No Regrets

This picture was taken in the Bronx where one of our EMC centers is located. These 2 kids are brilliant little souls.
The mother of the 2 of them is a very strong woman. The doctor had told her when she was pregnant with the young man, that he was going to have a birth defect.
The doctor tried to persuade her into getting an abortion. He didn't really care either way, but he made it clear that she definitely had that option and it would be completely understandable if she were to.
The young man is outstanding smart. I got to hang out with him here for a few hours. There is nothing "wrong" with him at all whatsoever. He has one of the brightest personalities I have ever seen.
He talked to me with respect. He loves his younger sister there. And the mother is content with her decision with both of these children. No regrets.
When you are faithful to God, He is faithful to you.

Brooklyn Girls Are Rough

The girls of Brooklyn are very rough to say the least. Out of all the boroughs that I have worked in, I would personally have to say that Brooklyn has the toughest crowd.
These girls put up with the lowest of the lows from the guys their age. This past week I went to Brooklyn to help Linda out and was able to meet with 9 girls that stopped by.
They told Linda and I what guys say to them. They told us the expectations from guys are these days. And lets just say that it's not a walk in the park, as to what they are after.
I feel so bad for these girls. One of the girls there complained to Linda and I that the state has closed down a lot of the parks and the regular hang out places in these kids' neighborhoods that they usually go to.
She said that the only place that people her age go to are each others' houses. And that is where the whole act of sex begins. She said no one else ever talks about sex the way Linda and I were talking about it.
We shared with the girls how God wanted us to wait til we were married to have sex. That it is an act between a man and a woman in a commitment before God that they should perform. It's not so that young people like them can participate in an activity with someone from their school. And for it to serve no purpose.
We told these girls that sex is sacred. The purpose of it is not only just to create a union and intimacy with the man and woman, but to also create offspring. God gave us the opportunity to create other souls and bring them into this world. What a blessing we have.
And when we decide to do an abortion, we are slapping God in the face. We are saying to him, "ok, I know you want me to create another child, but it's just not working with MY plan, so......"
These 9 girls ate this stuff up. They said that no one has ever told them this. I told them the safest sex is no sex. The best form of birth control is abstinence. I got very vulnerable with them and told them that I personally was a virgin. And that I am choosing to not have sex until I am married.
They didn't believe that I was a virgin, which really makes me sad. That was so hard for them to even comprehend. These were good girls. Most of them were 16.
Praise God that they had a place like EMC in Brooklyn where this picture was taken so that they could learn more about the TRUTH.

Mother Who Decided to Keep

Working with EMC, I go to the center in Queens a lot of the time. There, I counsel girls that are wanting to keep their baby, wanting to get an abortion, or wanting to make an adoption plan.
I have not had one girl decide that she wanted to make an adoption plan. The culture here in NYC is very traditional on the family. It is a slap in the face to the family to carry your child for 9 months to then make an adoption plan where the child lives with another couple.
I find it very interesting, because these are the same girls that are in the front of the line to get an abortion. Weird.
This was a young woman who thought about getting an abortion. The thought occurred in her mind, because she was a very special case. There was crime involved with how she got pregnant. After Carmen met with her many times, and counseled her, this woman decided for HERSELF that it is wrong to abort her child.
She chose for herself that she wanted to keep this child. She just recently had the baby. And ironically, she named her ABIGAIL!

The Truck that Transfers the Aborted Babies

Working with EMC, we stand outside of Dr. Emily's abortion clinic at least 3x a week. We stand on the sidewalk, with EMC pamphlets that we give to the girls going in. We tell them that they have other options,other than abortion. We tell them that EMC can help them.
One day, as I was doing just this, I looked in front of me to see this truck. I didn't think much of it at first. Then Julia, one of my superiors, turns to me and says, "hey abby. That's where they take the dead bodies of the aborted babies. In that truck".
I said to her, "are you serious?" "Dead serious". She replied to me. No pun intended.
On the truck it reads "REGULATED MEDICAL WASTE". I thought to myself, well, it's good to know that the human bodies are regulated! I mean, regulated or not, doesn't make much of a difference once they have gotten to that point.
The man started out with 2 big empty boxes. He pushed his wheeley pusher into the abortion clinic. Next, he comes back out with the same 2 boxes, except this time they are filled with the bodies of aborted babies.
Babies that deserve to live. Babies that are PEOPLE that deserve to live.
Even with me, myself, being a woman, it is still NOT my right to decipher between life and death. I have no business saying whether or not a person should live or die.
Especially a person that is innocent, and free of any crime whatsoever.

Miracle of the Hand at EMC Brooklyn Clinic

Clinic Director Linda, tells the story of a miracle that took place in the Sonogram room, at our EMC Clinic in Brooklyn, NY!

Final Reflections

As I conclude my time (at least for this visit) at the Lifehouse and at EMC, it really is amazing what I've done while I have been here.

The internship is truly a unique learning experience. Living and working in the Bronx is unlike anywhere else I have lived or worked. Oddly enough, even as a Southerner and agrarian at heart, I will miss the Bronx. It's a very special place and it has been wonderful to try and save the babies of this area.

Best of all, I've met some wonderful people, both at EMC, with the various Catholic agencies that work with us, and the people who support us with kind words and hugs from the neighborhood. There is nothing that improves a hard morning of sidewalk counseling quite like the grandmotherly woman who walks by and gives everyone a hug or a man walking to the store who stops and tells you how good it is to be out doing what we do.

Within the centers, it's been quite an experience as well. This is not a cake walk. The women who come in are each individuals, they are quite often very difficult cases and tend to think that they are set on an abortion.

Each woman is different. What works with one may not phase another. Yesterday, a woman broke down in tears just because she held a model of what her baby would look like. Other women think it's all a game. There can be no one-size-fits all strategy here. It's a very difficult skill to learn, but I hope I've picked it up somewhat.

My time here has been a very informative and challenging time, but I've also enjoyed it. There is no better feeling in the world than seeing a woman decide to keep her child and be at peace with her decision. For the opportunity to experience this I am very grateful.

The Power of One Life

Some days, working at the centers it can become rather trying when after an hour or even more time is spent with a woman explaining to her what her real options are and what the consequences of her choices are only to have them seem to be unaffected.

Other girls make up phone numbers or just tell us what we want to hear and then, when calling to follow up, they've decided to have the abortion anyway. Not every meeting ends as I would prefer, but all I can do is my best and leave the rest up to God.

Some places, I see counts of babies saved. This is of course wonderful, but I really hope that the numbers undercount the children saved. Of course they must, since we're not just saving one baby, but we're saving that child and any children that are the descendants of that child. To just think of how big a number that this might be from any given baby is impressive.

When I'm working in the centers, I must go completely against my empirical nature and avoid thinking of such counts. One thing that is certain is that nothing is certain. Only God can know what change we work on the women we talk with day after day. What must be focused on, instead is the woman in front of me. What can I do to reach her and help save her child, her grand children, her great-grand children,....

What wonderful work we do! Deo Gratias!

EMC Saving Babies and Forging Friendships

One of the great things about EMC is our clients, and the relationships that we are able to build with them. Once she has changed her mind and chosen LIFE for her baby, she is so grateful to us for having helped her! So much so, that it is not at all uncommon for previous clients to stop by one of the centers just say "Hi"! This helps us to find out how she's doing and to continue with counseling and resources, be it material or emotional support if need be. The Mom's are always so proud to bring their little bundles of joy to meet us! Allowing us the privilege of seeing the fruits of our labor, in the form of beautiful, little, Miracle Babies!

About six months ago I met a young lady who had been a previous client of ours. She had spoken with our Center Director Liz and decided to keep her baby. She was just by for a visit to see Liz and introduce her to the baby. As we sat in the lobby that day we formed a friendship. I became the honorary 'Tia' or Aunti to her beautiful daughter Vivianna with the big brown eyes. What an honor! It's occurrences like these that make me that much more grateful to be doing this work!

Into the Tomb

This morning, there were times when I felt something (in a much milder form, I guess) like how the disciples must have felt on the first Holy Saturday. They were alone in the world with demons and those who wished to do them harm all about. And yet, they still believed.

On Saturdays, when the clinic has deathscorts (a very dour looking and rude lot) out on the sidewalk to prevent us from talking to women, there is often a feeling of being alone and trapped surrounded by these coworkers of Satan. We all know that murder is going on by the dozens day after day inside of Emily's, but there are walls to keep the evil in. Very little seeps out to the sidewalks where we are compared to what is inside. It is when the deathscorts come out, get in our faces, and try their hardest to keep us from saving lives that the chill of evil becomes more real.

Thankfully, Satan isn't a very smart fellow and he and his helpers in the mass murder of babies cannot win in the end. To see the deathscorts' reactions when the Sisters of Life, or as happened today, the CFRs come out to pray and sing is rather amusing. There are saints that recommended laughing at Satan. After all, Satan has now power over us, as scary as he may be.

Satan is a joke. God is in control and Satan sits in Hell gnashing his teeth because he knows that in the end he has lost. All he can do is try and drag as many poor souls as he can down into his misery to share the same lot for eternity.

Thinking of this and watching the deathscorts squirm while a friar talks to them or a sister prays certainly drives away the feeling of abandonment outside the dark Satanic mill.

Time Flies...

Today marks the last week of working as an intern at EMC for me. It's rather amazing how time has flown by. When I first got here, we were digging out of blizzards and now they are calling for 70s this weekend.

Working at the Life House and with EMC has allowed me to meet and work with some wonderful people. This is a ministry that takes a lot of work. At the end of the day, sometimes I don't even want to get on the train, I just want to fall asleep in the office.

The joy that comes from working with God to save babies is something impossible to describe. It makes it all worth it. I've been talking with women and most of the time, I really don't have a clue what it was that started turning them away from abortion. Presenting them with the Truth is all that we can do, for the Truth is Christ's and with Christ there is victory.

So, in this final week (the week of Our Lord's passion and victory over death) more babies to save!

Abortion Escorts Get a Little on the Fail Side

Yesterday I went to the abortion clinic in the Bronx,NY from 7:30 to 11:30 to tell the girls that went in about our Center where we can give them all their options as well as free sonograms and pregnancy tests. Well, I had some company....
There were 8 adults that stood outside the doors like I did and counteracted everything that I was trying to do. They were "escorts" for the girls going inside. They held the door open for the girl to walk through. They welcomed death. This was nothing compared to all the things they tried to say.
Everytime I opened my mouth there was a short woman who consistently spoke when I was speaking.
For example,I would say to the girl "hey mommy, are you going to the doctor?....ok,are you pregnant?" And usually the girl would answer yes or no. Then if it was yes I would ask "oh God bless you.Do you know how far along you are?" And they would either say they didn't know or they would tell me.
While I would be saying all this,the woman would be saying OVER me "don't listen to her.You don't have to listen to her. She doesn't know what she is saying......" Until the girl was out of my reach and went inside.
The woman made fun and mocked me. I was trained to say "hey mommy" cause that is something people say in general in the Bronx. Plus it gets the girl thinking "oh yeah,I am a mommy".
Well,these 8 people joked and said to me things like, "you're calling these girls mommy? Isn't that disrespectful? Why do you even say that? Do you know what you're even talking about ? hahahahaa"
After this happened one of their guys walked past the entrance and I thought it was a girl, so I turned my head. Then the short lady yelled at me, "yeah hun,that's one of OUR people. I just thought I would let you know since you keep harassing these girls and probably wanted to talk to him....hey! (towards the man) hey, DADDY! hahahah".....then they all laugh. They were making fun of me for saying mommy.
Then, after I make my way to the back entrance, I was able to get a girl's attention who was coming out. She was interested and walked towards me to receive one of our pamphlets. I asked her "do you know how far along you are?" She said, "2months". I said to her "oh mommy! That is so exciting! Did you know that the baby has a heartbeat at 3weeks which is only 21 days after conception?"
By this time, the escort lady came over along with her other buddies and interrupted me to say, "hey listen, she's not allowed to tell you that. She's not a doctor. She is lying to you."
So what I said to that was , "you know what mommy? These people make excellent points. Don't just listen to me, research this for yourself. Actually, thank you! That brings up a very good point! Go google this stuff for yourself and see if what I am saying to you is true".
This made the woman very,very angry.
Another time, I was telling a girl about our M.D. Dr. Iskander in Brooklyn. And she said "they don't have real doctors. They are fake doctors."
I told this girl the same thing. I said "hey you know what? You can call this number and see for yourself if our MD is fake or not mommy,ok?"
After a while, they started to leave me alone. I baffled them. I was really annoying them, to the point where they didn't even want to come around when I was talking to a girl.
So basically I took what they said and used it to continue to talk to the girls. Because I was not there to get into an argument with these people who are pro abortion. That wasn't my mission.
My mission was to help and support these women during these difficult times and to let them know they have other options and help provided for them.
It was very difficult,but I had to keep my eyes on the prize. And Christ's strength had EVERYTHING to do with that.

Public Disturbances by...sisters?

This morning at Emily's it was an exciting thing to see the Sisters of Life coming down the sidewalk to pray with us behind the clinic.

Not so much for those trying to kill babies inside, it seems.

For some reason, someone called the cops that there was a disturbance going on out back. The cops responded with about 8 officers or so with cars (as seen in the photo).

When the officers stepped out of their patrol cars, they couldn't figure out what the "disturbance" was, all that was going on was the sisters praying and singing. So, after looking confused, laughing a bit, and mentioning that the only source of disturbance seemed to be the NYPD, they got back in their cars and left. As has always been the case in my experience, the police are professional, friendly, and respectful.

After the excitement, the sisters and EMC interns continued with prayers and counseling.

Voices of Hope

This past Monday, a rather cloudy and dreary day as seen from the photo to the right, my day was made by hearing two little voices over the phone.

I was at the Brooklyn office getting ready to shut down for the day, when I picked up the phone to hear a request for Linda. After giving her the phone, we found out that the woman on the other end was past her due date and still had not gone into labor.

Because of her personal situation she could not afford to pay for either insurance or receive government assistance. ERs don't have to take a woman who isn't in labor, which was this woman's basic problem to start with. She needed to go into labor!

The woman on the phone had come to EMC three times, and had wanted to abort her two older children, now six and seven. After a visit with Linda, she had decided to keep. On Monday, she told us that her children had spent the day praying that their new sibling would be born soon. And while Linda had the mother on the phone, the kids got home. Hearing their voices come over the speaker phone in the office (we were also on the phone with the Sisters of Life and two doctors at the time and all of us were not only praying, but getting papers together) was wonderful. These two little children who almost were aborted themselves were happy, living, excited children just waiting for a new brother and sister.

It was a wonderful end to a busy and sometimes distressing day of counseling, that is for sure!

Let Your Glory Fill This Place

The Sisters of Life and 25 young women, who are discerning their vocation, joined us at an abortion clinic to sing hymns and pray. We began with the hymn, ‘Let Your Glory Fill This Place,’ which was very appropriate because ultimately we want God’s glory to rule in the abortion clinic.

Like in any abortion clinic, reliance on God is completely shut out of the realm of possibility because women seek an abortion in moments of utter despair. They are overwhelmed by pressures from others and their difficult circumstances. It is hard for them to look beyond one particular moment in their life.

I am inspired by the women who choose not to enter the abortion clinic because of sidewalk counselors or those who come to EMC centers and commit to keep their baby after their one-on-one counseling session and sonogram. They are strong women who put their child’s life ahead of their personal concerns each moment of their pregnancy and throughout the course of their child’s life.

Please pray for that the women EMC encounters will have a conversion of heart. With more prayers and proactive work, we can overcome the evil one who tempts women to have an abortion and the Supreme Authority over life will fill abortion minded women’s hearts with His glory.

Priests for Life Visits our 40 Days for Life!

Fr. William Scott Daniels of Priests for Life, recently visited our 40 Days for Life! We were so honored that he chose our Queens site on Abortion Row, for his visit. To have such a champion for life at our 40 Days! He prayed and witnessed for life, right along side us! When he was done, he even blessed our new Crisis Pregnancy Center just a few doors down from the two abortion clinics where we pray! Here are some great shots that we got of Fr. Daniel's!

Pro-life Rosary!


Two Abortion Clinics separated by a Dunkin Doughnuts.


Blessing EMC's new Center on Abortion Row in Queens!!!

Abortion is not health care!

This week, I worked out back of the abortion mill in the afternoon when women come out after their abortion. It's a very difficult time since the women coming out are so often traumatized.

It is very clear after only a few women come out, barely able to walk three steps without breaking down in tears, on the shoulders of their boyfriends or sitting, sobbing in the car, why the abortion mill tries to get all the women in all at the same time, and then run the abortions one after another. It seems that the sight of the post-abortion women would rather dampen sales.

We often hear that abortion is "just another medical procedure" or like "getting a tooth pulled." Yet, how many doctors offices have a stream of patients coming out so shaken up? This isn't medical care, it's not about health, it's all about profits and murder.

One Rescued Child Leads to Another Life-giving Choice

A few years ago, EMC inspired the woman in this picture to choose life for her unborn child despite her crisis pregnancy. She felt so blessed that EMC provided her with everything she needed to choose life for her amazing child.

Now that she's pregnant again, she knew exactly where to turn for help. Thankfully, she came into the EMC center at a pinnacle moment in another woman’s decision making process. She volunteered to talk to the abortion minded woman in order to help her make the right decision for herself and her unborn child.

What a powerful testimony she offered! She could not only empathize with the other woman because she was once abortion minded, but more importantly she could celebrate her decision to continue with her pregnancy.

The abortion-minded woman changed her mind and wanted to keep her child! Praise God for their encounter because one more of His innocent children has been spared from a brutal abortion.

Heroic Mothers Choose Life

I realized from the 7 "Almost Aborted" Survivors Speak Out---All Conceived in Rape or Incest--Symposium that God has given all people the ability to serve in the prolife movement in their own special way. The speakers who gave their testimony on Monday night are living examples of how valuable every human life is no matter how one is conceived.

Throughout the course of their life, each speaker has impacted countless people including classmates, friends, family, and even those who they encountered only once. Every experience they had with another person was known by God when He created them. Their mothers are heroes for allowing their children to live despite all the pain and suffering they experienced from rape or incest.

It was an honor to have the opportunity to meet and have my picture taken with Pam Stenzel and Rebecca Kiessling. They are amazing women who use their God given public speaking skills to promote a culture of life. My EMC internship allowed me the incredible gift of being yet one more person to value their life!

Conceived in Horror

Not every child is announced by a host of angels and not every child comes into the world in the most ideal of normal circumstances. Yet, each child is a gift from God and a human to cherish.

Last Monday, evening, EMC hosted a number of speakers to come share with us their life story. These were not your usual stories. They were the stories of children who were the result of rape, incest, or other violent acts. Even many, self-proclaimed, pro-lifers will balk at banning abortion in cases such as these. The speakers that evening put a human face on such a decision.

What makes the child of rape any less valuable than a person conceived under happier conditions?

What does it say about our country that we have banned executions for rapist and yet have no qualms about murdering their children? Does a child deserve to be held accountable, and pay the ultimate price, for the crime of its father? This is not simply an academic question. This is a question that could have meant the end of some of our speakers lives before they were even born!

It was this question that now has a much more concrete solution in my mind. No, of course the child can't be killed for such a fact that it has no part in. It's not just barbaric, but something worse. What was in store for the innocent lives that would be ended in such an act? On Monday night, I met some of those innocent lives that were luckily not ended and got to see how much they loved life.

Multi-tasking

On Tuesday, two young women came to an EMC center with a special request. They wanted to find out what happened if their friend came in for an abortion, thinking that we do abortions. After explaining to them why no woman should have to endure an abortion. Both of them were shocked and horrified by the evil that is abortion.

Following our video/discussion session on abortion, one of the young women clarified that she was not really a fan of abortion and now she was even more against it. Her other friend had become very hard and wanted to attack us for telling her the truth.

Not content with coming up with excuses for abortion, when confronted with the event that we had on Monday night involving women and men conceived in rape, she seemed unimpressed. Her next attack was against the validity of the Faith and she tried to explain to us why humans are no more important, or "superior" as she put it, than any other species. In my time here, I've never encountered such a person.

In a wide-ranging debate about topics ranging from rape to wearing fur to global warming, she showed that she was very opinionated but had views impossible to support with sound reasoning. Further proof that this work is always surprising and requires a sharp mind with answers to such a vast assortment of questions.

Power of Prayer

Recently I prayed outside an abortion clinic with a pro-life group. We held signs written in Spanish to reach out to the predominantly Spanish speaking population. Some handed out literature to those walking by, while others prayed.

After praying for 2 hours, I felt led to speak with a clinic worker who was handing out business cards for the clinic. I had never sidewalk counseled before, so I asked Ray’s advice. I trusted in God, and allowed Him to guide my words and actions.

I struck up a conversation with her, commenting on the weather. Then I asked her what it was like working at an abortion clinic. Was it difficult? She raised her hand to her mouth as she said, “I work here because I must eat.”

How sad I was to know that this woman believed that her only means of survival is to assist in the elimination of another human being! I told her that I would continue to pray for her. Moments later, Ray approached and said, “I have been praying for you and will continue to do so.” Just then tears filled her eyes as she replied, “I know.”

Oh, the Irony

Today, I spent a chilly morning outside of Dr. Emily's. It never seems to be warm on the front side, I've noticed.

As usual, the "escorts" were out today. I like to pray for their conversion while I'm out front as well as the babies, the mothers, and the abortion mill workers. Anyway, it struck me today, most (if not all) of the escorts are associated with various local Socialist groups. How ironic!

Of course, the reality of Socialism is that it all depends on death and fear of death to motivate people so that the system can limp along, as I once heard a former Soviet economist who had fled to the US explain. So, it should come as no surprise that we have socialists on the side of abortion.

But, the irony is that in the US, abortion is such an industry. It's not just a profitable industry, but it is one that runs off of the misery and death of the poorest of Americans! And there are socialists defending this? Have they not read Marx? Aren't they supposed to be standing up against the exploitation of the poor for the benefit of the rich? What a strange world!

Well, that's the thought that struck me as so odd on the sidewalk. It's my economist background coming up to the front. Perhaps an additional prayer should be that socialists can see reason?

Sonograms

We have found Sonogram to be a great tool in the fight to save unborn children and their mothers from the horrors of abortion. So often when Mom sees her tiny, little baby moving or hears the heart beating so swiftly, a change comes over her. Suddenly what seemed so impossible just seconds before, starts to become doable. And a choice that she never really wanted to make becomes unimaginable. Pictures and video were taken at EMC's Clinic in Brooklyn, NY.

It's all worth it

Sidewalk counseling, working in the centers, doing the various jobs that we do as interns can be exhausting. However, there are times when it is just so clearly worth it.

This week, I saw one such example. A young woman, who had been in the center at least twice before came back with a friend of hers. The last time she was at EMC, she brought a cousin for a pregnancy test and counseling. She, herself, was also pregnant.

I soon found out that her friend wanted to get contraceptives and the young lady that brought her to us wanted her to learn about the realities of abortions and contraceptives and to think about abstinence. While talking to the two women, the one who had been in the office previously mentioned that she had gotten an abortion before and that the people at the abortion mill had lied to her and treated her quite harshly. After a discussion of the real consequences of abortion on women, she brightened up and said "You know, I felt so sad for a long time, but now, after coming here, I've been happy."

And now, she's bringing her friends so that they don't have to suffer the same pain that she knew. Such a great friend. It's people that I meet who have such stories and such love that make all the work worth it.

Peacefulness

Surprisingly, I felt a great sense of peace permeating throughout the EMC Brooklyn Center even though we counseled and preformed ultrasounds for close to 20 women in one day! I was moved by how the EMC staff demonstrated such great love and compassion for each woman and unborn child they encountered. I felt very blessed that I had become a part of their amazing life saving work.

On Monday, March 1^st I began my ultrasound internship with EMC. I knew that when women see their baby on the ultrasound screen, their hearts can be softened and converted to choose life for their child. However, I didn’t have an opportunity to see these transformations until this week. I studied ultrasound so I could help save the lives of the unborn children and to prevent mothers from the damaging effects of abortion. It is very gratifying to see an abortion-minded woman change the course of her child’s fate during one ultrasound. There are small ways that mothers and their unborn child connect during the sonogram. One woman exclaimed, ‘my baby just waved at me!’ Another woman was moved when she heard her unborn child’s heartbeat. I am looking forward to more experiences such as these over the next few weeks!