Published: January 14, 2011
"They put a vacuum cleaner in there, right?"
Family Planning Associates, Miramar Road, San Diego, Jan. 8, 2011
News from the Trenches
It was very chilly this morning, but that did not stop about 17 prayer warriors who came out to pray for the lives of the unborn who were scheduled to be killed. We had three sidewalk counselors covering the two main driveways.
Roger spoke with several couples early in the morning. Most were polite, but did not want to listen beyond hearing the litigation history of the abortionist.
Luis spoke with a couple in their 30s. He gave the woman all of the information about the abortionist and the risks of having an abortion, and showed them a picture of an aborted 10-week-old baby. The picture moved the husband, and he teared up a bit.
However, the woman, who was wearing sunglasses, kept repeating that they had three kids. Luis told them that he had spoken to many women who have had abortions and regretted them, but he had never spoken to anyone who had their baby and regretted it. The woman could not be convinced, and they went upstairs into the abortion mill.
Anne had arrived at the side driveway shortly after 8 a.m. and was there only a few minutes when three women from Calexico pulled into the lot. The mother was driving, and her 24-year-old daughter was in the passenger seat, with another daughter in back. They did not speak English very well, but Anne tried her best to convey to them the horrors of the doctor and the risks that were involved with having an abortion. She offered to get them help in Calexico and to try to direct them to a pro-life crisis center, but they drove off before she could get them the information.
She stopped them again as they were walking up the stairs and handed the young girl a Rosary. They said they were not Catholic, but Christian. Anne spoke to the sister about how sad it was for them to choose to abort the baby, and how it would impact them for the rest of their lives. They were unmoved and went upstairs.
Soon after, Luis spoke with two women who appeared to be a mother and daughter. They stopped and took brochures, but when the mother realized what it was about, she said they were late and had to go.
Anne spoke with two women who drove in and were very cordial, but also cold to what she had to say. The driver said that her mom went to Dr. Santella and the girl in the passenger seat said she knew Dr. Delgado. Anne could see the deception going on, so she talked to the girl in the pajama pants. She said she was 20 and already had two children. Anne told her she was a mommy and showed her a picture of what a 6-week-old unborn baby looks like. They immediately shut down and said they had to go.
Soon a couple with children in the back seat approached. The woman listened to Anne but it soon became apparent that they did not speak English. They were from Mexicali. She tried to tell them the doctor was bad, but then quickly called Luis and he came over to speak to them in Spanish. They had their teenaged daughter in the back seat. He thought the abortion was for her, but it was for the middle-aged mother. He gave them Spanish brochures and told them about COLFS, and that Dr. Delgado spoke Spanish. He then showed pictures of an aborted 10-week-old, and tried to give the mother a little rubber model of a12-week-old unborn baby, but she would not take it. The husband was shaken up by this, and said they had to go. The husband rolled up his window and they drove to the far end of the lot and parked. They appeared to discuss this for several minutes, but they ended up going in to the mill, and drove away a short while later, leaving the mother in the mill.
Later, Anne spotted two children, approximately 12 and 8 years old, coming down the steps. She told them the doctor was bad and they need to tell their daddy to get their mother out. The children said they got some information and then Anne told them they still needed to go up and tell their daddy to get their mother out. The father was on the landing motioning the children to get into the car, which was further into the lot. She yelled to the father that his baby was inside and he needed to save it. The father said, "There is no baby." She did not believe him and was horrified that he would allow his children to sit in a car while their mother was having their baby brother or sister killed.
Anne spoke briefly with a young couple who were shocked at the doctor's record. The young girl said she almost got toxic shock syndrome at one time, and then the young man said they would be leaving and canceling the appointment and not going in. They said they would call COLFS. The man shook her hand and said thank you, but they quickly left before Anne could provide further counseling on choosing life. Unfortunately they were still abortion intent when they later called the COLFS crisis line, and would not make an appointment.
About 9:30 a.m. Roger spoke with a couple in their mid to late 30s. He explained the risks of having an abortion, and shared the testimony of several women who had informed us of their post-abortive complications of hemorrhaging, and the failure of the abortionist to remove all of the fetal parts. He then explained the emotional trauma the woman would experience. She admitted that this was her first abortion, and that she already has three children, the youngest of which is 18 months old. The husband shared that he has two children from a different marriage.
Roger asked them how far along she was, and she replied that she was 7 weeks. He showed them a picture of a 6-week-old pre-born baby and said, "This is what your baby looks like, only yours is slightly bigger." He then asked them if they knew what was going to happen during the abortion. The man replied, "They put a vacuum cleaner in there, right?" Roger replied, "Yes, at this age they suction the little baby apart in pieces, then they have to lay out the little arms and legs and other pieces and count the parts to be sure they got them all. They're going to lie to you and tell you this is just a little blob of tissue, and that the abortion is no big deal. You can see that this is a unique human being. This is going to be very traumatic for you."
He then handed the woman a life-like, soft rubber model of a 12-week-old pre-born baby and asked her to hold it. He said, "This is what your baby will look like very soon." They both had nervous smiles, and listened without any urgency to leave. Roger told them that they would love this new child as much as all of the other children, and that God gave them this baby for a reason. He told them that family is the most important thing in life, and that only they could protect the life of this child. He told them to look forward just a few years and see her youngest child playing with her new child, their arms around each other.
By now they were looking very serious, and her eyes were slightly teary. Roger asked them if they believed in God, and if they were Catholics. They replied that they were. He told them, "Then you know that abortion is a most serious sin. It is the killing of your child." He gave them each a rosary and told the woman to hold the little model of a 12-week-old in her hand while they prayed about this, and that if they went in there, they could not take back the decision that they would always regret. The man said they would drive into the parking lot and park while they talked it over. Roger pointed over to the people praying next to the image of Our Lady of Guadalupe which was attached to a tree and said, "Do you see the picture of Our lady of Guadalupe and those people? They are praying for you, and for her intersession. I'll be praying for you. Please don't go in there. God wants you to have this baby, and He will bless you." They thanked Roger and drove to the far side of the lot and parked. We prayed intently while they remained in the car. Three different times the woman opened the car door to get out, but remained in the car, closing the door each time after a few seconds. After an agonizing 20 minutes, the brake lights lit up, and they slowly drove out of the parking lot. They smiled and waved to us as they drove away down Miramar Road.
-- Anne, Luis, and Roger
Friday, January 14, 2011
California Catholic Daily - "They put a vacuum cleaner in there, right
via calcatholic.com
