Goodbye NYC

During my days here I’ve learned that everybody has a value. It doesn’t matter where we were born, where we study or who we are.

We are different and each life has value. We all made mistakes and in EMC I could see the generosity of the people despite their difficult lives.

I had good and bad moments, but I grow up because of them.

I’m leaving with more enthusiastic than I came here. I learned that with a little help we can do a lot.

Thanks for these days. I will never forget.

Hi!!This days I had been in Emily´s,an Abortion Clinic in the Bronx.At 7.30am the women come into the Clinic.We try to stop them and talk with them,give alternatives.A few of them arrive alone,with the money in the hand and looking the floor.They know that something is not right in that decision.
The pro-choise people,who are in the door open it,are unpolite.They defende that the women are the owner or their body.The father of the baby can´t give their opinion about the situation.Maybe he wants to sopport her.So,the pro-choise don´t lend them a ¨choise"
I talked with a girl,but her situation is terrible.She thinks sehe doesn´t have another way to solve the problem.
I spent 30min talking with a woman.She ísn´t be inform about the ramifications and the procedure of getting an abortion.
The ramifications of get an abortion are for the rest of their lifes.

Tears

Today at Emily's I realized the great significance of regret.

After spending the morning in front of Emily's, when no more girls would be coming in to get an abortion, I went to the back. A woman came out of the clinic, she was the mother-in-law of one of the patients. She didn't approve the girl's decision about having an abortion, and was really sad about the fact, but she was there to give her support and take her home. She said she didn't like the place.

After a while talking with her, it turned out that she was really interested in what we work for, and thanked us for it. With a sad face she accepted the pamphlet, telling me there's nothing we could do, the procedure was already going on. ''But we also offer after abortion help!'' I told her. I could see in her eyes that somehow her heart was relieved. ''Thank you, then we have a chance.''

When the girl came out they both started crying. I haven't seen such sadness in a long time. But I saw something else too: regret. That feeling that will prevent her from having an abortion again. Three more girls came out crying. We never know what will happen with the girls that come out of the clinic. Sometimes they seem as stubborn and sure as when they went in, but many others come out destroyed. These tears are a first step, when their hearts realize their maternity.

We can only pray, and although we'll probably never see the results of our prayers, we have hope, because it's never too late for realization and healing.

Leandra

Suena la puerta de la oficina de Detroit, es Leandra, tiene un appointment. Es obvio que está embaraza, aunque su tripa queda disimulada por la blusa de enfermera amplia azul marino que lleva.

Como de costumbre la respuesta a la pregunta en la que todos temblamos al hacerla es AB. Ella nos dice que está aproximadamente de 27 semanas aunque la ruedita dice que debe ser alrededor de las treinta y algo. Por ello cogemos el coche y nos llevamos a Leandra a hacerse una ecografía. Efectivamente la ruedita tiene razón y Leandra está embarazada de 34 semanas. Mientras ve la ecografía su cara va cambiando por momentos, hasta que realmente se da cuenta de que ese algo que tiene dentro tiene forma humana e incluso llega a ver que su bebé se chupa el dedo.

Su siguiente decisión, la cual considero muy valiente, es dar a su niño en adopción porque ella no se ve capaz de criarlo. Después de varias horas hablando y decidiendo las características que Leandra quería que tuviera la familia de adopción nos despedimos de ella. Supongo que ya habrá tenido el niño y alguno de los de Detroit habrá podido a ir a visitarla.

It's easy as A B C

Many of our client come from different parts of Africa. I was thinking about that, and how they don't realize how dangerously exposed to STDs (sexual transmitted diseases) they are when they have sex with multiple partners. A beautiful story came to my mind. How in Uganda they reduced the HIV rate in a record time making use of the ABC approach.

A for abstinence: The 100% safest defense against STDs is delaying your first time having sex.

B for Be Faithful: be monogamous and aware in case you already have HIV.

C for Condom: Warning people that condoms are not a 100 percent secure, they recommend it in case they reject A and B.

Here I leave you the link where you can find some more information:

http://www.avert.org/abc-hiv.htm

And in Spanish: http://www.comminit.com/en/node/192815

Responsibility

One of the themes that we talk to the women is responsibility. Everything in life is done with that and also having a baby is a big responsibility. When a women comes to EMC saying that she doesn't want the baby we talk to her about this.

A few days ago a young couple came to the Bronx's office. The women wanted to stop having sex with her boyfriend because she told us that she wants to wait for the marriage.

She didn't know how to explain that to him, so we talked with both at the same time.

He was confused and also annoyed because she didn't want to stop sleeping with her.

This is a clear example about the lack of responsibility. Women should be treated well. The guys don't care about the consequences of sex, they don't get pregnant ando also they don't know how a women feel when she aborts.

The green T-shirt men

Yesterday I went to PP (Plan Parenthood) for my first time. We had to be there by 7:30 am as the clinic opens really early to do abortions. When I arrived at Bleecker Street I was surprised as the clinic was a whole building of around 7 to 10 floors. Although the clinic does not only make abortions, most of the profits of the business come due to them

But the subject of today’s post is the man of the green T-shirt. He arrived at 9:15 am on a 4x4 Ford with a woman. She went in and he stayed out as PP’s policy does not allow partners to come in. He was wandering around his car and PP’s door; it seemed that he could barely conceal his nerves. From time to time I met his eyes, which only transmitted sadness. I decided to walk towards him with decision and I gave him one of the newspapers I was giving out. I took advantage of the moment to start a conversation about abortion.

On the one hand he was against abortion and he told me that any women should have one as it is really hard. On the other hand her girlfriend was inside. I told him that he was acting in an incoherent way an assertion that he did not reject. He was then conscious that he was not acting the way he thought but he was justifying himself that abortion was the best decision for him and her girlfriend. I tried to explain him that abortion is never a good alternative and that we could help them with whatever they needed. The longer I spoke to him the quicker his arguments were losing weight.

Although he did not go inside the building and take his girlfriend out, I am sure he went home and thought about everything we had talked about in our conversation, which included many issues as we had been talking almost for an hour. I finally had to leave and he was still standing next to his car waiting for her girlfriend to go out.  I said goodbye to him and he told me: “you guys are doing a great job”. Hope he changes his mind for a future!

Chances

Yesterday, I was at our South Bronx Center when a 23 years old woman came in. She lives with her boyfriend and his family. She had a difficult childhood. Her mother died when she was 8 and her stepmother doesn't get on well with her.

She didn't want to keep the baby because of her situation and also because she wants a better future than she thinks she will be able to give her baby.

We explained to her the possibilities of adoption. I think it's not easy for a mother to give her child to others but it's a way to give them the opportunity of growing up in a nice family. There's a lot of people that can't have children and they are excited to have some.

Women that get pregnant should think about the baby. In all abortion cases babies are victims without defense and we should give them life's opportunities with people who are going to make them happy.

TWO FACES

One of the problems in our society is trying to fit in. We change our personalities, our styles of life and more things.

Today I watched an interview with a teenager. She said that she didn't like her attitude during her years in highschool. She had to be someone that she wasn't, only because she thought that nobody likeed her.

We have two faces. One inside and the other outside. The cause of that is fear. We are afraid of what everybody think. That is not our fault. It is because of society.

Moreover fear is the cause of the lack of freedom. We can't express our feelings. We should ignore what everybody thinks. It's difficult but not imposible.

This reminded me of the movie called Juno. I like her way of carrying the situation. She was afraid like many pregnant women but she gave her child the opportunity at life.

What would we do if we got pregnant in highschool? maybe we would first think about what others will say. We should learn how to make educated and mature decisions without having relying on other's opinions.

A bad decision could damage the rest of our lives.

Last experiences

The last experience i have experienced is similar to the one that i explained last week in my daily blog. The other day i went to an abortion clinic located in The Bronx. There were so many girls that wanted to have an abortion, but we tried to convince them that abortion is not the solution to their problems. All the problems are small compared to abortion, so is not like a solution, but a problem. I want to remember one famous philosopher that said: you cannot find peace by avoiding life.

All my experience have been adquired during my days in the abortion clinic, so i can say that it has been a tough days.

Thank you for reading the blog and see you in the next post.

A REAL FRIEND

Most of the teenagers that come to the centers asking for an abortion come with one or two friends. An abortion is something that frignthens them and they need a friend to be near them. but these friends encourage them to have the abortion, they don't normally encourage them to keep the baby. However Jane came with a friend that really loved her, Kate. When Jane told Kate that she was pregnant and that she wanted to abort, Kate asked her to visit an EMC Center before.
Kate had known about EMC some weeks ago when she was in the same siyuation as Jane. Kate arrived to an EMC Center because she saw an advertisement in the train and she thought it was an abortion clinic. She changed her mind when she was told about the procedures and she saw a picture of a 9 weeks baby.
As every good friend should do, she wanted her friend to see the same she had seen. And this was how Kate save her friend's son's life, because Jane changed her mind after she had visited the EMC Center.

New borough: Brooklyn

Today has been the best experience since i came to NYC. As long as i have been working in the EMC i only have been in the bronx, so i can say that the new borough has been a good change.

The office we have working into is in the top on the building and it was amazing how many girls just visited us with the idea of having an abortion. It was also impressive the way of working of the woman in charge of the office, Linda. She was so friendly with the women that everyone loves her. The usual words that she is used to say to the people are: i love you, honey, sweatheart....


It has been a good experience

Saving lifes

My first day at Emily's was so intense. All of the women who came to the clinic were looking down, like being ashamed and also they ignored us because if they engaged us we could change their minds.

I couldn't talk to them but I could give some information about abortion.

Most of them came with their boyfriends, some with family or friends. I was surprised because one came with her son. How a women could abort a child while with a child? she might have economic or other problems. I felt so sad about that because we couldn't talk to her but I gave her a pamphlet.

A few hours later we went to the other side of the clinic. We saw all the girls coming back from it.

Then I saw that girl with her son and I asked her if she aborted, She told me that she read the information and she also changed her mind. She realized that she didn't want her child to die.

I was so excited because I could save that baby.

My First Experience

I am going to explain my first experience . A 24 year old women came to the Bronx center last Wednesday.

The first time I saw her I realized that she didn’t want to abort because she has a 6 month old daughter so she knows how you feel when you have a baby.

She told me that having a baby would be difficult because she works and also studies at college. She didn't know how abortions were done so I explained the methods and consequences to her. Finally she started to cry and she told me that she wants the baby.

I learned how to be compassionate and loving. That makes me happy.

Thinking about the Future

I'm surprised by an article that a prochoicer wrote.

There are a lot of opinions about us. Basically, they think that we don't care about women.

It's true that a woman's health is a private topic but we don't encroach on their rights. We talk to them. We explain the abortion procedures and then, they choose. We open their eyes to the reality of the situation.

The main difference between prochoice and prolife is that we take care of them after they decide what to do. We help them during their pregnancy and also we are in contact for years.

Prochoicers think in the present and after abortion they don't care about what happens to the women.

On the other hand, when women came to us they sometimes only talk about how difficult their lives are in that moment. Why don't they think of the future?

Life's not easy but there are situations that could improve our problems, like a baby.

There's something that I've learnt during my life: The most worth while things take the most effort.

Abortion is the easy way in the moment but not in the future.

What Really Matters

EMC center began as a result of the initiative of someone who really believed in life’s defense. He didn’t have money but he has a strong spirit.

Gradually he was earning money from the people who really believed in his work. Thanks to them he could buy all the centers that are still working.

It’s important to be sure what we want. It’s easy to say “I want to do something” but it’s hard to start doing that. In a few months he turned the idea in a reality.

This happens when a woman comes to us saying that she wants to have the baby but she can’t because of economic problems.

The fact is that sometimes we don’t have self-esteem and we also think that we’re not able to do some things. With initiative we can do whatever we want. Thanks to that and his strong character EMC is doing a good job in NYC.