She didn’t really want an abortion, but she had to admit: her life wasn’t perfectly set up to give birth to and care for a baby. It wasn’t surprising that virtually everyone in her life was pressuring her to abort her child.
She was eight weeks pregnant, so she didn’t have much time left for the abortion pill to work.
But as she drove to the abortion facility, she prayed: “God, please give me a sign. If this isn’t right, please show me.”
On the sidewalk outside the facility, she saw someone smiling at her who seemed to want to speak with her. She rolled down her window, and the Sidewalk Advocate began chatting with her, telling her about nearby Matrix Lifecare.
She left the abortion facility and went to Matrix. She told them about her difficult situation, about the pressure she felt to get an abortion. And the staff and volunteers at Matrix in turn told her about the services they offer there, and the services they could help her connect with.
“We’ve been able to walk with her, and get her connected with resources,” says Emily Marshall, the Client Care Services Director at Matrix. “Now she’s just a few weeks out from her due date.”
Matrix partners with Sidewalk Advocates for Life precisely because they understand there is such a small window to reach an abortion-minded woman, to reassure her that she is not alone, to tell her about resources she may not even know about.
“I am so passionate about this,” Emily says. “There is a way to lovingly engage people—but also to be bold.”
Submitted by Sidewalk Advocates for Life – Lafayette