AMAZING!

Today was an amazing day in the South Bronx center. Due to the fact that there were four interns and two volunteers at the center, Chris requested that leafleting be done and a table be set up. The table had magazines which featured information on abortion and fetal development as well as a television playing a dvd showing images of babies killed by abortion. Having to go back to the life house to get the 19" tv/dvd player along with a table did not sound like the most appealing thing to do with more than half the day gone but we did it anyways, and you would not have been able to guess what happened. The DVD showing the carnage of abortion drew and SHOCKED a great number of people passing by on the busy sidewalk. As I was talking to one person I noticed three young ladies standing in awe right infront of the television. They could not believe what they were seeing. These were not simply women whose minds were changed about abortion, one young lady in the group, was actually on her way to have an abortion down the street. After talking a bit on the street, the one girl and her friends followed me up the stairs to the pregnancy center. They met Liz, and we set up an appointment for some time next week. While it was clear she had made her mind up about not having the abortion, further counselling and a sonogram was set up just in case. How incredible, she was literally minutes away from having an abortion.

Healty Abortion?

Today at the center on Jerome Avenue, a young couple came in seeking out an abortion. The mother was told by her doctor that due to the complications she had during the delivery of her now two-year-old, she should not have kids until age 25. Her and her boyfriend believed they needed this abortion for health reasons. However, after talking with them, and watching the video on the abortion procedures and potential complications, their attitudes quickly changed. Atleast 4 times during the video, her concerned boyfriend looked to her and said, "your not getting this abortion." Even if getting pregnant at 25 rather than 19 would reduce the risk of complications, the terribly unnatural procedure of abortion is far more dangerous physically and emotionally, than the very natural event of child birth. The couple were very grateful for having met us and for receiving the information we provided for them. The mother is scheduled for an ultrasound next Monday and plans to parent. Please pray for her.

Hearbeat International Conference

This week I was able to take part in the Heartbeat International Conference in Richmond, Virginia. Hundreds of individuals from different pregnancy centers across the nation gathered together to hear talks and attend workshops given by some of the most distinguished pro-life leaders in the movement. It was an amazing experience. I was able to meet people like Fr. Frank Pavone, director of Priests for Life, and listen to Peggy Hartshorne, president of Heartbeat International. I was thoroughly inspired by the talks and learned many practical things about working within pregnancy care centers. This was the first time I was able to attend a conference of such great importance. I am grateful to Chris Slattery and this internship for this life changing experience. It has become clear that this internship is not only training individuals to work in pregnancy care centers, it is teaching those who take part in it, how to become the next generation of leaders within this great movement.

Today at the Brooklyn EMC center, I was privileged to be able to sit in on, and take part in (to a small extent) a counselling session that took place primarily between Linda (the counselor of the center) and a young couple. I learned a great deal watching Linda counsel. It was clear that the young couple were put at ease with the care and understanding which Linda showed to them. After talking with them, watching a few video's, and talking a little more, the mother agreed to come back for an ultrasound. I was able to talk to the young father. He told me that he did not want his girlfriend to go through the troubles which abortion would enevitably cause her. I believe he will be a good and supportive father to his child and that, as in many cases, once the mother actually sees the sonogram of her child, abortion for her will be unthinkable. I am learning so much here with EMC, and am very eager to bring the wisdom and techniques learned here to save lives back in Toronto, Ontario, my home city.