Message from Our President & CEO:
Dear Friends,
Since the fall of Roe v. Wade and the rise of DIY, at-home chemical abortions, the proverbial “sidewalk” on which we serve is expanding. And it is incumbent upon us to engage the abortion-vulnerable where we find them, including on social media. On some days that means taking on the opposition, like this cringe-worthy response to the story we shared about sidewalk mom Maria and a photo of her baby boy saved from abortion:
There are so many disturbing misconceptions wrapped up in this response.
First: the claim that “if you don’t want an abortion, don’t get one.” That’s like saying, “If you don’t want to rape someone, don’t do it. But we should leave each person to decide for themselves.” Of course, such a position is ridiculous on its face because rape is an intolerable act of violence. The same is true of abortion.
Second: while the abortion industry itself may not directly force or pay anyone to have an abortion, it certainly benefits from those practices and insinuates that something bad may happen if a woman receives abortion funding and doesn’t follow through. On the sidewalk, we continually see women who are coerced by dire circumstances — if not outright threats of violence by family or partners — if they don’t proceed with an abortion. And abortion facilities are all too happy to direct women to abortion funds that, yes, will pay for you to kill your child.
We saw this exact scenario play out with Maria — mom to baby Jesús pictured above — who had received thousands of dollars to travel for a 26-week abortion. If you are a mom like Maria living paycheck to paycheck, worried that you can’t keep the lights on for your family, and an organization is dumping money into your account and calling you every day to make sure you go through with the abortion — is that really a choice freely made? Hardly.
The sad thing is that even when faced with real-life examples of these high-pressure tactics, including Maria’s personal testimony, the truth is met with incredulous hostility:
Among all the comments we received, however, the final, throwaway line in the reply above to Jesús’s photo — “cute kid though” — cuts the deepest. This token acknowledgement was on the heels of the same person advocating for the choice to kill him.
This is how the lie of abortion continues to thrive — divorcing a mother’s “choice” from her child’s humanity. Ignoring that his life is worth something, and that his mom, by her own testimony, rejoices that he did not become one more abortion statistic.
The good news is: for every trolling comment we receive, we are blessed by thousands of followers who love and support life and hundreds of volunteers who continue to stand stalwart on the sidewalk and beyond, offering truth in the face of lies, love in the face of hate, and life in the face of death.
Thank you for standing with us!
In Christ, for Life,
Lauren Muzyka,
Sidewalk Advocates for Life
Did you miss the two-part series about Texas mom Maria, who chose life despite the relentless harassment of the abortion industry and its supporters? If so, we encourage you to watch and share The Lauren Muzyka Show episodes (#36 & #37) about this incredible journey: Watch Part 1 here and Part 2 here, or listen on your favorite podcast platform.