Breaking a Fatal Pattern

It was a cold morning in New York City. I was standing on the sidewalk at the back intrance to Dr. Emily´s Abortion Clinic. They walked swiftly down the street in an attempt to rush past me, on their way in. Later I found out that they had been told on the phone to avoid the pro-life people outside.

She was in the parking lot leading the way, and halfway to the clinic door when her boyfriend stopped to talk to me. I asked him if she was pregnant and going in for an abortion. He said yes, and I motioned for her to come over and chat with us. He wanted to keep the baby and said he would be there for her. She was post-abortive and was ready to repeat the fatal pattern.

We talked about fetal development, the abortion procedure, and the humanity and dignity of her unborn child. We talked about the struggles that would lay ahead if she kept her baby and the fear that she harbored within her heart. She cried, and we hugged. She had a lot to think about. I invited her to accompany me to our South Bronx Pregnancy Center because she no longer wished to be at the clinic. But she wanted to go home. We parted with an exchange of phone numbers and her promise to call me later in the day to visit the center. I could only pray that she would contact me. 

Imagine my relief when my phone rang and I heard her voice on the other end! We met that afternoon at our Center in the South Bronx and spent hours talking about the different options available to her. In the end she left with a free sonogram appointment and a new outlook on life and her pregnancy. She was leaning much more towards parenting than she had been that morning as she rushed past me so quickly.