When it comes to abortion many people are afraid to step up and get involved in the fight between life and death. It takes a lot of courage to stand up to the pressure that leads to the killing of unborn children.
But John Lewis, founder of Beyond the Pews for Life, an organization dedicated to saving unborn live, is in the habit of doing what he has to do to save lives.
On a quiet afternoon in Memphis, Lewis sat across the street from the city’s largest Planned Parenthood, eating his lunch and watching the sidewalk.
He had been there before—many times, in fact—but each day presented a new opportunity. His work isn’t about confrontation; it’s about compassion.
And on that particular day, this compassion was about a woman named Jasmine.
As Lewis watched, Jasmine approached the abortion facility doors, only to find them locked. It was a rare moment—Planned Parenthood was closed - leaving her at a loss for where to go. He called out to Jasmine, offering assistance, prayer, or just a listening ear.
She hesitated.
Then a blue SUV pulled up, and the situation changed.
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From across the lot, Lewis could hear the argument unfolding between Jasmine and the man in the car—the father of her unborn child. The dispute grew heated, fueled by a disagreement over $275, the cost of an ultrasound.
Jasmine was visibly distressed, and Lewis seized the moment.
“I can help you,” he said. “I’ll cover the cost—just come talk to us.”
That got her attention.
She turned to face him, weighing her options. The man in the SUV wasn’t happy. Jasmine, 29 years old, had a decision to make.
She walked toward Lewis.
“You said you’d give me $275?” she asked.
“If you decide to keep the baby, yes,” he told her.
They crossed the street together, heading toward a clinic where she could get a free ultrasound and pregnancy test. As soon as they were out of earshot of the man in the SUV, Jasmine crumbled, sobbing as they were in front of an elderly security guard who happened to be nearby.
The guard, too, offered comfort, not knowing the details, but understanding the weight of the moment.
“I’m just so alone,” Jasmine whispered. “I don’t know what to do.”
“You’re not alone anymore,” Lewis told her.
That day, she decided to keep her baby.
It would have been great if we could wrap up this story with a bow right here. But life has a way of making things more complicated than that.
A week later, when Lewis returned to the abortion center, he saw Jasmine standing in the parking lot, locked in another battle with the child’s father.
And this time, Lewis could hear everything.
“You’re using my gas, driving my car, living in my house,” the man was saying. “If you don’t go in and do what needs to be done, you’re gonna lose all three.”
Jasmine’s hands were raised in protest. She didn’t want to go in.
But she was desperate — like so many women who step into abortion facilities.
But Lewis wasn’t going to let her face this alone.
“You’re a coward,” he called out to the man. “You want to kill your own baby, and you’re willing to threaten the mother to do it.”
The women on the sidewalk gasped. The father of Jasmine’s child refused to meet Lewis’s gaze.
“Jasmine, come over here,” Lewis urged. “Come where someone actually loves you.”
The man fumed, but Jasmine made her choice.
She got in the car with the father and left. And Lewis thought he had lost her for good.
Then, 10 minutes later, the SUV screeched back into the parking lot. Jasmine stormed out, slamming the door behind her.
The father of her baby sped off, leaving her behind. She ran to Lewis, sobbing.
“Please help me,” she said. “I don’t want to abort this baby.”
The battles didn’t end that day. Her mother pressured her to terminate the pregnancy, threatening to throw her out. The only support she had was her uncle, a pastor, who told her to follow her heart but didn’t offer tangible help.
But Lewis and his team did.
Tweet This: “Please help me. I don’t want to abort this baby” - pregnant mom outside the Memphis, Tenn., Planned Parenthood
They provided financial assistance, emotional support, and resources to help her regain her independence. Day by day, they walked beside her, helping her build a new future for herself and her child.
Fast forward two-and-a-half years and Jasmine’s child is thriving.
All because John Lewis stepped up.
Will you?
