“I’ve been living on the streets, I have a bunch of kids, from different girls, I’ve been in trouble with drugs, bank robberies, and my girlfriend and I broke up when she was 4 months pregnant. She went and got an abortion. She killed our kid just because we broke up. I’ve since stopped all drugs and I’m going to a church now. I’m cleaning up my life. I want to be a good father.”
Another man came up and said “what you are doing is incredibly courageous.” I said “It doesn’t feel that way.” I wish I had been courageous when I was 24. I wish I’d kept my children. He said “I’ll pray for you guys, it’s amazing what you are doing.” On the other end of the spectrum a man came up behind me without seeing my sign. He said, “Why are you here?” in an angry tone. I turned around and looked him in the eye holding my sign. “I’m here because I was involved with abortion, and it was the worst mistake I ever made in my life.” He started to argue. I said, “I don’t really want to argue here, but I’d be glad to meet with you any time to talk.” He said, “Why aren’t you open minded about abortion?” I said, “I was open minded, and I paid for it. Now I have perspective and I’m here.” He turned around and walked away in a huff. I could understand his pain and his angry cover-up.
I stopped at the grocery store on the way home and I still had my sign over my back as I walked around the grocery store. A woman in a wheel chair said, “good for you!” Another woman came up to me and told me she had had an abortion many years ago and just got clean and sober in 2006. She said, “No smoking, no toking, no drinking or poking.” I said “Congratulations, I’ve been sober for many years and it was a great decision. At some point in your recovery you may find yourself experiencing some pain over the abortion.” She stepped back and looked indignant saying, “don’t you assume you know me, I’ll never regret my abortion and it had NOTHING TO DO WITH MY ADDICTION!” Denial is deep. Lord have mercy.
All in all what I found is that each one of us can make a difference, one person at a time. “Oh Lord help me find favour with those who I talk to about abortion. And help us together build a Civilization of Love. Amen.”
David MacDonald
http://www.davidmacd.com/
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I went to do a couple of hours of sidewalk counselling today. Here's a breakdown of how it went.When I got there around noon, a young couple (@18 yrs) were waiting by the door. I went over and gave them some flyers. She looked them all over and seemed upset. Then they walked towards McDonald's. I was elated, thinking they had changed their minds. Unfortunately they came back. I went over to try and talk to them, telling them that I knew of a place where they'd see her through her pregnancy. She basically said thanks, but no thanks. Then she said she was waiting for her mom. She seemed nervous, it really looked like she was having second thoughts. When her mom showed up, they made a beeline for the door, her mom made to shield her daughter from me. Later, the mother and the boyfriend went out of the building, they were obviously talking about me. The mother gave me a dirty look when she came back in. In the meantime, there was a young woman with a pink/punkish hairstyle who often came out to speak to the security guard. I'm not sure what she does, but she seems to be involved with the abortuary. At one point, she came out and told Lucas that there was a woman who needed to come out for a smoke, but she was too upset to come since I was standing there. Lucas shielded her from my view. She was crying. There was another couple who went in, and she was also teary eyed, obviously had been crying. They didn't take any leaflets. Out of the four women I saw going in for abortions between noon and two o'clock, three of them had clearly been crying, seeming reluctant. So much for choice. - Doris
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