They actually rolled down their window. Most don’t, either because they’ve been instructed not to by abortion facility workers, or they’re determined to pretend they can’t see the people in the bright pink vests.
But for whatever reason, this man and woman rolled down their window.
They took the “blessing bag” that we offer to everyone who pulls into the abortion clinic. They nodded somewhat dismissively when we shared our services and that we cared about them.
They parked. Walked inside.
A few moments later, the man exited the building. One of our advocates began to talk with him. His name was Ryan*, and he shared, with tears, that he did not want his girlfriend, Jennah*, to go through with the abortion.
The abortion was scheduled to take place that morning.
We urged Ryan to go to his girlfriend and tell her what he told us. To get her and bring her out of that place. And that’s when it happened.
The abortion clinic experienced a power outage. Every abortion appointment that day was cancelled.
Every single one.
An Opportunity
Jennah came out of the clinic, and she and Ryan sat in their car, talking. Becca, our RN, approached the car and invited them onto the mobile unit for an ultrasound.
They agreed.
Becca and Sarah, our peer advocate, sat down with the couple and invited them to share their story.
They told Becca and Sarah they already had children who were born with some disabilities. The immense weight of caring for them was already a huge strain on their family. When they discovered they were pregnant again, their anxiety was understandable.
And according to Jennah, when she first visited a doctor for this pregnancy, she was told this baby could have disabilities, as well.
So, she was advised to get an abortion.
The stress led to arguments between Ryan and Jennah and, in the heat of the moment, Ryan had threatened to leave Jennah if she didn’t go through with an abortion.
As Ryan shared this part of his story, he broke down. He apologized for his rash words and confessed to Jennah that he’d spoken out of fear and anger. He loved her. He didn’t want to abort their child.
“I can’t imagine the difficulty of caring for your children,” Sarah said, “but I just want you to know that both your eyes light up when you talk about them! It’s so obvious that you love them.”
At this Ryan and Jennah smiled through their tears. “Oh yes,” Jennah said, “We love them so much.”
“And you’ll love this child too,” Sarah said gently, “disabilities or not.”
At this point Becca was able to offer an ultrasound and saw a strong heartbeat. Baby looked exactly as expected at this point in the pregnancy.
Becca and Sarah urged Ryan and Jennah to get started with prenatal care and offered them some other helpful resources. Ryan and Jennah were both interested in signing up for our Titus 2 mentoring program so they can get the ongoing support they need.
“We’re going to take this one day at a time,” Jennah said. “We want to keep this baby.”
This is Why
Please keep Ryan and Jennah in your prayers. We are thrilled that they’ve experienced a change of heart, but we also know that the road ahead of them will be challenging. This is why we are committed to having a presence outside the abortion clinic. There are women and men walking into that building every day who are convinced that no other options exist.
If we don’t stand in the gap to share truth and hope, then who will?
[click_to_tweet tweet=”There are women and men walking into the abortion clinic every day who are convinced that no other options exist. If we don’t stand in the gap to share truth and hope, then who will?” quote=”There are women and men walking into the abortion clinic every day who are convinced that no other options exist. If we don’t stand in the gap to share truth and hope, then who will?”]
Join Us
If you are interested in becoming a sidewalk advocate, you can sign up for one of our upcoming trainings by clicking here. We are looking for both women and men to serve as advocates. We encourage you to consider what role you can play as we seek to make abortion unnecessary in Greensboro.
*Clients’ names have been changed to protect privacy.
Mary Holloman is the Communications Assistant at the Care Center. She loves to write, shoot basketball, beat her husband in ping-pong, and act silly with her two kiddos. You can read more from her at www.maryholloman.com or follow her on Instagram at @marytholloman.