Sidewalk counselors outside abortion centers can play a big part in the work of pregnancy care centers.
It's at that last minute before a pregnant mom enters the abortion center, after she's made the decision that this is the only way out, that the prayers and compassion of a sidewalk counselor can make the difference between death and life.
One dedicated, long-term sidewalk counselor, Celeste, prays regularly outside a Long Island, New York, Planned Parenthood, and sometimes has the opportunity to bring a young woman into the pregnancy center two blocks up the street.
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While that's her goal, to get pregnant women into the safety, compassion, and knowledge of the pregnancy center, not every situation goes that way.
By the time the girls reach Planned Parenthood for the abortion, Celeste said, they often have blinders on and only one goal: get the baby out and get on with the rest of my life!
Not to mention that Planned Parenthood surely tells their customers not to listen to “the lies of the extremist protesters at the gate," she said.
Celeste shared a recent encounter.
‘Jeremy’ walked out from the Planned Parenthood Hempstead abortion facility and stood on the sidewalk outside their fence.
I walked over to the young man, who was like many of the fathers we ask not to abandon their pre-born child and pregnant partner into the hands of the death peddlers.
He admitted his girlfriend was there for an abortion; that neither of them really wanted this but felt they had no alternative. He was frustrated that they wouldn't even let him stay inside with her.
We spoke and spoke some more. I moved from one matter to another - the help from pro-life resources, fetal development, his role as a father, the consequences of abortion and their life choices.
All intertwined as I listened to what brought him to this horrible place and tragic decision.
He and his girlfriend were living at his parents’ house. The consequences of trusting her birth control resulted in her pregnancy. His parents rejected the couple's request to live with their baby in their basement. The couple turned to siblings, friends and coworkers, some of whom advised against abortion, yet still no room in the inn.
I asked Jeremy to text his girlfriend and ask her to come out and speak with me.
He texted her once, twice. No answer.
He wished he had spoken to me sooner and now knew of the help available. His showed a few tears but still he was conflicted.
They wanted to raise their child in the best way, and they couldn't do it now. I advised that no future child of theirs would be just like this one. Despite being in their mid-20s with jobs, the road led them to despair and death, not hope and life.
And then his phone rang.
He reached into his pocket and answered.
I heard him repeat the message from the caller inside Planned Parenthood, “Everything went as planned.”
My heart sank.
I offered solace as best I could, post-abortion help, if needed, and a little advice for future life decisions.
Jeremy shook my hand and thanked me.
And then he turned away to get his girlfriend.
In the parking lot, he was intercepted by the Planned Parenthood abortion cheerleaders ('greeters') who likely did their best to bolster his abortion decision.
I face defeat week after week, year after year, in front of the abortion businesses.
Still, it's hard to put into words how it feels to stand there next to a young father and hear, ‘the operation was a success, your baby is dead.’
Pregnancy centers reach so many young people with their life-saving mission, often with the assistance and dedication of sidewalk counselors. But the dedication of these devoted individuals on the sidewalk often meets with heartbreak.
