By Kathleen S., volunteer sidewalk counselor
A beautiful young woman pulled out of the Planned Parenthood (PP) parking lot In St. Paul on April 15 and opened her window so we could talk. (I don’t know why she was at PP; she might have just turned around in the lot.) She wanted to talk so she pulled into the parking lot of the bank next door.
Two months ago she was 8 weeks pregnant and had gone to PP for an abortion for many reasons, school and career aspirations to name a few. She told me she’s a Christian and doesn’t believe in abortion but was having a hard time with her pregnancy and was worried how it would affect her life. She didn’t seem familiar with our brochures, so I don’t believe she had taken them on the day of the abortion appointment. However, one of the sidewalk counselors had called out to her in a hope-filled tone and said, “You’ll make a wonderful mother.”
She had an ultrasound and the doctor told her it would be very risky to try to have this baby. Then the words of the sidewalk counselor came to her. She knew she couldn’t abort and left. Now she is 4 months along and the baby is doing great! She was glowing as she told me she decided to keep her baby. She expressed so much thanksgiving for the counselors outside. She said if they hadn’t been there, she wouldn’t have her baby. I think she stopped because she wanted us to know her story and express her thankfulness to each person on the sidewalk for being there for the women! We were all encouraged by her story and it emphasizes how important it is to be there!
