Time flies!!

This is the first summer in which time has flown with lightspeed. I just got to NYC, when suddenly I had to leave. I´ll always say; I have to come back! I didn´t have time for all the things I imagined I´d do. But I never imagined how much I did, and learned in such a short period of time.

Being an intern at EMC is something you have to experience to know what I´m talking about. No matter how much you said you were prolife before, if you come you´ll be triple. Because being prolife is not something you´re for the summer. It´s neither a theory or simply not liking abortion. It's fighting for life every second of the day. And this is something you can only learn by living it. By standing 8 hours on the burning hot streets of NYC. Or helping women in the offices who don´t know what they´re dealing with when they think of abortion.

The fact of being an intern is even more enriching, because it's not only your experience, but also the ones you get when hearing your roommate´s stories. Like living 20 lives at once, makes you discover the power of sharing: sharing our food, rooms, bathroom.... it´s all for the greater good.

So I want to thank Chris for this great opportunity he´s given me. I want to thank Liz and Carmen for all their teaching, help and work in the offices. Rossana and Jowell for the encouragements and bravery on the streets . Linda, who I never got to meet personally, but whose turnarounds were the best of all. And to the lifehousers: Thanks for everything guys! To each and every one of you! As you could see from reading other blogs there are many things all of us agree and disagree about. But the strongest? EMC moved our spirits, changed our lives.

Save the Heroes!

During the Summer of Mercy in Maryland we got a T-shirt from Abort73 saying:''41% don´t make it out alive''. This is a really shocking fact. Nearly half of the babies conceived in NYC aren´t born!

The reality of how many people are lost, being missed out of the society is scary. No wonder the eonomy is going so bad! We´ve got lack of artists, of lawyers, of politicians.

I was talking to a man the other day at Jerome Ave who made me realise how many famous people come from the worst backgrounds. Singers, actors, war-leaders. It does make sense, they´ve had to learn how to make their way through life. Many babies are killed before being born because their moms think there won´t be money enough. What if Nelson Mandela had been aborted? We need these people, lets be a 100% alive!!

Lucky Lucky

These days I learned a touch of humility. How we have to ask God to make us humble to understand these young women that come into our offices and we see going into Emily´s. A cocky and superficial outlook of ourselves won´t help them change their minds. Because they won´t see someone trying to help them but someone telling them that everything they do is wrong. And this will only lead to an agressive reaction in the opposite way.

We are really lucky to be on this side of the road. We´ve been always able to get informed about whatever we wanted to. We could and can trust that what we learn is the truth, because that´s what we look for.Who knows what will have happened to you if you had have the same education as she did. The same peer pressure. You cannot judge yourself superior for the clothes you wear, or all the things you know. "Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven."

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!

Sharing experiences

Today at the office some women have shared their stories. They were just passing by, they just came to thank EMC once again. But when they met these girls who where in the same situation just a few months ago, they couldn´t let it pass without trying to help.

Your story might not be the same as hers, or maybe your past have been completely opposite.

However, you are pregnant, you are scared.

That´s how their stories have been interweaved. Perhaps they once aborted, or just chose adoption for their child, or found out their body is a treasure they have to guard and love.

As a famous spanish rhyme says "compartir es vivir" (to share is to live). These experiences have been a cry of hope for these women. A present from God.

Stories to tell

Though each day is different at Emily's, there´s always something that happens: There are some girls that listen to us and, realizing what an abortion is, keep the baby. There are others that don´t and decide to have an abortion thinking it is the right thing, because they already thought about it enough. That´s the choice they made and they are not going back on that decision. But did she really choose? Did she know everything about the procedure she was going to get?

Today a woman shared her story with us.

She was walking along the street with her 3 beautiful children; 2 girls and 1 boy, going to the park. She had an abortion when she whas 17. When she had it she had no choice, her mom made her do it. And that is a decision she´ll always regret. For her last child, her husband told her to have another one. She said no, she was not going through all that suffering again. She was not going allow her child to die. If he loves her, he loves their child too and there´s no possible reason to let it die.

What life brings you

There are many girls who come into our office feeling nothing but hopelessness, and leaving with loads of hope. How many are offered it, but don't take it preferring to stay with their money, their plans, afraid of such a big change. But what is life without change?

It's amazing how the girls that better understand the great importance of the life they're carrying, or the fact that they are already prepared for this new responsability as women and mothers, are usually the ones with less financial resources. These women might have no papers, no job, no close family. Maybe not even a home!

This wonderful wisdom, a gift from God to these women who probably will be confronting great challenges, is something our society lacks nowadays. But here they are. Keeping their modest lives, showing us how selfish we all can be sometimes. Because there are times when you don't keep your plan, but you keep a life.

"Suffering cheerfully endured, ceases to be suffering and is transmuted into an ineffable joy."

Mathama Gandhi

Selling a bike?

I visited Dr.Emily´s website today. It's funny (if you can call it like that) how on their homepage the first thing you see is prices. FREE PARKING, FREE ABORTIONS WITH MEDICAID. Then the different types of abortions, also showing off their prices.

When getting more information about the different types of precedures, the usual words are painless, anesthesia, asleep, verified insurance, quick, safe, gentle.

Can you see any information about the procedure there? The consequences? Only for the aspiration method it suggests that you have to "have a high tolerance for pain". I don't think I see the gentleness here. Even when taking an aspirin people make note of the risks it has. So why don't they if not only one, but 2 lives are at risk?

They sell their product...procedures. We help them to be informed. They talk about women's rights, we fight not only for their rights but for their lives.

Mommy look!

They are constantly bombarding us with lots of information nowadays. New devices, worldwide news, great savings and many more is what we get through our 5 senses each and every second.
So why not also being informed about pregnancy and abortion? That was our job at Queens this morning and we did it in every possible way. It´s amazing how many people stopped by our table. Men, women and whole families who were impressed by the pictures of babies growing inside the womb."Mommy look!", A 3 year old boy said," Just like my baby sister!". The woman nodded and smiled. Yes, This thought is now firmly attached to their hearts. I guess the question is not how much, but how important the information is. Ours is a big job.

Bringing America back to Life

I never saw so many people together for the same purpose: growing in knowledge of how to defend life.
Each and every talk was interesting. We learned about the history and evolution of abortion and also about politics in the United States.
What most amazed me was the testimony of a woman who wasn't supported by her family but she still carried out her pregnancy without a doubt. She was only 15.
Traveling to Florida was a long trip, but there's nothing that equals all that we received in such a little time. This story is the start of a chain, a chain of hope that we can enlarge each time we share it, and save many lives.

It is love

Today I met a girl who just refused abortion. She was 3 months pregnant. After knowing how harmful abortion was, she didn't think twice about it; she was keeping the baby.
She was scared of having a disabled son but a possible disease is not enough reason to kill him and put yourself in danger. You could see it in her eyes, a mother's love is so big that it overcomes every doubt. Even if he had downs syndrome, if he was blind or deaf, he will be her son. Life is an adventure and she's now ready for that. Let's make a toast! Hooray!

Marta

Hello! I am Marta and I am studying Fine Arts in Madrid, though my hometown is Pamplona, Navarre. As I grew up I learned that everyone is special, every life is important and different, no matter their disabilities or problems, we have to love them.
But it looks as if the world has forgotten that. Abortion is a growing issue in Spain. In fact, last month they announced the opening of a new abortion clinic in Pamplona.
Thankfully, more people are realizing that abortion not only kills babies, but endangers women too. But being pro-life is not only an adjective, is an action. We have to stop this business and each of us counts.
By coming here I have the opportunity of helping the people who don't know about abortion, and promote the fight against it in Spain.