Mothers bring their unborn babies to places to have them killed. Most of the babies die after being cut to pieces in various ways. Others have their brains sucked out first while they are alive, so that their undamaged organs can be “harvested” for research. The mothers of these babies spend the rest of their lives trying to forget what they’ve done to their unborn children and to get over the mental and physical harm done to them. All but a few of your friends and neighbors think this is just fine. Some of the few who don’t think it’s fine would prefer to believe that nothing can be done about it. This belief allows them to put the horror out of their minds and go about the pursuit of their happiness.

These pages are for those who can deal with reality, the ugly reality of abortion and the stupendous reality that no matter who or what you are, God, if you let Him, can make you into a mean lean baby saving machine and that this is a good thing.

Sidewalk counseling is not watching mothers take their unborn babies to abortion mills and praying that they change their minds once inside. Nor is it giving out leaflets to mothers with the hope the material will be read and cause a change of heart. It is crisis intervention. It is dialogue. It is conversation, interaction and persuasion based upon knowledge whose holy purpose is to save a baby’s life and a mother’s soul.

People are so different and varied that among the mothers and fathers who bring their children to the killing places there are those who will relate to you. They will listen to you even if you are awkward or shy and terrified and make all kinds of mistakes. You see, you will be the one whom God has chosen to help this mother and her child.

There are mothers too, who just want someone to be there. It can be anyone at all. They are the easy, “turn-arounds.” Many of them have told us that when they woke up on the morning of the appointment they said to themselves, “If someone is there and talks to me and tries to stop me then I’ll have the baby. It’ll be a sign for me not to go ahead with it.” If God is leading you to do this work then read these pages and print them out. Next put them into practice. Try to work with someone who has experience. But don’t learn bad habits. Especially don’t learn fear.

SPIRITUAL PREPARATION FOR SIDEWALK COUNSELING

Overcoming fear is the biggest challenge to people starting out in sidewalk counseling. After a while you’ll wonder why you were afraid when you first started, especially when you come to understand how desperately these mothers need your help. If you are afraid the best thing to do is to admit it and ask God’s help to conquer it. People who are afraid and don’t admit it make themselves believe that only God can change the minds of mothers seeking abortion, that Christians must stand idly by like helpless mutes, and that bad advice is the only advice that is ever heeded. It is far better to be too aggressive in approaching these mothers than to be timid. Once fear is conquered an approach which is too aggressive can always be trimmed back.

PREPARING FOR SIDEWALK COUNSELING

• Have a cell phone with you.
• Have telephone numbers available such as those of local crisis pregnancy centers and RU-486 pill reversal 1-877-558-0333.
• Pen and paper to write down telephone numbers and addresses.
• Pro-life literature in water proof zip-lock bags.
• A camera is useful to take pictures in case a woman is hurt inside the mill and an ambulance comes to take her away.
• Cab fare or other means of transportation to take her to a crisis pregnancy center.
• You should dress to look like a person that strangers would want to talk to.
• Get enough sleep the night before. Sidewalk counseling is physically and mentally demanding. You will need all your strength.

KNOWLEDGE IS KEY

To counsel effectively you must have knowledge. The more knowledge you have the better you will be able to communicate with the mother and deal with her problem. This short space does not permit going into detail about all that would be useful to know. Your local pro-life group is a likely source of information.

FACTS ABOUT THE DEVELOPING BABY

You should know how the baby develops, when his heart begins to beat [18 days after conception] and when the nervous system allows the baby to feel pain.

THE ABORTION PROCEDURES

You should know how the killing is done for each of the abortion procedures, D&C, suction machine, salting out or partial birth. To be able to tell the mother in a compelling way how these procedures are done is a powerful way to get and keep her attention. People are curious. They want to know what will happen to them once they get inside the mill. Make the most of this curiosity by having the knowledge to satisfy it.

HARM TO THE WOMAN

Post Abortion Syndrome is the name given to mental symptoms that often develop after abortion. These include guilt, loss of self-esteem, hallucinations, bad dreams, anxiety, anniversary reaction, frigidity. A perforated uterus is a common result of abortion. Breast cancer is more likely to develop in women who have abortions compared to those who carry their babies to term. The weakening of the cervix caused by the abortion makes miscarriages in the future more likely. Women have died as a result of abortion complications.

THE LAMINARIA

Laminaria are sticks of seaweed that are inserted into the cervix of a woman the day before her scheduled abortion. The purpose of these “sticks” is to pick up moisture from the woman’s body and dilate the cervix. This enlarging of the cervical opening makes it easier for the abortionist to get his cutting instruments into the womb and slice up the baby. The important thing to remember is that these “sticks” can be removed without any harm to the woman or her baby. She can then continue her pregnancy to term. Abortion mill personnel like to lie about this and tell her that she must go through with the killing because it is too late for her to change her mind. This is a lie! It is NOT too late. If you can convince a woman to have her baby and she’s had these “sticks” inserted, take her to the emergency ward of your nearest hospital and have them extracted.

RU-486

Commonly known as the abortion pill, RU-486 is a two pill procedure. The mother takes one pill at the abortion facility and the second one a day or two later to expel the dead baby. The process can be reversed after the first pill is taken. If you can convince a woman to change her mind and have her baby, and she’s taken the first pill, call this number to find a local physician who can reverse the procedure. 1-877-558-0333

YOUR ENVIRONMENT

You should plan in advance where you will take the mother for quiet conversation and counseling. You should know the location of taxi stands, parking lots, bus stops and subway entrances, both to anticipate clients coming to the abortion mill and for transportation to the crisis pregnancy center.

THE ABORTION MILL

The more you know about the abortion mill the more effective will be your counseling. You should know about the kinds of abortions they perform, the women they have killed or maimed and the malpractice suits against the mill and the doctors who work there.

THE CRISIS PREGNANCY CENTER

If there is a crisis pregnancy center in your area be sure to visit it and make friends with the staff. Find out what services they offer to women in crisis pregnancies and when these services are available. If there is none in your area then you will have to follow-up on your own. This can be quite difficult.

COUNSELING

Sidewalk counseling is a highly intense verbal interaction between you and a mother who is about to deliver her unborn child over to death. Your goal is to persuade her to keep her baby. You learned about abortion and the circumstances surrounding it in previous study. Now in talking to the individual mother you will add the personal dimensions of her problem to what you already know and make decisions based upon that information. Keeping the goal in mind which is to save the baby, you constantly probe for more information. When you judge the proper time has come, you try to persuade her to take a step in a lifesaving direction. This process of accumulating information and influencing behavior in a positive way also occurs within each of the separate steps which make up the process of counseling.

WHAT YOU WANT TO ACCOMPLISH STEP BY STEP

1. Get her attention.
2. Get her to stop and talk:
• Get her to like you.
• Get her to listen to you.
• Get a dialogue going.
3. Get her away from the abortuary:
• Get her to go with you to the crisis pregnancy center.
• Get her to go with you to a coffee shop for quiet conversation.
4. Find out her problem.
5. Indicate a way out of her problem.
6. Get her moving on a life saving path.
7. Get her name and telephone number for follow-up.
8. Follow up.

In practice you will find that these steps will overlap each other. Also that sometimes you can skip a step and sometimes you have to go back. You should always keep in mind where you are trying to lead her and what you want her to do. Don’t talk aimlessly. Probe for information and try to get her to do something positive. As you find out new things about her modify or even scrap the old plan of action and invent a new one based on the new circumstances.

A good counselor is one who gets people to open up and who then listens with sympathy and intelligence not one who speaks the most. You must get the mother to trust you, show her a way to have the baby, follow your direction and then be trustworthy by following through. The errors you make are not usually what you do, but what you don’t do. You must be pro-active.

    THE HELP YOU OFFER

Some of the services your local crisis pregnancy center may offer or that your network may know about are these:

• Free testing for pregnancy.
• Free ultrasounds.
• Adoption services.
• Medical and prenatal care.
• Living quarters and safe houses.
• Schooling for young girls.
• Day care.

You should incorporate your knowledge of these services into your talk in order to convince her to have the baby.

HOW TO DEAL WITH LYING

Many of the women you are trying to help will lie to you. Most often the purpose of the lie is to keep you from talking to them. The way you handle liars is to pretend to believe them and introduce the same information as you would had they told you the truth. Woman: “I’m not going for an abortion, only for a test.” Counselor: “Oh that’s good, because a lot of women are scheduled for abortions here today and they don’t know how badly abortion can hurt them. We try to explain to them that…” Then you continue with your normal delivery. Later on you could say, “If all you need is a test why don’t you come to our place? Not only is the test free but a doctor comes in on Thursday to give medical exams and pre-natal care. Do you think you might be pregnant?” So the way to handle a lie is to follow it to where you want to go. Notice too that the counselor ended her words with a question. She did this in order to elicit information and to engage the mother in conversation. Always do this.

TWO KINDS OF MOTHERS

You should decide immediately which of the two basic approaches you will start with. If one approach isn’t working or if you are getting nonverbal clues that you’ve made a mistake then switch to the other.

Abortion will hurt the baby

This type of woman has strong maternal feelings. Talk about fetal development. How the baby’s heart is beating after only 18 days. How the baby will probably look like her. Describe how the abortion is done and the terrible pain the baby will feel when he’s ripped to pieces. How much help there is in the local community for mothers in need. How many mothers you’ve helped and how glad they were that they listened to you.

Abortion will hurt the mother

With another type of woman it’s a waste of time to focus on the baby. She has totally rejected it. She has murder in her heart and the only thing that will stop her from killing it is fear that harm will come to herself. Explain to her the dangers of the abortion procedure. Go into detail about how many women were killed or injured at this abortion mill. If you have any derogatory information about the abortionists who kill there, now is the time to use it. Talk about Post Abortion Syndrome, the danger that her uterus may be perforated, how relationships are destroyed and the abortion links with sterility and breast cancer.

GETTING HER TO STOP AND TALK TO YOU

Getting the mother or the aborting couple to stop and talk to you is easily the hardest of all sidewalk counseling tasks and without doubt the most important. Only if you fail to get her stopped and talking should you offer to give her pro-life literature. “I’m sorry you feel don’t have time to talk. Please take this and read it inside, it’s important for you to know there are alternatives to abortion.” If she accepts the literature try again to start a conversation.   There are several reasons why abortion mill clients are reluctant to talk to you:

• When the appointment is made the mill owners tell the clients not to pay attention to you when arriving for their appointment.
• You may appear to be a person who is intimidating or who may be unpleasant to talk to.
• You guessed wrong in your starting approach and something you did or said turned her off to you.
• The person controlling the abortion decision does not want to give you a chance to change the mother’s mind so she is rushed into the abortion mill as quickly as possible.

It is easy to become discouraged when facing these formidable obstacles, but if you keep trying someone will eventually stop and talk to you. Do not hang out by the door to the abortion mill. Meet the mother as she comes toward you. The distance you create between the place where you meet her and the door can be used to get in a few more words when you walk alongside her back to the door. You also need time and space to offer pro-life literature to her. So create some space. Observe the path she is taking as you walk toward her then stop and stand directly in her path. Do this only when she is some distance away not when she is close to you. Do not block her suddenly. Rather give her time to adjust to your position and opt to walk around you if she chooses to do so. Face her squarely with a big smile on your face and offer a warm greeting. Look directly into her eyes and maintain eye contact throughout the whole session. Smile a lot. Dress and act like a person who would be nice to talk to. If she walks past you follow alongside her and talk some more. Offer her some pro-life literature as a last resort.

Use creativity and imagination by making use of circumstances as they develop. Some examples: It’s a rainy day so you offer to hold an umbrella over her head. You offer the needed change for a parking meter to those who drive up and park. You invite her to look at an interesting exhibit while you explain it to her. I know of one group that rigged up a portable television with a VCR and showed pro-life films.

Keep in mind that your fall-back position is to get pro-life literature into the mother’s hands in case your initial approach fails to engage her in conversation. So have it ready.

WHAT DOES ONE SAY?

The question most often asked by new-comers to sidewalk counseling is, “How do you begin? What does one say?” It is an important one. Many factors are involved in the answer. Here are some:

• The kinds of people you will talk to.
• Your individual style.
• What you feel will work to get the mother or couple to stop and talk to you.
• The situation at the particular abortion mill.
• Your physical surroundings.

You needn’t worry about these fine points now. To get started memorize a set way to begin so you’ll feel secure, and use it for a while. As you gain experience and get new ideas change it. Keep thinking and experimenting until you develop approaches that will do the job. If you find yourself disagreeing with me about some of the suggestions that follow it’s because you’re thinking on your own. This is good.

Examples

“Hello, my name is Susan. I’m here to offer alternatives to abortion. How can I help you to have a living baby?”

“Hello, my name is Doris. Have you heard about what happened here last week?” [A woman was taken away in an ambulance and you are going to tell her about it]

“Hello, my name is Mary. I can show you a better way than abortion. Please talk to me .”

[If you have posters and exhibits,] “Come look at these posters. See what abortion is really like.”

“Abortion is bad for your physical and mental health. We can show you a better way. Talk to us.”

“Hi, I’m Jeniffer. If you’re scheduled this morning. I’d like to talk to you. Do you have a minute?” [This one invites a lie. So be prepared to deal with it]

[To a woman who comes alone] Hello, my name is Doris. You don’t have to face this problem by yourself, I’ll be your friend. Please talk to me.”

[To a woman who is being controlled by a boy friend or husband] “It seems like an easy way out for him, but you’re the one who has to live with it for the rest of your life. I know how you feel. I won’t let you down. Please talk to me.”

One liners

If you’re really pressed for time and it’s impossible to talk to her for any length of time try one of these one liners: “Don’t be the mother of a dead baby.” “Don’t sign the release form.”

DIALOGUE

You must have a two-way conversation. Questions are ideal for getting conversations going and obtaining information. A good technique is to end whatever you’re saying with a question. “Right now you’re carrying a little baby that will probably look like you when she grows up. Her heart is beating and her nervous system is fully developed. This means she will feel terrible pain if you go through with this. Why do you feel you can’t have the baby?”

Be direct with your questions
“Are you scheduled to have an abortion?”
“Why do you want to put the baby out of your life?”
“Why do you feel you can’t have the baby?”
“Did they put the laminaria in you?”
“How does your husband/boyfriend feel about this?”

Persistence is necessary. Perseverance will pay off in more saved babies. Keep at it. If you counsel as part of a group one of you can be stationed at the door of the mill while the other goes forward to meet the mother. Sometimes the counselor at the door is successful in getting the mother to stop and talk or accept pro-life literature because the first counselor has worn her down.

BUILDING RAPPORT

Sometimes revealing information about yourself can establish rapport with the mother. “Yes, I’m a mother myself and I know how difficult children can be, but it’s worth it. What else do we have after all except our families?” Or if you can say it truthfully, “I had an abortion myself once and the pain of it is still with me. I don’t want you to make the same mistake I did.”

YOUR OBJECTIVES IN THE DIALOGUE

• Get information.
• Find out what her problem is.
• Show her a way to keep the baby.
• Get her to do something positive.
• Go away with you for coffee and quiet conversation.
• Have a pregnancy test.
• Schedule a prenatal exam.
• Get her to resolve to tell her parents what is going on.
• Read the pro-life literature.
• Put the abortion off and get more information.
• Go with you to the crisis pregnancy center.

When she chooses life, reassure her that she did the right thing. Be sure to get her telephone number for follow-up.

TEAM COUNSELING AS A COUPLE

Two counselors working together can be very effective. It is also good for morale. The counseling pair can be a man and woman or two women working together. It works best when one of them takes the lead and the other plays a supporting role. Team counseling is an ideal way to break in a beginning sidewalk counselor. Whatever you do, don’t both talk at once. While one counselor is speaking the other should be watching for reactions to what her team-mate is saying. One looks for nonverbal clues to the mother’s mind set.

Based on these observations you decide what to do and cut in when you think it is right to do so. A question about the mother’s response to what your team-mate said is good since it elicits information and shows you’ve been listening. However, if your team-mate is doing well and the mother is responding, keep quiet and just nod your head. If your team-mate is running out of things to say or just getting tired and you feel you have a better line to take then jump in. Try to be sensitive to the rhythm of the way it’s going. Reinforce the good rhythms and change the bad rhythms to good ones.

If you are part of a man-woman counseling team and you are dealing with an aborting couple try to arrange it so that the man on your team talks to the boyfriend of the aborting couple and the woman talks to the mother. Since the most likely case is that the boyfriend is controlling the abortion decision this tactic will give you some time alone with her apart from his influence. At the same time you are talking to the mother your male friend will be trying to instill some sense of responsibility into the boyfriend.

DEFUSING ANGER

People who come to abortion mills to have their children killed can be very confused and upset. One of the raw emotions you will encounter is anger. Often this anger is directed at you. If this happens immediately lower your voice and speak softly and gently and keep smiling. Do not disagree with the angry person. This will only make him angrier. Sometimes if you understand the reason for the anger you can still move forward and save the baby. A common case is that of an angry boyfriend. He may want the baby, but his girlfriend does not. Society tells him it’s none of his business so he feels helpless and angry. To show him that you understand his problem is to win him over and begin a dialogue.

DONT’S

Don’t talk aimlessly. Talk with a purpose. Know where you are going. Some people are tricky. They’ll talk to you but try to get you involved in abstract debates about abortion or politics. Don’t let them evade the issue. Keep bringing them back to the reality of what they are doing with questions and your constant offers of help.

DO’S

Try to get as much information as possible about her situation. Think and plan the next action step while you are talking. When you feel the timing is right ask her to do something positive.

THE ABORTION MILL ENTRANCE

If you get away from the door and meet the mother as she comes to the abortion mill, you will have more time to speak to her while walking along with her on the way back. What follows takes about 12 seconds to say. “If you do this terrible thing you’ll never be able to get your baby back. Please talk to us for a few seconds won’t you? Please talk to us. Isn’t your baby worth a few seconds? We care what happens to you. You don’t have to face this problem by yourself. We’ve helped lots of women, we can help you too.”

ENLISTING SUPPORTERS

Make mental notes of the mother’s companions as she enters the mill. Often you’ll be able to talk to them later when they come out by themselves. Do your best to find out what is going on with the mother. Sometimes you can persuade the companion to go back in and get her friend to leave. Many babies have been saved by counselors who did not give up on a mother inside a mill.

MALE SIDEWALK COUNSELORS

Male sidewalk counselors are an asset to any group of counselors. We need more of them.

PRAYER

Many counselors pray while they’re waiting for clients to come to the abortion mill. This is good. However don’t let it become a distraction by ignoring your surroundings. Remember that the work you are doing is the answer to someone else’s prayer. Keep first things first.

Don’t accept the responsibility of say leading a Rosary if moments later you will have to break away and talk to someone. Short prayers are best, that is ejaculations. Sometimes it’s possible to pray mentally while waiting to talk to mothers with crisis pregnancies. This is a great blessing.

RELIGIOUS REASONING

Religious reasoning against abortion can be effective. The key is to use it only with religious people. Catholics should be reminded that the canonical penalty for abortion is excommunication from their church.

RESULTS TO BE EXPECTED

At least one out of a hundred mothers you try to talk to will change their minds and have the baby. However the odds increase to about one in twenty if you can get her attention and she gives you a hearing. This is why it’s so important to involve her in conversation.

FOLLOW UP

Here are how my follow up notes read for May 6, 1993, one week after Diana turned around: “Marge calls Diana. The baby is dead. Diana killed the baby. Marge should not have delayed the call.” The lesson to be learned here is: If you don’t follow up and the mother doesn’t take constructive steps to deal with the crisis pregnancy, the original pressures that led to the abortion decision will reassert themselves and she will return to the abortion mill.

If you can get your turn-around to a good crisis pregnancy center you are very lucky. Assuming that you have confidence in the people working there your job is pretty much over. You may want to look in on her only once in a while to see how she is doing and to check up on what the crisis pregnancy center is doing for her. But if you have to work without the help of crisis pregnancy center follow up becomes even more important. It’s now up to you to get the mother started in solving her problem.

The first thing to do is to find out about pro-life resources in your area. Pro-life doctors, attorneys, homes for unwed mothers, free pre-natal programs are all useful. As you gain experience in counseling try to develop a file of reliable contacts. You want to deal with solid people not institutions that may be pro-life in name only.

GENERAL RULES

• Be prepared in every way. Dress for the weather.
• Be fearless.
• Interfere when something bad is going on.
• Don’t interfere when something good is going on.
• Always maintain eye contact.
• Don’t leave couples alone for more than a few minutes. If you do they will consolidate the original abortion decision.
• Never take a pamphlet back.
• Follow up with your turn-arounds.
• Never scream or shout at people entering or leaving the abortion mill.
• Don’t touch or block anyone.

THE DYNAMICS OF SIDEWALK COUNSELING

Dynamics because you are flexible. The word “dynamics” has not been chosen by accident. Rather it aptly describes the process of verbal interaction that occurs. In this process you guess about a given situation, ask questions to confirm or reject your guesses and then modify your behavior. You must be ready to change your plan based on the information you discover, or to her reaction to what you are doing.

THE QUESTIONS YOU WANT ANSWERED

To persuade her to love and keep the baby she is carrying you must understand her life situation and what is going on with her right now. To do this there are things you must find out:

Who’s controlling the abortion decision?

Often the mother has been pressured into an abortion decision by someone close to her. This could be a boyfriend or husband. Sometimes it’s a girl’s mother or father. It makes a tremendous difference in how you approach the problem to know whether the woman has been coerced into the abortion decision or has made it on her own. If the mother wants to keep the baby and is being pressured into destroying it you must try to convince both her and the other controlling person to choose life. This may be what you have to do if you find a boyfriend hanging around outside of a mill after dropping off his girlfriend.

Can you create an opportunity to talk to her in the absence of the controller? If you are teamed up as counseling couple can your male team mate talk to the man and you to the woman? Can you separate the mother from the controller emotionally by what you say? “It’s an easy way out for him, but you’re the one who has to live with it the rest of your life. If he really cared about you he’d stand by you and not put you through this.”

Why does the mother or the person controlling the abortion decision want the abortion?

To find out, be direct: “Why do you feel you can’t have the baby?” Or, “Why do you want to put the baby out of your life?”

Have the laminaria been inserted?

You should make sure she knows that she can have these removed and continue the pregnancy to term.

Did you take the abortion pill?

Make sure she knows that the process can be reversed after the first pill is taken. If she decides to have the baby, try to get her to throw away the second pill or give it to you.  You should have called 1-877-558-0333 in advance and found the doctors in your locality who can reverse the procedure. Give these names to her or call and make an appointment for her.

How long has she been pregnant?

If she merely suspects that she’s pregnant can you convince her to have the “free test” somewhere else where it is safe?

Of two women together, who is scheduled to have the abortion?

Of a couple, is the man the father of the baby?

If he’s the father, is the couple married?

BODY LANGUAGE

Body language or nonverbal communication is another way of gathering information. It will help you understand what is going on before you ask any questions or will help you to know what questions to ask. Train yourself to observe. A couple walking very slowly, almost dragging themselves along the street, do not want to go inside the abortion mill.

ABORTING COUPLES IN AUTOMOBILES

It’s a good idea to approach people in automobiles before they exit the car. To do so is to get a head start on talking to them. If you can capture their interest while they are at rest in a secure environment you may be able to keep them from going into the mill. If you are rebuffed at first give them some pro-life literature and move away. Watch them carefully from a distance and try to figure them out. If they are looking at the pro-life literature give them time to finish reading it before coming over and trying to talk to them again.

WOMEN WHO ARE CRYING

A mother who is crying does not want the abortion. You must redouble your efforts with her because she is very close to choosing life. Do not let up on her no matter how tired you are. “Your feelings are telling you the truth. It’s alright, you don’t have to do this. Talk to us. We’ve helped many women like you. It’s all right. We’ll help you find a way to have a living baby.” Often a woman in this situation is being controlled and you will have to deal with the controller. He knows as well as you do how close she is to choosing life and he will fight to keep you away from her. You must have courage here since you probably will be threatened physically. My advice is to step back out of harm’s way, project your voice and keep talking.

REPEATERS

Repeaters are women who’ve had one or more abortions previously. They are very hard to reach. If you do succeed in turning one of them around you must spend more time with them in following up since their habit of having their unborn children killed is firmly established.

THE BOYFRIEND OUTSIDE THE ABORTION MILL

It’s definitely worthwhile to speak to boyfriends or husbands as they come out of the mill by themselves. There’s no set way to play this except to allow for masculine psychology when you speak to them. Sometimes you’ll find it’s the father who wants to keep the baby and the mother inside who wants it dead. Your approach in this case is to put some fight into him and get him to go back inside and get her out of there. Tell him that 80% of aborting couples break up within 6 months of an abortion, that she’ll blame him for letting her do this, that she’s doing it because he hasn’t made it clear to her that he’ll be supportive and see it through.

A WOMAN BY HERSELF

A woman coming by herself needs a friend very badly. Most likely she’s been told to get rid of the problem or she’ll be dropped. You want to point out to her that anyone with such a callous view of her needs and feelings isn’t worth having, that she’s the one that’s going to have to live with the decision not him. Describe all the harm that can come to her from abortion. Be the friend that she needs.

AN ABORTION ENABLER COMPANION

An abortion enabler is a woman who has had an abortion and feels very guilty about it. She deals with her guilt by encouraging her friends to choose abortion. If a pregnant friend shows courage and chooses life the enabler’s ego feels threatened. An abortion enabler will fight very hard against you because she wants to believe that abortion is the only way to deal with a crisis pregnancy. If you start to counsel two women and realize that the mother’s friend is an “enabler” make it clear to both of them that you understand what’s going on. Your strategy is to point out the enabler’s true motives and discredit her as the mother’s “friend.”

A WOMAN HELD INSIDE AGAINST HER WILL

From time to time you will run across a situation in which a woman is prevented from leaving the abortion mill by the staff. You’ll discover this in speaking to her companion outside the mill. Her companion will complain to you somewhat in this vein, “They won’t let me talk to my friend inside. I don’t know what to do. She went in this morning only because she thought she had to go through with it. I wanted to tell her what you told me, that the “sticks” can be removed. If she knew about that she wouldn’t be in there. They won’t let me talk to her.”

My advice is first to hand whatever pro-life material you may have on your person to one of your counseling friends. Tell your friend that you’re going inside with the mother’s companion to get the mother out. Tell your friend to call the police and ask them to send someone around because a woman is being held there against her will. Next go inside with the companion as her legal representative and ask to see the mother. When they give you some excuse why you cannot see her do not take no for an answer. Walk boldly through the entire abortion mill shouting her name, opening doors and looking for her. Really make a big fuss. Get physical with the staff if they try to block you. Put yourself in God’s hands and let righteous anger take hold of you. Stop at nothing to get the mother out of there.

A WOMAN IS TAKEN AWAY IN AN AMBULANCE

If you have camera handy be sure to take pictures. If the woman dies of the abortion your local newspaper may publish it. Have it enlarged and display it together with a newspaper account of what happened on poster board in a pro-life exhibit outside the mill. Call the city desk of your local newspaper and fill them in on the details.

DEALING WITH PRO-ABORTS

Pro-aborts are misguided souls who are intent upon interfering with your saving work. They couldn’t care less about abortion one way or the other, but feel they must thwart you because you represent all that they hate, that is Christ and His Church. Try not to have to deal with them at all. If there is more than one abortion mill in your town keep them guessing about where you’ll next be counseling. If you have to counsel at the same mill try to change to a different day of the week. Use the initiative you have in this area to keep their interference to a minimum. But if you must counsel when they are present try to physically dominate the space. If you cower you will lose the aggressive confidence that you need. Also talk to them. They’ve been told that you are a monster. They become confused and disoriented when they find out how nice you are. You must try to get your turn-arounds out of that environment as fast as possible to keep the pro-aborts from spoiling your work.

DEALING WITH THE POLICE

Most often the police are on the side of death. When they try to intimidate you or chase you away make it clear to them that you know your rights. You must decide for yourself on a case by case basis whether to risk arrest in defense of your first amendment rights. Recording your conversations with a video camera helps to keep police officers in line.

TIPS AND TRICKS

• If you get to the mill before it opens there’s a good chance you will have a captive audience of people waiting to get in.
• Watch carefully the people walking toward the abortion mill. The ones going in will be looking for the address. You will be able to spot this by observing a tell-tale gesture of their eyes and heads.
• Sometimes when you are walking alongside a woman and she becomes mildly interested in what you are saying you can slow down slightly and she will slow down with you. If this happens slow down even more and then stop completely.
• To get someone to take a pamphlet if you have them in more than one language say, “Will you take one of these in Spanish or in English?” She will choose one of the languages.