by Stacy E., volunteer sidewalk counselor
Wednesday, April 16 — A young lady stopped her car on the way out of the St. Paul Planned Parenthood (PP) and John D. was able to talk with her, give her our information and encourage her to go to Abria, the nearby pregnancy resource center. For the first time during our shift, the PP escort did not interfere.
The young lady was very receptive to going to Abria and asked where it was. I was able to shout to John that I could take her there or meet her there. She agreed, so I met her over there and I was able to ask about her situation. I saw that she had an Iowa license plate and I asked her if she had driven up here by herself. She said her boyfriend came with her, but he was at the hotel with their four other kids. I asked her how he felt about her wanting to abort this baby. She said he was very against it, as was her mother.
I asked how far along she was and she said she was 6 months pregnant. I thought she just misspoke and I asked if she meant 6 weeks. She again stated, “I’m 6 months pregnant.” She said that since she was never certain she should have an abortion, she asked for a sign so she would know what to do. She said her sign was seeing her daughter, on the ultrasound, raise her hand and wave to her. She knew immediately that was her sign to not abort this baby. She also said the tech did not want her to see the ultrasound. (Editor’s note – The previous sidewalk counselor, Bunny S., remembers seeing a solo woman with Iowa plates arrive during her shift. She was able to call out to her and always says, “Insist on seeing your ultrasound!”)
The last thing this young woman told me was that PP tried to get her to take a pill and that’s when she got up and left. (Editor’s note – This was probably misoprostol, the second drug in a chemical abortion, but which can also be used in a late-term surgical abortion to help open the cervix the day before the baby is dismembered. The St. Paul PP commits abortions up to 23 weeks, 5 days.)
I just kept telling her she made the right decision and she would never regret it. I also pointed out how happy her boyfriend and mom were going to be. We hugged each other a couple of times and I gave her my card and asked her to contact me at some point. I certainly hope she does. Thank you God for providing the sign to this mother to know, beyond a shadow of a doubt, that her daughter is a gift from you.
Learn more about our life-saving ministry at plam.org!
