(LifeSiteNews) — For the past week, I was on university campuses in Florida with the Abortion Awareness Project with my colleagues from the Canadian Centre for Bio-Ethical Reform and a team of volunteers. Over four days, over 1,200 conversations about abortion unfolded in front of the campus displays; hundreds of people changed their minds. On Wednesday and Thursday, we were at the University of Central Florida, and our team took shifts going to the Orlando Women’s Center, one of Florida’s most notorious abortion centers.
It was my first time back at the facility since John Barros, who served for nearly 20 years as a sidewalk counselor there, passed away last February (I wrote an obituary for him in First Things). Thousands of babies were saved by John’s ministry, and even from the grave, his faithful witness haunts the abortion workers – earlier this year, they went to the cemetery at St. Andrew’s Chapel and livestreamed themselves desecrating his burial place. Even when he no longer speaks to them, they hear his voice. In a way, I’m not surprised. Many workers quit after hearing John. Those who did not are angry still.
At the abortion center, several of John’s friends were calling out to the women heading in. Florida now has a six-week abortion ban, which survived a $120 million campaign last November when Amendment 4, which would have declared abortion up until birth a “right,” failed. The Orlando Women’s Center used to do late-term abortions, but not anymore – at least, not that we could see. Several women went in and were sent away. T.J., who ministers outside the facility, said that abortion groups are flying women to Puerto Rico to get abortions.
With Florida’s new pro-life laws, the abortion facility staff have become far more hostile. Now, they have an army of clinic escorts in high-visibility vests ready to spring into action the moment a car pulls up to prevent pro-lifers from offering the women help. There were three there when we arrived. One, a large, burly woman, stalked the grounds without saying anything. The second, a blond lady, attempted to mock the volunteers and sing Big Band songs while they sang hymns. The third sat sullenly by the doors and didn’t say anything at all. She was wearing a cap that had a single word – “F**K” – across the front.
When a car pulled up, the escorts crowded it with rainbow umbrellas. They handed one woman ear muffs to prevent her from hearing the offers of help. When one woman took a pamphlet from T.J., the blond clinic escort attempted to convince the woman to give it to her so she wouldn’t see the photos of babies in the womb. As each woman got out of the car, the escorts surrounded them with a phalanx of umbrellas and almost push them through the doors of the clinic. They used to play pounding music to drown out the preaching, the hymns, and the praying – but they stopped that after women in the waiting room begged them to turn it off.
The signs on the clinic lawn were furious and defiant:
“For Privacy, Keep Your Windows UP.”
“If you couldn’t get an abortion us today, talk to us about travel costs.”
“We Will Aid & Abet Abortion.”
“Abortion Access Is A Community Responsibility.”
And:
“In this House, We Believe: F***K the Supreme Court. We Are Having Abortions Forever. They Will Never Stop Us. Seriously F**K These Dorks. Shareabortionpill.info.”
The front lawn of the Orlando Women’s Center is a snapshot of the new abortion battle unfolding in states with pro-life laws. Abortion activists will stop at nothing to facilitate child killing. Are we surprised? People committed to killing babies will scarcely stop at anything else.
On previous visits to this facility, the women had gone in to get abortions; now, many women were leaving with paper bags full of pills to induce abortions at home. T.J. called out and told them that their babies were still alive; told them to visit abortionpillreversal.com, offered any help they might need. I’ve seen enough miracles outside this facility to hope that some of them listened to him.
