several changed their mind. Let’s keep reaching women before they get to the point of abortion! Please, please keep praying for these women, the ignorant or hardened or misled. God bless each and every one of you!

God Bless,

Jennifer

Here’s the video journal I made that day:

https://video-ord1-1.xx.fbcdn.net/hvideo-xtp1/v/t42.1790-2/11868418_884510788270377_1386736122_n.mp4?efg=eyJybHIiOjY2NywicmxhIjo1MTJ9&rl=667&vabr=371&oh=b38fd9b51d17109990f7d524af243c5f&oe=55DB6598

"Choices"

Yesterday I had a particularly sad encounter outside of Choices abortion clinic. Two women approached from across the street. Initially, it was obvious they didn’t know who I was. They were friendly enough, the mother complaining about how the clinic was hard to find. I asked if they were here for an abortion. The mother told me, “don’t look at me” and I gestured toward the young lady, who confirmed it. I handed her a pamphlet, and said, “You know there are other options, right?” At that the suggestion, the mother became visibly irritated, saying “Oh please..” and ushering her daughter hastily away from me, toward the door. I then turned my attention to another woman approaching. What I didn’t see, and what my fellow counselor told me later, was that the girl walked past the clinic door, and was reading the pamphlet, crying. Her mother forced her into the clinic. We didn’t see her come out. Coercion is abhorrent, it’s disguisting, it’s illegal, but more than anything, it’s heartbreaking. But in the popular media, it’s only called “exercising choice.” Of course, there’s hope, because we are fighting from the victory of Christ Himself. Keep praying for us, and for every woman and child!

God Bless,

Jennifer

(One of our team members counseling outside of Choices)

Leadership lessons from John Maxwell

Our founder Chris Slattery went to 3-Day Live Certification Training Event by a leaderhip master John Maxwell. The event took place in Florida and myself with couple of other interns joined Chris on the road trip that included stopping at great historical places. Learning about the birth of America was unforgettable, but I would like to focus on invaluable leadership lessons. We need to encourage expectant mothers to live intentionally and respond to a vocation of motherhood with their full potential.

I had an opportunity to watch John Maxwell speaking live for 3 hours. The phrase that became his mantra was 'Value people'. It sounds obvious, but the value of a human being is too often reduced in communications. Moreover, if everyone valued people, there would be no abortions in the world!

John Maxwell also gave tips on how to succeed quickly:

1. Learn from failures of others to save your time

2. Have a teachable spirit

3. Ask questions

4. Do not bargain on the price of success. Pay the price that many people are not willing to pay

Apparently there is no easy way to success. Differentiating whether to go forward despite of enormous sacrifices or to back out is never easy. This was John Maxwell advice:

1. Treat every door as an oper door, even though people are quick to assume that things they do not want to do mean closed doors. For successful people closed door is not a motivation to quit.

2. If eventually considering backing out, ask God to confirm or disconfirm the move through the closest people. Also ask God to confirm it with an action or a sign.

3. Ask God for other door to go through. 

These insights can really help women in the most difficult situations of their lives. As a pastor, John Maxwell used Bible as the most perfect source of leadership training. 'Translating' it for non-religious community can benefit so many lives!

Sigute

...But that should sound familiar to Christians

One of the things about living in NYC is you spend a lot of time in the subway- which is both a blessing and a curse. I don’t think I have to explain why public transportation- complete with crowds, delays and automated voices- can be a curse. But it’s also a blessing for me, because it means this summer I’ve had a lot of reading time all but thrust upon me. Today I finished Father Frank Pavone’s book, How to End Abortion, Not Just Fight It. Through it, God graced me with the words of encouragement and inspiration I needed.  One of the points he makes, relevant to all of us, is “This work is not a hobby; it will require us to give everything. But that should sound familiar to Christians.” For me, this summer, that means giving my all to every woman who approaches the abortion clinic or EMC office. Giving my entire effort and concentration, my whole focus, and entrusting the Holy Spirit to give me words of truth. It means getting out of bed and motivating myself before the day starts, and guarding my interior life ferociously. I often fail, but tomorrow I won’t. And taking it one day at a time is really all we can do. Earlier this week there was a woman who walked out of the abortion clinic. She walked past me, and too late, I decided I should’ve offered services one more time, even though she seemed very intent on where she was going. Then she stopped at the crosswalk light a ways away and was busy on her phone. I hesitated: from fear of being overbearing, from exhaustion, from fear of missing another woman, from fear of what the others waiting at the crosswalk would think. The moment was gone and she crossed the street. Within the half hour, she was back, and walked into the clinic. I tried unsuccessfully to reach out to her. But what if I had reached out the first time? What if she knew that I cared about her not only when I thought she was going in for the procedure? What if I hadn’t hesitated? I don’t know. I never will. But that’s what happens when I fail to give my all, even once. And now, I can only entrust that moment to the infinite mercy of Christ, begging for forgiveness and strength each day in the future. I want to challenge every reader not to make that mistake- don’t fail to give everything. Don’t hesitate to support the mission financially and with your time. Don’t take your responsibility of prayer lightly, not a single one goes to waste! Thank you so much for all that you do.

God Bless,

Jennifer

(Counseling outside of an abortion mill).

The Beauty of The Communion of Saints

Summer is slowly coming to an end and with it our time here in New York. I want to share with you all the beauty of community life in this internship. As you may all know we are all interns from different parts of the world. This summer we come together from Spain, Ireland, Wisconsin, Nigeria, Lithonia and Texas. We all have different cultures, different ways of seeing the world and different pasts. However God uniquely planned for us to come together this summer to build a culture of life. I want to share a little about how our community life worked. Every day we were sent to by two to different sites, we would start out day together and end it together with our partner, just like the disciples. We were there to support one another when things got difficult, we were there to protect each other from harm, and we were there to share the good news of saving lives. After long days we would all come home or go site seeing together, we would cook together or just relax. Our time together was precious because deep down we knew that it was limited and that soon we would no longer be together. For the past two weeks people have started to leave, and it’s extremely hard to say goodbye. The beauty of this internship is not only saving lives and spreading the gospel but is also living the communion of saints, just like the disciples did. Is meeting new people and building holy friendships, obliviously there are cultural differences that make it difficult at times but they also make it beautiful. As I say goodbye to my fellow disciples I can’t stop to think how difficult it must had been for the disciples to say goodbye to each other. However, they had the hope- the hope that we have as well, that one day we will be together for eternity in heaven.

 May the Lord bless you and keep you may he grant you the desires of your heart.

May mother Mary keep you in her heart.

All holy men and women in heaven pray for us!

Your Sister in Christ,

Michelle Nunez 

 

Made and Aborted in Manhattan (?)

I've become aware of three cases from this past week alone, where girls and women are being coerced to abort their babies. It is a big issue. As well as being morally wrong, it is illegal. One such case is that of "Rachida" and "Ibrahim" from Turkey.

They married two months ago & Rachida came to join Ibrahim in New York, where he has been living for 15 years (They had a long distance, year-long engagement. We suspect that it was an arranged marriage). On arriving at our centre together just one week ago, Rachida was crying. She is pregnant with their first child and she did not, and does not want an abortion. Ibrahim was resolute: he wanted to abort the baby, saying he wanted them to have time to get to know eachother first and that they could "have another one". He also tried to justify the abortion on the basis that Rachida needs time to adjust to life in NY.  When leaving, Ibrahim was as determined as ever to have his wife abort their little baby son or daughter. He has phoned us numerous times this week...

Rachida is in a very vulnerable situation. She only very recently moved to NY & she doesn't speak English. Since her appointment with us, she has communicated to us that Ibrahim has threatened to divorce her & send her back to Turkey if she doesn't abort their baby. We have a lawyer, but Rachida doesn't want to avail of his services because of her husband's wrath and the likely implosion of her marriage. Moreover, in the event of divorce, while Ibrahim couldn't legally send Rachida back to Turkey, she would have no alternative but to return voluntarily, given she has neither or family nor support nor independent accommodation nor a job in NY. Returning a divorced woman in a Muslim would bring shame on her. Personally, I think the divorce is an empty threat. However, my sense is that Ibrahim would make life extremely difficult for Rachida (intimidation, verbal abuse or worse...) if she tries to buy more time or if she refuses outright. I fear that what is most likely is that she could be bullied into the abortion or that she could reluctantly consent in order to placate him, to 'save' her marriage and to prevent her new life from falling down around her. She would pay the ultimate price: the killing and sacrifice of her first pre-born child.

Please pray for this family of three, for the protection of their baby, for strength for Rachida and for a change of heart for Ibrahim.

Made and aborted in Manhattan (?): please pray so that the title of this post does not become this little baby's epitaph. He is meant for more than this.

Claire.

An abundance of life

I’m constantly reminded how little time I have left in NYC, despite feeling like I just arrived. I have been extremely blessed with this opportunity to work on the frontlines of the pro-life mission. When I head back to Wisconsin, I will probably not be spending much time sidewalk counseling: my town doesn’t even have one abortion clinic. So how will I continue the pro-life mission? There are a million answers, of course: prayer, fundraising, changing hearts by opening discussions, involving myself in the pro-life club. But the one that sticks out to me most is through my career path. I am working to become a physician. I haven’t yet decided which kind, but whatever type I become, my work will help to give life, and to give more abundance to each life that already exists. Christ said, “I have come so that they may have life, and have it more abundantly.” We are all called to share in that mission somehow. I got to witness a powerful example of this on Thursday. I was blessed to have the opportunity to shadow a private practice OB/GYN in Brooklyn, Dr. Mark. From circumcision to yeast infection, I got to see a lot. He has a procedure room as well as a sonogram room right in his clinic. But more importantly, I got to see one example of a physician striving to give a better life to those he works with. There are some differences in the decisions we’d make regarding services offered, but it was none the less a powerful opportunity. Furthermore, it was a potent reminder of what my prolife mission may look like for the rest of my life. Please keep praying for us, we need it!

God Bless,

Jennifer

The Pain of Post-Abortion

This entire week I have been sent to the Brooklyn office, and I have to say it was the hardest week of all my time here. All this week I saw clients that were challenging. Most of them had had an abortion before; they were older women who had a stable job- some were about to finish school and even had support from their partner and family to raise a child. However, they decided that they did not feel ready to become a mother, so they wanted to have an abortion. Case after case broke my heart. It got to the point were I told one of the woman who had all the support and resources to have her child that she was being very selfish her respond was “ I know I am being selfish”. This woman was 22 years old and had an abortion when she was 19, when I asked her if she regreted it she said “no”. I continued the conversation by asking her why she had the first abortion she replied “ my mother forced me to. I had no choice. I wanted to keep it.” I told her she had a choice now, she said “ yea and I choose to have an abortion”.  Deep down I could she the great pain that this woman was carrying. I was able to see that she was trying her best to not show her pain- to pretend that she was completely fine. This case was repeated multiple times this week. My request for you is to please focus on praying for these women, women that have had abortions and are broken. Women that are afraid to show their pain and to tell people they are not okay. Most of them left the office still wanting an abortion, however, I know that the seed was planted. I did my part and I know that God and Mother Mary will do her part. Let us always remember to pray for the post-abortive women in our world, let us remember that they too, just like St. Mary Magdalene, are broken and in search for love. 

May the Lord bless you and keep you, may he grant you the desires of your heart.

May Mother Mary teach us how to love.

Your Sister In Christ,

Michelle 

 

Where Sin Abounds, Grace Abounds All the More

I’ve spent the majority of this week on the sidewalk, either counseling outside of Choices, an abortion clinic, or passing out educational material on busy streets. I’ve also spent some time in our Queens office. As always, there’s been a lot of work, little sleep, and rare- but precious- successes. Today in the office we saw a particularly heartbreaking case. A newlywed, Muslim couple came in seeking abortion pills. He spoke English and Turkish, she only spoke Turkish. When we talked to her alone (painstakingly slowly, via Google translate), we discovered that she was more religious than he, and wanted to keep the child. He did not feel like their marriage was ready to withstand the trials of children yet- economically or relationally. It was plain to see that the abortion would drive a deeper wedge in their marriage and souls, but he refused to acknowledge this. His wife was afraid to admit to him that she wanted the child. Eventually, he became impatient and they left. Time after time I’m reminded how only our prayers and God’s grace can change hearts. I turn to Our Lady once more, and surrender their marriage and her fragile heart to her. Our Lady of Perpetual Help has particularly been reaching out to me recently, reminding me that she will always be a source of comfort and advocate for her children. In each struggling pregnancy and with every recalcitrant heart, we must continue to trust Our Lord’s divine plan. That we might not despair, nor become despondant, but surrender ourselves to His love and mercy. Our Lady of Perpetual Help, pray for us who desperately implore your intercession!

God bless,

Jennifer

The Power of Life

On Friday, I had the opportunity to work in the Brooklyn office while we performed ultrasounds. I got to experience two radically different situations. The first was a teenage mother who came in with her friend. Upon seeing her ultrasound, she could not stop squealing and smiling out of excitement. With every movement, and with every new feature the ultrasound tech pointed out, she was more enthralled. It was a beautiful acknowledgement of the power of bearing life. The second was a mature woman (20s or young 30s) heavily considering abortion. She teared up upon hearing the heartbeat of her child, as many mothers do who are leaning towards abortion. However, when I got the chance to talk to her, she seemed hopeful but uncertain, saying she thought her child was going to be a girl, with two older brothers. The ultrasound tech had to step out a moment, and the head counselor, Kathy, came in. After she left, it was explained to me that her child seemed to have anencephaly, a condition where the skull doesn’t develop. Kathy delivered this news to the mother, encouraging her to get a second opinion from a doctor at the Gianna center. The mother was absolutely distraught. The contradiction struck me- she was willing to take her child’s life, but was very, very upset when the baby’s health was in question. Sometimes it takes drastic measures for us to appreciate the beauty of life. I don’t understand God’s motivations, but the power of both situations left an impression on me. Life is so powerful, and it’s a potent reminder to make sure every minute of mine counts. 

https://video-lga1-1.xx.fbcdn.net/hvideo-xpa1/v/t42.1790-2/11763789_876454065742716_224826129_n.mp4?efg=eyJybHIiOjMwMCwicmxhIjo1MTJ9&rl=300&vabr=146&oh=ca6eb94634f8401309118cf269b41e8b&oe=55C2C921

Attached is an audio of the first girl sharing her excitement after viewing the ultrasound.

Saving 'Grace' on Tuesday.

We spend most mornings sidewalk counselling outside a number of baby killing facilities. Last Tuesday morning, I was stationed outside Planned Parenthood on Bleecker Street, Noho (This is a prime location in Manhattan. The building across from P.P.'s premises will open in a few months. The cheapest condominium will cost $4 million - for just 1700 square feet - and they will range up to $24 million in price. It is quite curious how a "non-profit" organisation could even lease an adjacent premises which occupies thousands of square feet - a substantial portion of the block).

I struck up a conversation with two young women, Marina and Kayla, accompanied by a two year old boy, Jamie in a buggy. It was Marina who had come for an abortion and little Jamie in the buggy was her son. We had a good conversation. Marina listened and engaged with me, but her Kayla, her cousin was impatient and they went in after a while.

We prayed hard while standing and walking up and down the sidewalk, in-between making approaches to & counselling other women and girls. An hour or so later, Borja called me and alerted me to the fact that Marina had come out!!!! I gave her space and waited until she walked down the sidewalk towards us. She started to cry and her first utterance was simply "I couldn't do it". She also said she had googled 'Planned Parenthood sells baby parts' like I had suggested & while she hadn't watched one of the videos in the waiting room, she did read an article. 

Marina declined to go to an EMC centre for a sonogram there and then, preferring to go home, but we exchanged numbers and made an arrangement for her to come to our centre in the Bronx on Friday. I've named the baby Grace. Please spiritually adopt Grace and her mom Marina and pray for them & for all our other clients in the days, weeks & months to come.

Claire

Glorious Friday

            Last Friday I was sent to the Brooklyn office where we saw 12 patients. Carolina and I were the only two there; our hearts were filled with joy and excitement after seeing baby after baby on the sonogram screen. Each one was unique; each one touched their mother’s heart in a very unique way. It was an indescribable experience to see each mother’s reaction. After each woman had their sonogram we did a consultation, in which each mother opens and pours out their hearts to us, which is something very sacred.  Each one shared with me why she is not ready to have her baby, or how she is being pressure by others not to have her baby. We then explained to her that she is not alone that we are here to help her in anything she needs; we empower them to make the best decision that they can make for themselves and for the baby. Out of the twelve one left the office still wanting an abortion. Eleven babies were saved, all thanks to the grace of God. Please keep praying for all the mothers and all of us that work in pregnancy centers that God may use us to bring the good news to these women.

May God bless you and keep you, may he grant you the desires of your heart.

May mother Mary overwhelm you with her motherly love.

Your Sister In Christ,

Michelle 

Our Lady of Guadalupe pray for us.

Choices

For the past two weeks I have been sent to go to Choices a lot. Choices is a clinic, established about 40 years ago. Even though Planned Parenthood is the largest abortion clinic in the United States, there are several private ones that are as cruel as Planed Parenthood. Choices is located in Queens New York, in one of the worst neighborhoods. The first time that I went to Choices I was surprised, surprised by the name. Choices: it is plural meaning that abortion is not the only choice a woman can make. Then why call an abortion clinic Choices when they only choice given there to woman is to kill their babies.  All of these abortion clinics have names that contradict what they stand for.  Why? Obviously because it is all a big lie, they want to make women believe that they are being empowered, when in reality they are being destroyed. They are telling them we don’t believe that you are strong enough, smart enough and have the courage enough to handle the situation you are in. We don’t believe in you. Most of these abortion clinics were started by women, this makes me wonder who broke these women; they are so broken, it breaks my heart. I’m sure that someone lied to them. Someone told them or treated them like they were not enough: smart enough, good enough, strong enough. Many condemn these women, but they’re just like every women that wants to have an abortion and like each one of us, broken. Humanity, meaning all of us, are broken. All of us commit sin, all of us have been lied to. They are not soulless beings, they are our sisters, and just like all of us they are in great need of love, compassion and forgiveness. They are in great need of God. We are called to love them. We are called to be kind no matter how difficult it is.  I beg you from the bottom of my heart to pray for these women!

May the Lord bless you and keep you, may he grant you the desires of your heart.

May mother Mary keep you in her heart.

Your Sister In Christ,

Michelle 

 

Refreshing Grace

On Monday, I had the opportunity to counsel two clients, both of which were genuinely pleasant encounters. The first woman had a negative pregnancy test. However, we still had the opportunity to talk about options for any future pregnancies. I go to inform her of some of the health consequences of abortions, which she had been completely unaware of, and she left significantly more pro-life than when she had arrived. Even the fact that having an abortion can increase your chances for miscarriages was shocking to her and prohibitive. The second woman was a very hesitant young woman, in her mid-twenties. She had a positive test that visibly upset her. She had decided with her boyfriend previously that she could not keep a child at this point in time. However, she had never had an abortion before, and I could tell she didn’t want to. She was scarred, and was open with me about her fear. There was a real relationship of trust, which was very rewarding to experience. The women rarely sense- or maybe just refuse to believe- how much we as counselors really care about them, and what we would sacrifice for them. But this woman really seemed to understand, which was profoundly refreshing. We talked about carrying her child to term and about adoption options. I also got to reassure her that her wariness of abortion was not unfounded- that there can be very serious health consequences to the procedure that she should be aware of. We spoke on the phone later that day to schedule an ultrasound. Days like this are a particular blessing from Christ. He knew that as a counselor, I needed refreshment and hope. He knows what each of his children need. Sometimes I need to be the recipient of that grace, and sometimes I get to be the vessel in which it poured out upon another beloved child. As always, please keep us in your prayers, we desperately need them!

In Christ,

Jennifer

(Training with internationally renowned expert sidewalk counselor Sister Dorothy later in the week).

Botching Abortion, Part II: One Dead, One Wounded.

........Even having replaced these with a staff of "conscientious, careful, decent physicians, dedicated to the task", he aptly notes that "the morality of what we were involved in remained unchanged". They "continued to carry out the same grisly task with no medical indication or excuse at all", observes Nathanson (p.148).

Notwithstanding the changes Nathanson made in his abortion centre, writing in 1996, he added that "abortionists even today, ......do tend to come from the lower orders of the medical profession" (p. 150).

This holds true in 2015.  Moreover, shoddy and illegal practices are common. Irrespective of these, abortion remains a violent, physically invasive and dangerous procedure for women, even if within the forceps' grip of a skilled practitioner.

Planned Parenthood KNOWS this. They expect the hospitalisations, the grievous bodily injury and even death:  just outside the entrance to their premises in Bleecker St., (a prime location in Noho, Manhattan), they reserve a parking space for an ambulance from 7am to 7pm every weekday . If the patient is lucky, P.P. might even call it for them.

Postscript:

Tonya Reaves' 3 year anniversary was last week, on July 20th. She and her pre-born baby died following a bungled and incomplete abortion by Planned Parenthood in Chicago in  2012. Ms. Reaves suffered an extensive uterine perforation, possible severing of a uterine artery and substantial internal and vaginal bleeding. Yet, P.P never called 911 and waited five and a half hours after the abortion before calling an ambulance for the dying patient. We pray for Tonya and her baby. May they, and the millions of other victims of abortion, rest in peace. Amen.

Claire.

Botching Abortion, Part I: One Dead, One Wounded.

This subject of this blog was inspired by this sign I saw outside of a Planned Parenthood centre for the killing of pre-born babies. I will return to this later. 

Abortion is a fatal enterprise and its proponents measure its success by the rendition of a mutilated, dead baby from her mother. A botched abortion is deemed one where the baby is born alive or where the mother sustains injuries during the abortion.

For the pro-lifer, every abortion is a double tragedy, with two victims, one dead and one wounded. Pro-lifers naturally dislike the term 'botched abortion' because it presupposes that a live birth - if there is one - is regrettable and, if the baby is successfully killed, the botched refers only to the injuries undergone by the mother.

So-called "botched abortions", are however, a reality.

In addition to exacting an onerous psychological, emotional and spiritual toll on mothers, surgical abortion presents real, grievious and potentially life-threatening risks for the mother. These include, but are not limited to scarring and perforation of the uterus, serious blood loss, infections, blot clots, sepsis and death. In addition, it can cause infertility and may necessitate a blood transfusion or hysterectomy, to name just a few.

The abortion pill is classified as a medical abortion. The FDA tracks complications following medical abortions. In the U.S. in 2011, they reported 8 deaths,  48 severe infections, 58 ectopic pregnancies, 256 infections, 339 cases of bloody loss requiring transfusions, and 612 hospitalisations. The statistics quoted here are for medical abortions ONLY and  DO NOT the include adverse effects on womens' health from surgical abortions.

This is not surprising. In his book "The Hand of God", former abortionist turned pro-life advocate, Dr. Bernard Nathanson, described the physician staff in one of his abortion centres as "deplorable, consisting of an extraordinary variety of drunks, druggies, sadists, sexual molestors, just plain incompetents and medical losers" (p. 142)..............

The Happiness of Choosing Life

This past Friday, I was sent to the Brooklyn office where I saw one of my clients. She is 30 years old from Ecuador; she has a fifteen-year-old son, and after coming into our offices seeking an abortion, she left choosing to keep her baby. Now we are trying our best to give her all the resources that she needs.  As I sat in front of her talking to her of the different things she needed and desired, I could not help but feel joy. I felt her joy: the joy that she transmitted after choosing life. It seem like she was a different person now than when she first came into our office seeking an abortion. That day she seemed in such an agony: she was confused, frustrated and sad. Now she was more at peace, she was aware that it was going to be hard, but her decision brought her happiness and she knew that God’s providence would not abandon her.  This is exactly what women that are seeking abortion need. They need someone to believe that they can, that God is with them and not against them. That no matter how difficult the situation might be, there is always a light.  We- the interns and the pro-life moment as a whole- are the Gabriels of these women. Just like the archangel Gabriel appear to Mary telling her she was going to be a mother in the Annunciation, so do we with this women. Just like Gabriel told Mary not to be afraid, that nothing was impossible for God, we remind these women of this! Don’t be afraid to be someone’s Gabriel. Don’t be afraid to join the pro-life moment, who knows- you might save a life! Please let us pray for the women that have chosen life as they embrace the difficult realities.

May the Lord bless you and keep you, may he grant you the desires of your heart.

May Mother Mary grant us the grace to be more like St. Gabriel the archangel.

Your Sister In Christ,

Michelle. 

 

Expecting Christmas Eve.

A mother, Leona and her 15 old daughter, Yasmin, 16 weeks pregnant with her own daughter, came to our centre last week. Yasmin was adamant: she wanted an abortion. Leona firmly but tacitly supported her daughter in this deadly course of action. During the sonogram, neither mother wanted to look at the image if the baby.

In the counselling session that followed, Yasmin remained as abortion-minded as when she'd arrived. Towards the end, a fellow counsellor came in briefly, stepped out again before coming back once again: "You're going home", she told Yasmin. I was surprised that our session had just been brought to an end. My co-counsellor had gone to speak with Leona, informing her that not only was Yasmin 16 weeks pregnant, but that she was expecting a baby girl & that her due date was Christmas Eve!!! Leona hadn't hesitated: "Well, she's going to have to keep her", she'd exclaimed. I was stunned by the sudden turn-around, but jubilant nonetheless. 

On reflecting later, I realised that it wasn't just that Leona didn't want to look at the sonogram, she couldn't bring herself to: to face the reality that her daughter was pregnant & to face the soon-to-be victim of this unanticipated pregnancy.

Secondly, the vast majority of women seeking abortions (and sometimes the family members who accompany them), are very conflicted. Deep-down, they don't want to go through with it & are looking for a reason not too. In this case, it was the fortuitous sharing of information about the baby with her grandmother her Leona, that was decisive.

Life is precarious as it is. The arbitrary nature of "choice", of being legally allowed to choose to have one's own baby killed compounds it's precariousness. We can instantaneously choose to have another person killed, for example, a tiny fellow New Yorker, & have this decision executed within a few hours.

This baby's life was however, thankfully saved, in a split-second decision - in a heartbeat. It literally took the length of time of a heartbeat to save her life. To quote a song I like, "In a New York minute, everything can change". 😀

Claire.

Being a Witness

I cannot believe how fast time passes by; yesterday marked three weeks of me being here. This week I have been assigned to go to Choices, under the direction of Sr. Dorothy, one of the best sidewalk counselors in the nation.  I would say 95% of the girls stop to speak to her, and most of them end up deciding to keep their babies. The secret to her success is the power of prayers and not only her prayers but the prayers of others, including our prayers. I have been assigned for the past two days to be one of her prayer warriors. Today was late term abortion day, usually according to Sr. Dorothy the clinic is packed with women starting the two day process. However, today was different, only one third of the woman came to the clinic. Meaning that there were babies saved thanks to our prayers. I want to ask each one of you to come out to the sidewalks even though you might not feel called to do sidewalk counseling, you are always called to pray and to be a witness not only to these women but to those passing by.  Even though we are starting to have more evidence on how cruel the abortion industry is, we have to remember that God is in control. He needs us to pray; He needs us to stand up as a society to defend the most vulnerable of our kind, the unborn. Prayer in my opinion is the greatest weapon that we have to fight against this great evil; we have to include activism of course, but without prayer our actions will not get far. Prayer is what keeps us grounded. Prayer is what gives us hope to keep going. Prayer is our strength. Like St. Padre Pio said “Prayer is the oxygen to our soul”, without it we cannot survive, especially not during battle. May God bless you and keep you, may he grant you the desires of your heart. May Mother Mary cover our world with her mantle of love.

Your Sister In Christ,

Michelle 

St.Padre Pio, pray for us.

At Parkmed

Marta, Marga and Sigute

The Different Faces of The Pro-Life Movement

This past week I had the privilege of attending the annual American Academy of Fertility Care Professionals conference. I have to admit that this conference has transformed my life and opened my eyes to something bigger than I could ever imagine. After reading Humane Vitae, Dr. Thomas Hilgers decided to create NaPro Technology, which is now the most pro-life and moral medical approach to Natural Family Planning, fertility, breastfeeding, and infertility. Dozens of studies have been done under the direction of Dr. Hilgers and the Pope Paul IV Institute. There is no better way to empower a woman than to teach her how God designed her reproductive system to work.  We live in a society that prescribes contraception for every issue that a woman has with their reproductive system, which in reality is really harming her more. It was absolutely mind blowing to see so many pro-life Catholic doctors gather to find new ways to better serve their patients. The truly care about each woman’s health- it’s beautiful. I never imagined that I would be able to experience something like this, to witness medical professionals come together and discuss how to build the culture of life.  The job that they have is not easy; I was able to also listen to them talk about all the persecution that they have to encounter from all the other medical professionals that are building the culture of death. Speaking for myself, I know that I never took the time to sit and think about the need that we have for pro-life doctors and the change that they are making in our society by teaching couples the beauty of their reproductive system and sexuality. Like many of them have shared with us in their talks, if someone doubts that there is a God ask him to study a woman’s reproductive system. It is incredible to see that these men and women can see the beauty and in a way believe in God by studying our anatomy and physiology. Let us remember to pray for all these holy men and women that are courageously fighting to protect and teach us about our health. 

May the Lord bless you and keep you, may he grant you the desires of your heart.

May Mother Mary always guide you to Jesus.

Your Sister in Christ,

Michelle 

Dr.Hilgers, presenting the NaPro Technology textbook to St.John Paul II.

First VIDEO-BLOG from Javi at PP

The value of a Life

A lot  mothers  come into our offices not having a clue about  the meaning of life because no one has told them. These days I've been working precisely trying to explain the value of life for this mothers.

As an example, I was talking to a mother who thought it was better to abort her baby than being a bad mother. She thought wouldn't be able to love her baby and also that she wouldn't have the qualities to be a good mother. In this situation, I tried to explain that a life has more value than that. That's to say, if a mother is not ready to have a baby, the solutuon is not abort him; the solution is to try to change herself to became a good mother.

Although I spend more time talking to the mothers at the office, it's not the only work I do these days. Also I've been in front of a clinic (Planned Parenthood) praying and trying to change mothers' minds.

Finally, I would like to say that while this work is challenging, it is also very rewarding.

Marta

The Desperation

On Tuesday, I was sent to Choices; Sr. Dorothy asked me to stand on the other side of the sidewalk and pray.  As I did this for at least an hour, I witness a woman come out with two children: a little girl around age 4 and a little boy around age two. She stood outside for at least thirty minutes talking on the phone.  She got my attention and kept it for the entire time she was there. Even though I was on the other side of the sidewalk, I was still able to hear her conversation, which was in Spanish. It broke my heart to listen and share her despair; she was talking to her baby’s father basically explaining what they had told her.  From what I heard the man was not very supportive. She explained to him that “this” was not only her problem and that he could not leave her alone. He hung up a couple of times and she called him back, telling him she wanted to die, that she felt alone. She was in tears. I continued to pray and kept my eye on her; I reached out to her after she got off the phone but she was not very receptive. Both of her children were by her side and were witnessing their mother’s despair in choosing life for their sibling. I am not sure what happen with these women. I do know her story, but I am sure that she is not the only one. All the women that go in to these abortion clinics are living an agony, the same agony that Jesus felt when Satan was tempting him. My pray is that just like Jesus overcame temptation and allowed God’s will to be done this woman may do the same. 

 May the Lord bless you and keep you may he grant you the desires of your heart.

Your Sister In Christ,

Michelle. 

 

A survivor

A beautiful black woman came through the Brooklyn office door and her first words were ‘I don’t want an abortion!’. She was explaining with her soft voice that she is trying to ger her boyfriend out of the flat because he is rough with her and makes her scared. The situation of this lady was complicated.

The reason she was considering abortion was because father of her first two children suggested her to have it. This pregnancy was caused by the current boyfriend, but the ex-boyfriend wanted to abort this baby and make her pregnant with his baby.

The client was so thirsty for peaceful life, happiness and true love. She knew that what her ex is doing is not right, and that the behaviour of the current boyfriend is unacceptable too. She was talking about how much loved she feels by her mentally disabled son, showed pictures of her beautiful children and told about a good time they have together.

I was astonished by the clear focus and wisdom of this lady. She is like a pheonix raised from ashes. She told me that she was forced into prostitution when she was a teenager, she was raped, had a gun to her head and developed depresion.

After her terrible past, she was fighting hard to have a healthy life and left the office with a courage to keep a baby and separate from an abusive boyfriend. Later the same week her boyfriend escorted her back to our office for an ultrasound. She was very patient with him, she took a lot of chastity and pregnancy information from us, and hopefully is building her dream life.

Sigute