Every reason under the sun...

I had the opportunity today at about 6:45am to speak to a young mother as she waited for Planned Parenthood to open so that she could have her abortion. Her sister actually initiated the conversation saying, "I think it's great that you guys are out here protesting." I told her we were not so much protesting as we were praying and working to let mothers know that there were people who were willing to bend over backwards to help mothers with whatever it was that was needed. At this point Rachael (the young mother) spoke up.

Rachael - "That's not true."

Me - "Yes, it is ma'am. All you have to do is say the word, and we can help with whatever it is. There's no reason a child should have to die."

Rachael - "I'm just sending this little gift back to God."

Me - "God sent this little one to you for a reason. You can't just send it back. You don't just kill someone who is an inconvenience."

Rachael - "It's not a child when it's in the womb. It's not a child till it takes a breath."

Me - "Who told you that? Do you have any other children?"

Rachael - "Yes."

Me - "When did you start to love them, before or after they were born? Were they alive when you started to feel their little feet and hands stretch and kick, in your womb?"

Rachael - "I'm doing this for my other kids. Jesus will help me through this. It's not a child."

Me - "What happened when Mary went to visit Elizabeth? What did Elizabeth say?"

Rachael - "That's different."

Me - "Blessed art thou among women and blessed is the fruit of thy womb. At your greeting the child in my womb lept for joy. The child in my womb lept for joy."

Rachael - "Who's going to help me day in day out?"

Me - "There are so many people who would help you. Have you thought about adoption?"

Rachael - "I couldn't do that. It would be too much."

Rachael's sister - "Why are you out here?"

Me - "I'm out here because my own birth mother was raped when she was 13 and got pregnant. I was scheduled to be aborted and if it weren't for a lady who I call Grandma now, that offered help to this girl, I wouldn't be here now."

Rachael - "I used to think this was wrong too, until I needed it."

Me - "Circumstances don't change what's right and what's wrong."

Rachael - "Some do."

Me - "No they don't. You don't have to do this. There are people who will help you."

Rachael - "Yeah, I know."

Me - "If you think that God will help you through this, don't you think that He'd also help you to give your baby life?"

Rachael - "Yeah, probably but I'm already here."

At this point, Planned Parenthood opened it's doors and Steve (the security guy) came out to usher the women inside.

Me - "You're going to need help afterwards too, if you go through with this."

Looking back, with a worn out face, Rachael said one last time before she went inside, "Yeah, I know."

I left about an hour later. As I write this now at 10:36am, Rachael, if she went through with it, is probably in the recovery room. This scripture seems particularly apt.

A voice is heard in Ramah, lamentation and bitter weeping. Rachel is weeping for her children; she refuses to be comforted for her children, because they are no more.