I handed literature to a young lady, the passenger, as she and her friend entered the parking lot at the abortion center today. I let her know that we were there to help and asked her, "Are you considering an abortion?" She replied with a rather embarrassed denial, "Oh, no!" I continued, "Well, that's what they do here, abortions."

I noticed the demeanor of the driver change almost instantly. The car pulled forward, but very slowly and continued slowly to round the corner of the parking lot. The car pulled into a spot on the other side of the abortion center, in perfect position for me to see two things: the young lady (L) looking at the literature and her friend (G) gesticulating almost wildly, certainly with some anger. The car remained parked as I continued to pray.

After about five minutes, the car started up again and G and L rounded the corner. This time, G began to call out to me, even before she got near the driveway, "God Bless you! God Bless you! I had no idea what this place was!"

I talked to the two for a few more moments - L was a bit quiet, but seemed at peace. G assured me, she would do whatever she needed to do to help her friend, even adopting the child.

We often don't know what happens when they leave, but at least I know that that baby did not die today and all I had to do was be there and say, "Are you considering an abortion?" This is the second time in a month that merely informing the driver led to a dramatic change in outcomes.

submitted by Michael Rankin
Catholic Pro-Life Committee Sidewalk Counselor
July 24, 2006

Labels: Sidewalk Counseling stories

Etgar 36 is a cross country summer journey for Jewish youth enabling them to experience America and explore their Jewish roots. They stop in about 25 cities in 36 days and explore the sights and sounds of America's past and learn how to make a difference for the future. Etgar 36 is an independent, non denominational, non partisan and non profit Jewish educational venture. The goal of all Etgar 36 programs in to help create the future American and Jewish political voice by helping our youth become critical thinkers.

Every year, Etgar 36 has come to Dallas during its whirlwind tour for several reasons, but one reason is to explore the issue of abortion. They normally come speak with personnel from Operation Rescue but were unable to do so, so they called the Catholic Pro-Life Committee to see if someone could come address this group of 50 Jewish high school students on the issue of abortion in late June.

Michelle C., a member of the Catholic Pro-Life Committee's Speakers Bureau and I agreed to go and address this group. We met at the Cathedral Guadalupe on a Friday afternoon in late June. I figured that since this group of youth may not fully understand what abortion really is, then it would be necessary to show them the video "The Harder Truth" with its graphic video of aborted babies bodies. (Click here for a defense of using graphic images in pro-life work)

I started off by asking how many of them considered themselves "Pro-choice." Every single kid raised their hand. Knowing that this might be a different crowd than from the ones we usually address, we showed them the video and I could hear some of the kids commenting "how disgusting" during the video.

After the video, Michelle spoke to them about facts and statistics about abortion and its true application in America. The kids were not hostile to us, but they were very energetic and had many, many questions. I could tell, by the questions they were asking, that they had really only had a surface level understanding of what abortion is and particularly its effect on women. I could also tell that what they knew about abortion they had learned from a largely biased and essentially pro-choice media. The pro-life position is not covered fairly in the media and it's easy to see why people believe that abortion is OK.

As they asked their questions, we very slowly began to blast through the pro-choice mentality that allows for abortion on demand through all nine months of pregnancy, through all 50 states for any reason or no reason at all. Some of our answers to their questions shocked them. For example, one young man asked if we wanted to go back to the "time of coat-hanger abortions." When I responded that there is zero evidence of coat-hanger abortions ever occuring at all before Roe v. Wade, he became visibly upset and told me "You can't say that!"

I then challenged him to find any proof, ie. medical reports, police reports, hospital reports, newspaper accounts that would confirm this. He did not fully understand that in a debate, one side has to be able to prove the assertions they are making.

As Michelle kept on talking, they kept on raising their hands with more and more questions. It seems that they kept on trying to find some scenario, some circumstance that was so bad for a women to be in that we would agree that abortion would be OK in that instance. But there is no such scenario and I kept on making the point that we will always say that abortion kills an innocent human being, because it does. That fact is a truth upon which those who are "pro-choice" will never be able to get around.

Michelle gave her testimony about her past abortion and how she feels very strongly that abortion should not be legal at all. I think the kids reponsed to her well because she really came across as a concerned and caring mother who wanted the best for her children.

Again, this was something that most of the Etgar 36 group had never heard before and I think they were astounded at the things she was saying.

Towads the end, Billy (Etgar 36 leader) split us up into two groups because there were so many questions. Michelle and I both talked to as many of them as possible and tried to answer all of their questions. We had originally been scheduled to talk for 1 hour but that 1 hour turned into 2 and they were still asking us questions as Billy was trying to get them out the door and onto the bus for their next visit, to the JFK memorial downtown.

One of the young men came up to me and said, "Look, I agree with you, I think abortion is murder and that it should not be done, and I would never do it myself. But I still believe that it's a women's right to choose if she wants to do it." This is a fairly common way of looking at the abortion issue and many people would agree with his statement. The problem of course is that if you take the underlying logic of what he is saying and apply it to any other issue, it makes no sense at all. For example, slavery; I don't believe in slavery, I wouldn't own a slave, but if you want to own one, go ahead?

At any rate, I think we got across to some of the youth in the room and am happy we were able to talk to them. Billy afterwards thanked us for getting their tour started off the right way. He wants them to be excited and asking questions during the trip and we sure got them to do just that!

We look forward to talking to another Etgar 36 group next year.

Click here for the Etgar 36 journal entry about their visit with us >>

submitted by Andrew Smith
Catholic Pro-Life Committee
July 17, 2006

A young girl came with her mom and dad today to Fairmount for an abortion. The mom and daughter walked up first and took literature and appeared to be somewhat amenable to our appeal to choose life for the girl's baby. However, they continued into the abortion center. Moments later the dad approached and took literature and seemed very interested in what I was saying. He squatted down just inches from me and looked intently at me as I tried to persuade him to go in and get his daughter and wife out of there. It was awesome to see God working on him! He said he was going to go in and try. About five minutes later all three came out and they were "all smiles." They said they had decided to have the baby. They said they didn't need any help from the White Rose and were going home to make an appointment with their doctor. I gave them my cell phone number in case they wanted to call me for anything and told them I'd be praying for them. Praise God for their openness to the Holy Spirit today!!

submitted by Jackie
Catholic Pro-Life Committee Sidewalk Counselor
July 17, 2006

Teen Savvy is the Planned Parenthood of North Texas annual workshop to promote their sex education agenda to children ages 11 and up. It focuses on children from various social service agencies that bus them in for the event. This year marks the 17th annual Teen Savvy.

The vanguard of pro-lifers arrived at the front entrance of TW Browne Middle School on Sprague Drive at 8:00 a.m. After others arrived and observed that signs were posted directing Teen Savvy staff, agencies and volunteers to enter on the Boulder Drive side, we moved around there.

More and more concerned citizens joined us and the estimate was that over 50 people stood for truth and life against Planned Parenthood in the streets of Dallas.

Organizations that participated were Texans for Life Coalition, Catholic Pro-Life Committee of North Texas (Respect Life Ministry of the Diocese of Dallas), Catholics Respect Life (Respect Life Ministry of the Diocese of Fort Worth), Texas Life Chain, and Texans Opposed to Planned Parenthood – all under the banner of the Dallas-Area Coalition Against Planned Parenthood.

We held the red “Stop Planned Promiscuity” signs, the purple “Planned Parenthood Steals Souls” signs, and a few of the ones stating “Planned Parenthood - America’s Largest Abortion Provider – 33% funded by your tax $$$”. From the entrance to the TW Browne parking lot, we covered both sides of Boulder Drive and a little father south toward Loop 12 from where most of the vehicles came.

A special addition to this year’s Teen Savvy protest was the appearance of David Hall and his 11-foot high tablets of the Ten Commandments.

These were strategically placed at the entrance of the school parking lot. David also blessed us with his trumpet renditions of “Jesus Loves the Little Children”, “Jesus Loves Me This I Know” and other hymns of the faith.

We spoke to one mother who slowed down to look at our signs and so one of our counselors walked over to her car. She told our counselor that she had been there at 8:00 that morning to try to register her daughter at Teen Savvy but was informed it was too early and to come back after 9:00. Our counselor then told her that this was a workshop sponsored by Planned Parenthood of which the woman was not aware. She said she was told it was an “abstinence rally” and knew nothing about Planned Parenthood being involved. The woman indicated to our counselor that she was going to call her daughter at home to tell her she would not be going to this event. When our counselor walked away, the woman was on the phone.

The vans carrying the children started arriving a little later than last year and the majority of them were unmarked so as to hide the identity of the Teen Savvy collaborators. Were they told to come in unmarked vehicles?

Also, many children arrived in private vehicles. The vans that were marked were from Girls, Inc., Alameda Heights Community Center, North Dallas Community Center, West Dallas Community Center, Bethlehem Community Center, Promise House (A ministry of Lovers Lane Methodist Church), Juvenile Department of Dallas County, something called “Tent 17”, and the First Presbyterian Church of Dallas. We took down license plate numbers on the unmarked vans, but most of them were rentals.

The majority of the vans arrived by 10:00 am or so, but there were many late-comers straggling in. Then around 11:00 more cars started coming which we surmised were lunch volunteers or the afternoon shift. During this time two vans arrived loaded with children from a Baptist church in Garland. An immediate call was placed to the phone number on the vans and we were put in touch with one of the pastors. When he was told that two of his church vans full of children were at a Planned Parenthood conference he said there must be some mistake. He was fully aware of what Planned Parenthood is all about, but was told that Teen Savvy was an “abstinence teaching” and he was not aware of the connection with Planned Parenthood. He then called the youth pastor on his cell phone. The youth pastor had pulled into the parking lot of TW Browne just a few minutes before. Of course at the time we didn’t know he was the youth pastor. After we hung up with the one pastor at the church, we watched as the youth pastor came out of the school and got back into his car. He also had a conversation with another man – not sure if it was a Teen Savvy staffer or one of the DISD security personnel. The two empty church vans were parked next to the youth pastor’s car. About 15 minutes later, those church vans loaded with the children pulled out of that parking lot and headed back in the direction from whence they came - all to the cheers of those of us watching in amazement! Praise the Lord for sparing these children!

While the drama of the church vans was going on, two pastors from the little church across the street came out to see what all the commotion was about. After all, these huge tablets of the Ten Commandments were practically in their front yard! David Hall was able to minister to them and tell them the truth about Planned Parenthood. Neither of them had a clue about the agenda of Planned Parenthood, and they were totally blown away by what they heard.

At their request we will follow up with sending them literature. We find that most churches do not know what Planned Parenthood really teaches and always encourage them to find out for themselves.

Then a gentleman from Tyler, Texas, showed up after hearing Jim Sedlak’s (Executive Director of STOPP International) interview on KCBI yesterday. He had been in Dallas on business and arrived at the picket as soon as he could get there. This man proceeded to pray mightily at the edge of the TW Browne parking lot along with one of the pastors from the little church. The louder and more strongly they prayed the more irritated Planned Parenthood personnel became. They talked to a police officer but there was nothing he could do. Thank God for our right to pray on the public sidewalk.

As these two gentlemen were ending their prayers, two parishioners from nearby St. Elizabeth of Hungary Catholic Church, arrived and began praying the rosary and holding signs. The last of us departed the scene about 11:45, and these two saints were still standing, still praying, and still holding those signs!

Follow-up: This afternoon, we called the youth pastor of the Baptist church to ask how he had found out about Teen Savvy. He was not there, so she left him a voice message. However, the receptionist was most gracious and thanked us for calling them. She said we caused quite a flurry over our phone call! The receptionist then told us that they wanted us to know that after finding out what was going on they "immediately left with their young people”.

submitted by Jessie Anne Nobles
Dallas-area Coalition Against Planned Parenthood
July 12, 2006

Last Thursday morning, I picked up a young high school girl, Jennifer, who regularly counsels at an abortion clinic. It was my first time out at this clinic, which was a little intimidating at first, but we kept praying the rosary and asking God to use us this morning. We had tried to share some information with people in some cars who had parked across the street, prior to the clinic's opening, but to no avail. Still, we kept them close in prayer and asked God to use us. Soon after, a few girls began to pull into the clinic driveway (set up so that you have to pull in past a gate and large high stone wall, basically, our only chance at talking to these women is when they are driving in) and they rolled down their window and took information. I began to speak to these girls, not knowing which one was in a crisis pregnancy (and I don't remember, actually, what exactly I said) and I noticed the passenger started to look at me in disbelief. When I handed the driver my rosary beads and told her I had been praying for her this morning, tears began to roll down her face and her friend had become teary and reached over to the other girl and gave her a big hug. After it appeared the girls were really listening to me, I suggested they turn around in the clinic parking lot (ha, I can't believe I actually suggested they pull in, but I guess they had to safely get out of the driveway :)) and pull across the street.

When the girls got out of the car, I gave each of them a big hug and introduced myself and reiterated information about the White Rose (pro-life crisis pregnancy center in Dallas) they asked if I would lead them there and Jennifer and I jumped in my car, prayed for traffic to clear and we lead them to the White Rose center. The center didn't open for another half hour, so the four of us went to McDonald's and talked about everything from the Mavericks to baby names. A couple times, I couldn't help but be humbled by the fact that God had brought the four of us -- so completely different women -- together this morning to share in joy & hope together. The girl (the driver, who was the one actually in a crisis pregnancy) told me that the night before, she had been reading the Bible, and she had asked God to show her a sign if He didn't want her to go through with an abortion. I was completely blown away by this... wow!! Later, she called to say thank you and let me know that she was around 6 weeks pregnant and that she would be in touch. Awesome!!

Story #2

Last Saturday morning, Peter came out with me to pray and counsel. We were praying a rosary, handing out literature and at one point, another car came through the alley towards the clinic (thankfully, this particular clinic is right next store to the White Rose crisis pregnancy center). I began speaking to a mother and her 17 year old daughter. The girl was looking down at her hands, kinda scoffing while the mother began to nod slowly. When I handed her the rosary I was praying on and told her I had been praying for her, tears started to stream down her face. I told them to pull into the White Rose parking lot and we continued to talk. Her mom said something like, "but she's so young" and I said something like, "but that's why she needs you to support her right now and stand by her to have this baby." The girl began to share that she had friends who had had an abortion and they all regretted their decision. I kept emphasizing that the women I saw walk out of the clinic (and this is all true!) were crying or sobbing or so sad. I also remember saying to them (after the mom mentioned that being a single parent was hard, etc.), "Do you have shelter? Do you have a car? No, but mom does? Then you have two more things than most women who have their babies."

Soon, after talking for a bit the girl looked up at me with a big smile on her face and said "let's go get a sonogram!!" and she jumped out of the car and gave me a big hug!! Wow, God is so amazing!! I walked them up stairs to the White Rose, talking about faith in God and the goodness of the White Rose center. The counselor that had seen them later said that during the video (which they show to all pregnant women, informing them on what abortion really is and the terrible effects of it) they were actually laughing -- she said that the girl was SO relieved that she didn't have to go into that terrible clinic! When they left, they each gave Peter and I a hug and thanked us and the mom (of the girl) said she'd be in touch so we could throw a baby shower together!! Wow!! I want to emphasize that I have been praying with much more dedication out in front of these clinics, praying to be humble like Christ, and to be used as his instrument. I have seen even more amazing things besides these two beautiful stories -- unbelievable!! You wouldn't believe the spiritual battles out there. I truly believe we have to pray for the conversion of people entering these places -- you wouldn't believe, sometimes, how much hope they need and how much they need to be touched by God's love!!

Please continue to pray for me this summer, as I counsel (Wed. - Sat. mornings of this week, too) -- and please pray for all the Dallas sidewalk counselors -- it can be scary to be out there, but SUCH a blessing when you have the confidence to step forward and see what God can do!! But most of all, it is PRAYER!! Please pray -- we may not see the good it does until we get to heaven!!

submitted by Lauren Werda
Catholic Pro-Life Committee Sidewalk Counselor Summer Intern
July 10, 2006

Labels: Sidewalk Counseling stories