Wednesday March 17, 2010
Pro-Abortion ‘Escorts’ vs. 40 Days Volunteers
Commentary By David Bereit, National Coordinator, 40 Days for Life
March 17, 2010 (LifeSiteNews.com) – Outside abortion centers, faithful volunteers are praying for God to protect women and their babies from the tragedy that awaits inside.
Inside these facilities, staffers are scrambling to find volunteers to shield their clients from people they refer to as “anti-life zealots,” who are peacefully standing in prayer.
It seems to be happening more during this current 40 Days for Life campaign than it has at any time in the past — and that’s a credit to the success of your prayerful efforts.
Nancy says she’s seen it at the 40 Days for Life vigil in Plattsburgh, New York.
“Planned Parenthood employees call in ‘escorts’ when they see us appear,” she said. “Escorts — in their minds — are needed to ‘safely’ bring in the clients, as they feel the need to ‘protect’ them from the pro-life prayers! It’s quite a show on their part.”
Mary has seen it as well. When she went to take part in the 40 Days for Life vigil in Canton, Ohio recently, she and the other vigil participants “were joined by two young men carrying signs of hate.” The men were trying to stand in the way of the people praying, all the while laughing and saying hateful things.
“I told one young man that I would pray for him — but he didn’t seem to hear me or to care,” Mary said. “I tried to keep getting around them with my sign but they were relentless and it almost became a game — a circus act, if you will.”
Mary said it’s best to ignore protesters — just pray silently and “stand firm in the truth of what we are doing together — saving lives.”
At the 40 Days for Life vigil in Providence, Rhode Island, Joanne said a Planned Parenthood worker confronted a prayer volunteer who was carrying an “I regret my abortion” sign. The employee argued that this woman had no “right” to regret her abortion!
“The employee joined the escorts near me to ridicule her for having had eight children,” Joanne said, “even saying vulgar things against her motherhood.”
As the worker and the escorts continued to mock the woman with the sign, Joanne pulled her aside “to assure her that God was blessing her greatly.” Just at that moment, one of the women that the escorts had been trying to “protect” came bursting out of the abortion center.
“It’s so scary in there,” she said. “This is the second time I’ve come for an abortion and couldn’t do it. I was in the room and on the table, and I couldn’t do it — so I left. Thank you for being here. God bless you!”
“What would we do without the courageous and charitable witness of faithful volunteers?” asked Joanne. “I am always awed to stand with you who are sent by the Lord for this work!”
This article reprinted with permission from www.c-fam.org