Stanek weekend question: What is the boldest thing you’ve ever done to stop abortion?
Dr. Monica Miller of Citizens for a Pro-Life Society related a pretty incredible story, as posted on LifeNews.com:. It’s a heart-pounding but uplifting read. Excerpts…
Alicia had a terrible feeling that Maria intended to go through with the abortion. Alicia made a decision. “I knew I had to go to the Planned Parenthood clinic myself and try and intercept Maria.” But Alicia did not know what Maria looked like. Only Iris knew.
After entering Alicia saw a reception window. She explains: “I was afraid some of the PP workers were going to ask me what I was there for. And someone did. I quickly answered “I am just here to wait for someone.” I was allowed to go to the waiting room….
Iris kept a look-out to see if Maria would arrive. Just before 2:15 Maria drove into the PP lot. Indeed, she had come for her scheduled abortion!
Iris immediately called Alicia. “Maria just arrived - she’s walking into the clinic now. She’s wearing a blue jacket.”
A few moments later Maria entered the waiting room carrying a clip board with medical forms to fill out. She sat down. Alicia got up from her seat, walked across the room and took the seat next to Maria. She turned to her and addressing her in Spanish said: “Hello Maria - I am Alicia.”
Maria stared at Alicia completely stunned. She could not believe that the woman who had tried to talk her out of killing her baby the day before [by telephone] was now sitting in the PP waiting room! It was obvious that Alicia had come to get her out. Maria put down the clip board and said “Let’s get out of here now before I change my mind!”
What a great ending to a death-defying story. I don’t know if I could have done what Alicia did.
Yet, I think about standing up to the powers that be at Christ Hospital, and many people tell me they couldn’t have done that. But it was only last week that chicken me became bold enough to wear an anti-abortion t-shirt in public!
I can’t explain what triggers courage and boldness in the moment.
Sometimes the moments are smaller than we think… like the first time I held a poster featuring the image of an aborted baby or left an anti-abortion dropcard in a women’s restroom stall. The first move is always the hardest.
Nevertheless, these simple actions are still more than most of the people who call themselves pro-life would take.
Have you had such a moment?
Jill Stanek is a nurse turned speaker, columnist and blogger, a national figure in the effort to protect both preborn and postborn innocent human life.
I cant say Ive ever entered an abortion clinic for fear of being arrested. Ive held the graphic abortion signs and taken massive heat. I have also left little abortion pamphlets in womens rooms ( public restroom ) Sometimes I wear my PL shirt. Its got baby feet on the front and a long saying on the back. One sorta bold thing I did was this. The pro choice hospital I delivered my kids at were asking for donations. I took the picture of the little girl who was in a garbage bag burned by a saline abortion. Instead of $ the person who opened my “donation” envelope got my pic with a note that said “I will consider donating money when your hospital stops performing abortions.”
I feel ashamed to say maybe I haven’t been as bold as I should. I am at the clinic most weeks. I’ve had a mom get in my face and threaten to punch me. I spread my arms as if I wasn’t resisting and told her “do it.” She looked surprised and unsure of herself at that moment and I said “If you punch me I will have you arrested and you won’t be having an abortion today. If thats what it takes to save your baby then so be it. I will take a punch in the face for your baby’s life.” Her mouth fell open but then she laughed and cursed and went in anyhow.
I did risk my job talking an employee out of an abortion. My husband didn’t want me to do it because we really needed my job. But I could not not say anything knowing she was going to have an abortion in a few weeks. So I took her aside at my desk and talked to her about her baby, showed her pictures of fetal development and told her I would help her and that she could do it. She proceeded to chain smoke for weeks waffling back and forth but finally told me beaming that she was going to have her baby and that my confidence in her had swayed her. Today her little girl is 6 years old! She married the dad, they have a cute house, the mom finished school after all and the 6 year old even has a little sister. The day this almost aborted baby girl was born the grandmother who had been pushing my employee to have this abortion thanked me over and over for talking her out of it.
At the time it was scary not knowing if she would complain to HR and I would be fired for overstepping. But in writing it here it seems so lame. Really…whats a job compared to a child’s LIFE? I should be doing MORE.
Know someone who dumpster dove and found that the mill was illegally disposing of contaminasted I.V. equiptment, bloody instruments, baby pieces etc. They were inspected and cited for violations inside, but basically did not suffer the legal consequences they SHOULD have. Safe, legal and rare, NOT.
I talked with a young pregnant, depressed, poor mom (whose own mom had recently committed suicide) who was being pressured to abort by her abusive boyfriend. I told her that I chose life and so could she. And she did. And I occasionally see that model-beautiful young woman (who almost wasn’t) out and about in my area.
I also tell my story about being pressured to abort to area teens.
Our ability to act in these situations is a prompting of the Holy Spirit and reception of the seven gifts.
The boldest thing I did was perfectly legal and moral but got me a visit from an FBI agent anyway.
I’ve been a volunteer at a CPC, I’ve worn my Pro-Life shirts in public (while wearing one, a woman who- ironically had a cart with SEVERAL children in it gave me a look like she wanted to cut my head off!)I’ve had bumper stickers advertising the CPC where I volunteered, and I’ve given money (when I could) to Pro-Life organizations.
The only thing I haven’t done is sidewalk counsel/protest.
I am not certain what was the boldest thing I ever did to stop abortion. Once I stood by myself for a number of hours with a large protest sign as people were driving through a gate to a Planned Parenthood “charity” sale. For years I had pro-life, anti-abortion letters to the editor published in a city newspaper. After these letters were published I had to go to work among a large number of fellow employees, knowing that some were not in agreement with me. I joined many different pickets of abortion mills. But there were others who did something that I thought was bolder than what I did—they were arrested and jailed for non-violent “sit ins” at abortion mills.
I absolutely will be bolder.
I have no inhibitions calling pro-aborts baby killers. I am not sure if it has ever stopped an abortion but it is bold. The only abortion saves I can confirm having ever been part of were through praying outside of abortion mills.
That’s a wonderful story Deluded. I took part in a rescue years ago. I gave a little speech in front of the mill and was on all the news channels. I went to jail and stayed there for a few hours, then was released. At the time I was working at a big box, pro abortion law firm where the late Arlen Specter was a partner. A few week after the rescue I was fired. I don’t know if my arrest had anything to do with it, but I wouldn’t be surprised.
Phillymiss…im sorry you went to jail. Same thing happened to two men I protest with. If you even step onto the grass at a clinic you will go to jail. Both men were released the next day with a slap on the wrist. One guy pretty much said the same thing Sydney did. Whats a night in jail when it comes to saving babies? Besides Cleveland PD know these people totally over react. Sometimes the police tell the PC people to calm down or they will be arrested too. Its usually the deathcorts ranting and raving or a clinic nurse.
Oh you know, I executed someone in cold blood – Scott roeder
I was involved in the “Operation Rescue” movement back in 1988-92. After Clinton got elected the laws changed to create “bubble zones” making this particular tactic a felony…so pro-lifers developed better sidewalk counseling tactics. But the old “risk arrest” rescue movement did give a developing prolife movement new paths…this was when there were only a few small crisis pregnancy centers. Yeah, I got arrested a number of times…spent 11 days in jail in Georgia and 15 in California. Personally, I would say those were good times :) …really some of the best. Life changing. OR was the largest civil-disobedience movement of any kind in America ever…bigger than the civil rights movement. (Among thousands of arrests no one in OR was ever convicted of anything violent.) Today, this lively part of pro-life movement history seems almost forgotten…even by pro-lifers! But that is how it always is…
I would encourage those who can to try something big.
“Be not afraid.”
I’ve worn my Pro-Life shirts in public (while wearing one, a woman who- ironically had a cart with SEVERAL children in it gave me a look like she wanted to cut my head off!)
I am sure those children were PLANNED and WANTED!
I’ve gotten dirty looks, snickers, and jeers from my prolife bumper stickers, but I don’t care. However, except for a few people I keep my sentiments to myself in my very proabortion workplace.
I had kind of an amusing experience awhile ago. There are many Irish Catholics in the prolife movement here and every year they have a large contingent of prolifers in the St. Patrick’s Day parade. I was in it with a small group from Feminists For Life. Yes, a black person in a St. Patrick’s Day Parade! I felt very, very conspicuous! Some woman went ballistic and starting booing and shouting at us and I just smiled and said “have a nice day.” I don’t know if I would do it again, but you never know . . .
“Oh you know, I executed someone in cold blood – Scott roeder”
That was definitely bold of Scott but not as bold as the pro-aborts who kill thousands of unborn children every day and pretend like it doesn’t even mater.
I stood with my sister against our entire family saying she should have an abortion. She’s not extremely pro-life in her convictions, but I knew she definitely didn’t want to kill her baby; she still might have caved to the pressure without me though! My wonderful niece is about to turn 11, and she’s the joy of the whole family!
When the office manager of the PP affiliate was in a local pharmacy, I introduced myself to her and said she had nothing to fear from us. She ignored my outstretched hand and friendly tone, said nothing in reply, and walked out the door.
I have tried and sometimes succeeded to hand PP workers, volunteers, donors, and other abortion supporters some pro-life information while at their fair booths or in other public places.
I used to do quite a bit of mountaineering. Today, I was reading an article about legendary climber Fred Beckey and found the following passage to be similar to the nature of prolife activism:
In 2008 a New York Times reporter visited Beckey at his home in Northeast Seattle and the aging climbing icon expounded on the challenges faced by successful climbers:
“You’ve got to be physically pretty strong to be any good at it at all. You’ve got to have a hard-core mental attitude. You’ve got to have the right mantra. You’ve got to have dedication, a sense of security, safety and sensitivity with your partners, and a good sense of balance. It’s a combination of many, many things. You need to have the capability or desire to accept a certain amount of risk. A lot of it is maybe spiritual, not a religious type, but you have to have an affinity with the outdoors. … You’re putting yourself on the line. Man used to put himself on the line all the time. Nowadays we’re protected by the police, fire, everything. There’s not much adventure left. Unless you look for it” (Brick).
Asked about how he’d ever got interested in climbing, Beckey said: “Oh, I don’t know. Just sort of got into it by accident living in Seattle. … It’s hard to find exact reasons why you do things. I don’t even know why people climb. I can’t figure it out. It’s a lot easier to play tennis or golf, bicycle; a lot less stress, not dangerous, doesn’t have the risk, doesn’t have the suffering. Climbing’s got a lot of suffering, a lot of it.” So, why risk life and limb doing it? It’s about “risking your ability against nature. You see a reflection of yourself in nature” (Stoller).
http://www.historylink.org/index.cfm?DisplayPage=output.cfm&file_id=9373