Family Planning Associates, Miramar Road, San Diego, Thursday, Dec. 23, 2010
News from the Trenches The Thursday before Christmas was a "make-up" day, a day not normally open for abortions, so the abortionist would not lose any money from being closed on Christmas. We had eight prayer warriors and three sidewalk counselors, hoping and praying for a Christmas save. It was only two days before Christmas and we thought that surely FPA would be very slow and perhaps the women going in would be open to life. It was quite the opposite today. It was unbelievably busy. Anne was met with so many hardened hearts that she could hardly put into words the sadness she felt by the end of the morning. 
She was able to talk at length with three couples. The first couple she approached as they were exiting their truck. They were both very quiet but seemed interested in listening. She talked first about the doctor's record and then asked how far along the young woman was. The woman said 10 weeks. Anne showed her a picture of a 6-week-old preborn baby and the woman began to cry. Anne told her what she was about to do this Christmas would haunt her every year at this time, and that surely she should reconsider what she was doing. After the conversation, the couple went back into their truck and stayed there for almost 30 minutes. However, many cars came in, parking right by them, with couples walking into FPA. This seemed to help affirm their decision to get back out of their truck and go into the mill. How sad for this young couple that they will never know the face of their child on this earth. The other two couples she was able to speak with were Asian, and both remained intent that the only solution was abortion because of the pressures of family members. One couple told Anne their culture is different, and they had to listen to her mother and have the abortion, or she would be removed from the family. Anne told them about adoption and doing what is right over what family thinks. They remained unmoved and went into the abortion mill. Anne gave the last girl a hug and could see she was crying. A short while later Anne was met with rude comments and bad language from a few other couples she spoke to. It was a sad day to witness these couples so removed from this most holy season. David spoke with a young man standing outside of a car that had just arrived with a couple still inside. All three were white, in their early 20s. The young man said he felt like vomiting, and that if it were his girlfriend, he would never bring her for an abortion. David ran back to get some brochures and returned to talk with the couple as they exited the car. He told them about the risks of an abortion, and they brazenly scoffed at David's comments, saying that there was risk in driving and other everyday activities. He told them the memory of having an abortion would ruin every Christmas for the rest of their lives. At this, the boyfriend became agitated and told David, "Get out of here before I whip your --- !" David calmly said that he was just trying to warn them about the regrets they would have, and then walked away as the couple went up into the mill. He spoke with several other women throughout the morning, but all were impatient and not open to what he was telling them. Roger spoke with an African American couple in their mid- to late 20s who arrived in a newer truck. The boyfriend would not roll down the window, but cracked the door open a little so he could listen. He gradually opened the door all of the way so they could both hear when Roger told them of the litigation history of the abortionist. He asked how far along the woman was, and the man said, "I don't know, a couple of months, I guess." He showed them a picture of a 6-week-old preborn baby, and told them how the abortionist and his staff would lie to them, telling them it was nothing but a blob of tissue.
She was able to talk at length with three couples. The first couple she approached as they were exiting their truck. They were both very quiet but seemed interested in listening. She talked first about the doctor's record and then asked how far along the young woman was. The woman said 10 weeks. Anne showed her a picture of a 6-week-old preborn baby and the woman began to cry. Anne told her what she was about to do this Christmas would haunt her every year at this time, and that surely she should reconsider what she was doing. After the conversation, the couple went back into their truck and stayed there for almost 30 minutes. However, many cars came in, parking right by them, with couples walking into FPA. This seemed to help affirm their decision to get back out of their truck and go into the mill. How sad for this young couple that they will never know the face of their child on this earth. The other two couples she was able to speak with were Asian, and both remained intent that the only solution was abortion because of the pressures of family members. One couple told Anne their culture is different, and they had to listen to her mother and have the abortion, or she would be removed from the family. Anne told them about adoption and doing what is right over what family thinks. They remained unmoved and went into the abortion mill. Anne gave the last girl a hug and could see she was crying. A short while later Anne was met with rude comments and bad language from a few other couples she spoke to. It was a sad day to witness these couples so removed from this most holy season. David spoke with a young man standing outside of a car that had just arrived with a couple still inside. All three were white, in their early 20s. The young man said he felt like vomiting, and that if it were his girlfriend, he would never bring her for an abortion. David ran back to get some brochures and returned to talk with the couple as they exited the car. He told them about the risks of an abortion, and they brazenly scoffed at David's comments, saying that there was risk in driving and other everyday activities. He told them the memory of having an abortion would ruin every Christmas for the rest of their lives. At this, the boyfriend became agitated and told David, "Get out of here before I whip your --- !" David calmly said that he was just trying to warn them about the regrets they would have, and then walked away as the couple went up into the mill. He spoke with several other women throughout the morning, but all were impatient and not open to what he was telling them. Roger spoke with an African American couple in their mid- to late 20s who arrived in a newer truck. The boyfriend would not roll down the window, but cracked the door open a little so he could listen. He gradually opened the door all of the way so they could both hear when Roger told them of the litigation history of the abortionist. He asked how far along the woman was, and the man said, "I don't know, a couple of months, I guess." He showed them a picture of a 6-week-old preborn baby, and told them how the abortionist and his staff would lie to them, telling them it was nothing but a blob of tissue. 
Image by Getty Images via @daylife
When asked why they were coming for an abortion, the man said his girlfriend already had a son, and that they did not want another child. Roger told them that the most important thing in life was family, and that they would always regret having an abortion, especially just before Christmas, and that he would always wonder about his child that should have been. He told them to think about what it would be like a few years from now watching her son and their new child playing together. The man was beginning to tear up when two cars pulled in behind them in the driveway, blaring their horns. Roger ran ahead a few feet and motioned the couple to pull into a parking space so he could continue talking with them, but the boyfriend took the opportunity to speed into the parking lot. They quickly exited the truck and walked up into the mill. Roger spoke with a white mother-daughter at the driveway. The mother wore a forced smile and nodded as if humoring him in order to avoid any confrontation. Roger explained the litigation history of the doctor, the fact that the head nurse is on probation for narcotics abuse, and how the risks of having an abortion would be compounded at a place like FPA. She immediately flipped over the picture of the 6-week-old preborn baby that was handed to her to conceal it from her daughter, and denied that the young woman in the passenger seat was her daughter. The daughter said, "Oh, I'm not here for an abortion." While still smiling, the girl's mother said, "OK, thank you, we have to go now," and they drove in and parked. A short while later the girl's mother drove away, leaving her daughter in the mill, and gave Roger another plastic smile on the way out. A sad irony of the morning was seeing a large truck drive up and park right in front of the mill with the sign "Angelica" written in large letters on the outside, next to pictures of doctors and nurses. For a fleeting moment we though it might be some bold, Christian mobile ultra-sound vehicle parking right there to intercept women. But it was just a medical linen supply company. By the end of the morning we realized that perhaps our prayers may have been answered in a way not revealed to us. Young mothers-to-be who found God's love in their hearts just before Christmas, and stayed home this morning. Perhaps couples who got into their cars and turned around before reaching their destiny. While there was great sadness here this morning, there was no doubt joy and relief elsewhere in the hearts of young couples. God hears our prayers. -- Anne, David, and Roger
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