Sidewalk counselor Edna May spent just shy of ten years helping women facing crisis pregnancies. As a compassionate and courageous presence in her community, Edna has been integral to saving many lives from the violence of abortion. Her advocacy mainly focused on offering women alternatives to abortion outside a surgical abortion facility in Grand Rapids, Michigan — Heritage Clinic for Women. This abortion facility was run by notorious abortionist Thomas James Gordon, who was known to legal authorities for repeated domestic violence against his wife.

During her time as a sidewalk advocate, Edna gained knowledge of local resources for supporting mothers in need. She became adept in meeting abortion-bound women with care and boldness as they entered the abortion facility, and in directing them toward community support. On many occasions, Edna accompanied women who were unsure about their abortion decision to the local Pregnancy Center, where they received high-quality ultrasounds and resources to help them be the best moms they can be.

Edna's Tips for Effective Sidewalk Counseling

When Edna joined Embryo Advocates for a podcast interview, she shared all her top tips for effective advocacy outside your local abortion clinic. Let's dive in and learn from her years of experience and passionate heart.

1. Be Compassionate

Edna emphasized the role of showing kindness, care, compassion, and thoughtfulness to abortion-bound women when you encounter them outside the abortion facility. By interacting in a way that prioritizes sharing genuine love, Edna has played a role in helping many women choose life. When a mother comes to an abortion clinic and hears people speaking to her from the sidewalk, it can be scary. Strangers can be unpredictable, and not all behaviors lend themselves to building trust in a high-risk situation like this one. But by being a presence of grace and boldness, we can help save mother and child from violence that would otherwise await them on the other side of the clinic door.

I was there many Friday mornings when Edna was sidewalk counseling. Her gentle invitation, "We're here to help you," or "You don't have to do this," started lots of conversations with women headed towards abortion. When a car would stop, roll their window down, and begin to speak with Edna, she met them with care, presented them with a selection of flyers that offered free help for moms and babies, and inquired about the crisis they were facing and how she could help them. This support she offered from the kindness of her heart, in a non-judgmental way, was drastically different from the behavior the mother would encounter inside the abortion facility, where she would offer up her hard-earned money to an abortionist who would carry out actions that would destroy her little one's life for good.

Compassion is world-changing, and it can rescue mothers and babies who would otherwise experience immense harm from abortion.

2. Take the Time to Get to Know what Resources Your Community Can Offer Women Facing Unplanned Pregnancy

Many years of volunteering as a sidewalk advocate eventually left Edna with a vast wealth of knowledge on community resources for women and babies in need. However, there was a time at the beginning of her activism at Heritage Clinic for Women when she did not yet know exactly where to point these mothers. By talking with other counselors outside the clinic, Edna began to compile contact information and resources. She also visited local Pregnancy Centers and talked with the Priest at her church to identify what specific ways these entities could help abortion-determined women to turn away and make a non-violent choice for her baby and herself.

In her interview with Embryo Advocates, Edna emphasized the importance of three particular kinds of resources that can change the lives of mothers in crisis.

(1) Pregnancy Centers

Local pregnancy centers offer substantive help to women experiencing unplanned pregnancies. These resources may include confidential pregnancy counseling, pregnancy testing, ultrasounds performed by a qualified medical professional, mentorship, single mom support groups, parenting classes, GED classes, job training, baby clothes and supplies, maternity clothing, pregnancy supplies, cribs, pack and plays, diapers, and wipes. All these services are available at no cost to the mother. Unfortunately, the abortion industry has sought to demonize Pregnancy Centers because they are highly effective in deterring women from abortion. Therefore, many women either don't know the local Pregnancy Center exists or have been told false narratives about these nonprofits. Sidewalk counselors can help women in crisis access the support available through these centers by picking up their promotional materials, such as flyers and brochures, and offering them to women outside the abortion clinic.

I once talked to a mother outside an abortion facility who was particularly in need of Pregnancy Center support. As I called out to her to encourage her to choose life, she stopped in her tracks, looked up at me, and called back, "I'm going to need all the help you've got. I'm having twins." That mom chose life for her babies. God persuaded her to leave the abortion clinic and turn to pro-life resources instead. It's thanks to local Pregnancy Centers and other supportive resources that women like this one can become the very best moms they can be when they didn't expect to have a child.

(2) Local Churches

Edna discussed the importance of the local church in getting women the support they need during an unplanned pregnancy. Where she attends church, the Priest is highly connected to community support and has access to resources that have assisted several pregnant women who turned away from abortion. Some churches have benevolence funds that can support mothers facing financial need. And churches can also serve as a hub of volunteering and social connection -- places women in need can get connected and form new friendships during what may be an isolating season of life.

(3) Social Capital

Each of us has networks of relationships as individuals, and this social capital also exists on a larger level at our local churches. When women facing crisis pregnancies need things like a place to stay, a crib, a household appliance, baby clothes, or other resources, checking in with our support networks can offer more help than we ever knew was surrounding us. 

Edna shared in her interview with Embryo Advocates that when she would meet women outside the abortion facility, she would ask around in her community to see if the particular kind of help needed in the life of a mother was available. Other sidewalk advocates have sometimes taken to social media, with permission, to ask their social network if they are capable of meeting specific needs. For example, a sidewalk advocate I know posted on social media that he was in search of a refrigerator because a mother facing a crisis pregnancy had a fridge that died. This put her in a rough spot since she was already a single mother to several other children and was in a financial bind. By checking with his social network, the advocate was able to get her a new refrigerator, which she would not have otherwise been able to afford.

3. Face Your Fear, and Speak Up

Standing outside an abortion clinic and offering women alternatives can feel intimidating. When we choose to go anyway and face our fears, it can drastically alter the course of the future for many mothers and babies who would otherwise be harmed through abortion. Edna is not the kind of person who seeks confrontation or arguing -- she is a gentle soul who is careful with people. Even so, she chose to face pushback from pro-choice protesters outside the abortion clinic, people who scream profanities at her as they drive by the facility, and aggression from some abortion clinic staff, all because she cares so much about babies in the womb and saving them from death. 

You, too, are capable of cultivating boldness and reaching out to women at your local abortion facility. Former abortion workers, such as Abby Johnson, have shared that a sidewalk counselor's mere presence outside the abortion clinic increases the abortion clinic's no-show and cancellation rate. A pro-life presence at a place of execution and death has the power to deter people from a decision that would otherwise destroy a living child. Consider how God may want to use you at your local abortion facility, and dare to stand on behalf of women and babies alike, as you offer resources and abortion alternatives.

4. Have Healthy Boundaries with Ministry Involvement

Edna has always made it a priority to put her role as a wife, mom, and grandma above being an activist. When the needs of her family would change, Edna would occasionally have to skip her weekly day of sidewalk counseling. She could do this with peace because she knew that God is the greatest advocate for the unborn, not her, so God will continue to reach people even when she has to step away to help her husband or grandchild on occasion. 

I really admire the way Edna approaches the abortion issue and handles her commitments in life; she knows that another sidewalk counselor may be able to fill in for her if she has to miss volunteering outside the abortion clinic, but no one can replace her as the beloved wife, mom, and grandma that she is. Pro-life advocates sometimes struggle with a healthy work-life balance and can fall out of alignment when hotly pursuing anti-abortion goals. 

We will become healthier as activists when we remember that we are each, first of all, children made by God -- we depend on God Himself to care well for us. Then we are sons or daughters to our earthly parents; we are sisters or brothers. Many of us are also mothers or fathers, husbands or wives. And we will do our highest-impact work when our priorities are straight. First, we have to pursue our own individual relationships with God through His Word. Then we need to care for our family relationships and be good stewards of our own bodies and minds. Then, after these priorities, we have to tend to our work -- be that paid or volunteer. 

If you want to save a lot of preborn babies from the violence of abortion, like Edna has, start by examining yourself and see if you have set healthy priorities for your life. Check in and examine if you really want to glorify God with the volunteering you are doing, or if you are seeking fame. God knows our hearts, and He will not bless work that is done from a haughty or disordered spirit.

5. Consider the Example of Other Sidewalk Counselors who Inspire You

One day, Edna and her husband went on a trip to visit their adult daughter, Teresa. While they visited, Teresa asked Edna if she would accompany her in sidewalk counseling at the abortion facility near her home. Edna agreed with a bit of hesitation since she had never done this before. While Edna observed the way her daughter reached out to abortion-determined women, she was inspired. When Edna and her husband got home from visiting Teresa, Edna decided she too should regularly sidewalk counsel.

The presence of other healthy and effective activists can help each of us to improve our advocacy and inspire us to take further action to fight against abortion. When you begin sidewalk counseling, you will likely meet pro-lifers with a multitude of different approaches. Develop friendships with sidewalk counselors from your local abortion facility who inspire you. We can learn from each other and improve the way we reach out to mothers in need when we are open to new ways of trying outreach and to learning from other people's activism journey.

6. Be a Presence of Long-Term Support and Friendship to Women Who Choose Life When Possible

Engaging in a ministry like sidewalk counseling can create new relationships with women in crisis. These ladies tend to vary in their approach to help outside of the abortion clinic. Some abortion-determined women will receive the resources you offer them and go to the pregnancy center by themselves, and may desire no further contact with the counselor. On the other hand, some women want the sidewalk counselor to accompany them to the pregnancy center, and may wish to stay in close contact with you throughout the pregnancy and after. Each mother and baby are different, so it's best for sidewalk advocates to respect the process women develop when they choose life -- if they want to be frequently in contact with you, or if they decide to pursue community support for themself and their baby without you. 

In some cases, Edna developed long-term relationships with women who chose life. Some of them would repeatedly reconnect with Edna, year after year, to invite her to birthday parties for their son or daughter who was saved from abortion. One sidewalk advocate named Stephanie threw a large baby shower for a mother who chose life and was invited to attend the birth as well. Even if the connections you make with abortion-determined women do not last for the long-term, it's still incredibly impactful to be a presence in support of their baby's life and to offer pro-life resources.

For more sidewalk advocacy tips from Edna May, listen to her full podcast interview with Embryo Advocates, released today on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or YouTube.

Kaitlyn Donahue serves as the Executive Director of Deeper Still West Michigan — a ministry serving post-abortive men and women. She has an extensive background in pro-life advocacy with nearly a decade of experience working for Justice for All, spreading knowledge about how to change people's minds from pro-choice to pro-life. 

Entering pro-life ministry and engaging in conversations with pro-choice people on college campuses quickly revealed to Kaitlyn that there was a significant knowledge gap in one particular area — how to effectively help women heal from post-abortion trauma. Conversations with women who were processing profound grief after having an abortion created intense curiosity for Kaitlyn — what resources existed to help them? And how could she engage these mothers in a way that promoted Gospel-centric healing? After thoroughly reading books, Bible studies, and attending conferences on the subject, Kaitlyn felt she had developed a significant pool of resources and help for post-abortive parents. Today, in her role at Deeper Still West Michigan, Kaitlyn regularly leads post-abortion healing retreats that serve as a catalyst for overcoming trauma and transforming generations of hurt from the violent loss of unborn lives.

Here are Kaitlyn's recommendations for interacting with post-abortive parents:

1. Be a safe place for them

Rather if a person is pro-choice or pro-life, having an abortion is not on any woman's bucket list. Whether she admits it or not, a woman who has ended her baby's life does experience grief — though sometimes this is repressed. Even if a person passionately denies any negative impact of undergoing an abortion, it is important to approach them with gentleness and be a safe place for them once they have disclosed their baby has died in this way. In general, conversations about abortion can be heated and emotional, but there is an additional layer of pain when a person has lost their very own son or daughter to the unjust procedure. Pro-life advocates seeking to help people in their community heal from post-abortion trauma must tread carefully when interacting with anyone who has played a role in destroying their own child — most of them feel guilt on their conscience and judgment from others. If we want to see them healed and set free from the harmful effects of abortion, this begins with being approachable and careful in our interactions with them.

2. Show empathy, compassion, understanding, and gentleness

Abortion is a grave injustice that intentionally kills innocent human beings. The incredible bloodshed of abortion moves many of us to take action to save lives. These forms of activism are vital for laying a foundation for an abortion-free world where every family and child is safe. However, in our battle against injustice, sometimes we are not mindful enough of the other victims of abortion — mothers and fathers whose baby is forever gone. 

The Charlotte Lozier Institute found that nearly 70% of women who have an abortion feel pressured into the decision. This coercive influence also increases the amount of distress women experience psychologically after abortion.

"Among 226 respondents who reported a history of abortion, perceived pressure to abort was significantly associated with more negative emotions; more disruption of daily life, work, or relationships; more frequent thoughts, dreams, or flashbacks to the abortion; more frequent feelings of loss, grief or sadness about the abortion; more moral and maternal conflict over the abortion decision; a decline in overall mental health that they attribute to their abortions; more desire or need for help to cope with negative feelings about the abortion" (Effects of Pressure to Abort on Women’s Emotional Responses and Mental Health).

Whatever the amount of coercion or pressuring may have been in a given situation, every post-abortive parent has scars, and must be met with compassion — not disdain. When pro-life advocates interact with post-abortive parents, it is vital to show genuine empathy and care when they share their experiences with abortion.

3. Don't ask for all the gory details about the abortion procedure they experienced

In her work with Deeper Still West Michigan, Kaitlyn has found that one of the greatest sources of distress for post-abortive women is excessive questioning about the specifics of the abortion procedure they underwent. If a woman tells you she is post-abortive, try not to delve deeply into all the gory details of how her baby died. Instead, focus on inquiring about whether she is doing ok now, and prioritize being a presence of care to promote healing. In some settings, like when post-abortive mothers agree to be interviewed about their abortion experience, it may be appropriate to delve more deeply into the particulars about the abortion, but when it comes to regular day-to-day experiences, where friends or family members may admit to having an abortion, it's best to focus on being a gentle and non-threatening presence. A soft approach lays the foundation for women to experience healing from their abortion.

4. Ask open-ended questions

Empathetic listening and inquiring about post-abortive women's well-being create a culture of safety where women can feel secure to ask for support. Some forms of questioning can be hurtful when a person is suffering under the weight of unresolved trauma. Avoid questions like, "Why would you do that?" or phrases that could come across as an accusation, like, "Do you think it was justified to have an abortion?" Instead, ask questions that come from a place of calm and care, such as, "How are you doing now?"

5. Don't make your relationship weird with them once they disclose they've had an abortion

Kaitlyn mentioned in her interview with Embryo Advocates that many post-abortive parents reveal their abortion story accidentally. When this happens, most of these individuals begin to phase that person out of their life by talking with them less and decreasing their engagement in the friendship. They withdraw in this way because of deep fears of rejection and abandonment as a result of a choice they are not proud of. If a person accidentally shares their abortion story with you, be a safe place, inquire about their wellbeing since the abortion took place, and — when it feels appropriate to do so — offer post-abortion resources.

It is precisely when men or women disclose their abortion story that our response and friendship behaviors become most crucial. Use nonverbal cues that communicate care and acceptance, not judgment or disgust. In the presence of love and safety, we are able to overcome unresolved grief and hurt. Cultivate this kind of environment with your post-abortive friends, family members, and acquaintances.

6.  Point them towards healing resources

Few people know about the incredible number of healing resources that exist to support men and women on their recovery journey after having an abortion. There are books, Bible studies, conferences, retreats, and more. Kaitlyn recommends pointing post-abortive parents toward Deeper Still retreats, where attendees can explore the circumstances surrounding the death of their child — the people involved, the lies they believe about themselves and others, what the Gospel is and how God meets post-abortive families with mercy, and unresolved grief they can finally have a place to process.

In summary, abortion has many victims. First of all, the preborn baby who is violently destroyed, and then the mother and father, who are also scarred by this incredible loss. Everyone is hurt in the wake of abortion — each part of our world is damaged because of the lives lost. But when we engage the post-abortive parents around us with compassion, empathy, and supportive resources, healing can begin. When healing takes place, our culture has the foundation it needs to end abortion, remember its victims, and cultivate a pro-life, pro-family society where every person is always protected from violence.

Interested in hearing more from Kaitlyn Donahue? Watch her full interview with Embryo Advocates here, or tune in on Spotify or Apple Podcasts.

Image Credit: Harris County Sheriff's Office

 After eleven years of marriage, developing a career in law, having two children, and another on the way, Mason Herring began having homicidal thoughts against his unborn daughter, Josephine. He and his wife, Catherine, were experiencing marriage problems, and the announcement of a new baby joining the family was not happy news to Mason. He did not see himself having more children with Catherine, telling her regarding the pregnancy announcement, "[this would] ruin his plans and make him look like a jerk." After some time passed, Mason informed Catherine that they could make things work, attend marriage counseling, and that he intended to work on himself for the benefit of their relationship. Things seemed to be taking a turn for the better.

In March 2022, Mason instructed Catherine that she needed to be more hydrated and began offering her cups of cloudy water and insisting that she drink said water in front of him to ensure consumption. On March 17, 2022, Catherine developed abdominal cramping, diarrhea, and bleeding. Having previously seen an article about abortion pill reversal, she called the hotline and explained to an on-call nurse that her drink may have been poisoned with that she suspected to be an abortion-inducing drug. Catherine was encouraged to start a dose of progesterone to diminish or stop the impact of mifepristone, if that was in fact what she had ingested. 

She told the Christian Post, "And by the grace of God, I already had a prescription in my medicine cabinet from a previous pregnancy, so, I was able to take the correct dosage [of progesterone] immediately." 

Over the course of the next two months, Mason went on to attempt to poison Catherine six more times. This led her to hire a private investigator and install secret cameras. The videos became the evidence necessary to confirm that Mason was putting some kind of foreign substance into the drinks he was insisting that Catherine consume. In one video, she saw Mason throwing away trash from his car. This garbage turned out to have a package of misoprostol from Mexico, confirming that all the strange, cloudy drinks she had been offered were, in fact, given to her with the hope of destroying their preborn daughter, Josephine.

Catherine turned over the video evidence to the police, and Mason was arrested. He was initially charged with felony assault to induce an abortion. In the end, Mason took a plea deal which carried a lesser charge and required 180 days in jail, 10 years of probation, and no contact with Catherine or their daughter, Josephine.

Whatever happened to baby Josephine? She was born ten weeks early in August 2022 and spent nine months in the hospital. Josephine has a developmental delay and must attend therapy eight times per week. She did not deserve to be treated violently by her father. All preborn babies have a right to full legal protection. Sadly, even in states where abortion is illegal, abortion drugs are sometimes secretly obtained through the abortion pill black market. These abortion pill traffickers must be held accountable for their crimes against humanity. Josephine and every other preborn child have a right to be safe from harm.

Image rights: Public Doman

The von Trapp family became famous after their story was shared internationally through the film The Sound of Music, released in 1965. The matriarch of the family — Maria von Trapp — was known for her independence, compassion, and free-spiritedness. After marrying Georg von Trapp, a widower with seven kids, Maria went on to have three additional children. It was when Maria was pregnant with her son, Johannes, that she was faced with the pressure to abort.

In a book written by herself, "The Story of the Trapp Family Singers," Maria described the situation she faced when she became unexpectedly pregnant with Johannes. The family had lost their fortune due to a bank crash in Europe, causing financial stress and uncertainty. Additionally, Maria was struggling with her health. Severe back pain and kidney issues landed Maria in the doctor's office, where her husband was told, "Your wife cannot have another child, at least, not until the kidneys are back to normal. They are both badly infected … The child has to be removed, of course, immediately."

Maria could be fierce when necessary, and this moment called for an intense response. She told the physician, "What do you mean, of course? That is not of course at all. On the contrary, it is absolutely out of the question—we are Catholics, you know."

Sick or not, Maria was determined to protect the life of her preborn son, Johannes. The doctor did not believe she was making the right decision and informed Maria, "The child won’t be born alive; this much I can tell you." The entire family began regular prayer for Maria, her pregnancy, health, and unborn son, Johannes. Months passed, and Maria gave birth to the baby boy. The physician's predictions had been wrong — Johannes and Maria were both safe and in stable health at delivery.

After years had passed, Maria became aware of the existence of one of the largest abortion providers in the world. It caused her to reflect on her experiences with Johannes. "Many years later I happened to learn about Planned Parenthood and birth control to guard against unwanted children. I must say, Johannes had not been exactly planned for that very moment, and as far as being wanted is concerned, I would have gladly said many times, 'Oh, won’t you please be so kind as to wait for just six months?' … If there is any planning to be done, why don’t we let Him do it? Looking back now, I know that He chose the only right moment for Johannes’ arrival."

Maria von Trapp saw her large family as a blessing — including her son, Johannes, who joined the family unexpectedly during a health scare. To transform our society from pro-abortion to pro-life, we need more women who see the world as Maria von Trapp did — she embraced her family as something that brought joy, and she opened her arms to all the babies she had — whether they were planned or unplanned. If more people valued the gift of children and saw through Planned Parenthood's tactics as the sleazy lies they are, abortion could be eradicated from the world quickly. It's as Mother Teresa wisely said, "If you want to change the world, go home and love your family." And certainly, one of the most basic ways we love our families is by recognizing their right to be safe from violence in the womb. Every life is a blessing, and every baby deserves to be protected from abortion the way Maria protected her son, Johannes.

TikTok user @BlackFeministRants, a self-described doula and wellness guru, claimed in a since-deleted video that women who don't have enough money for an abortion should utilize abortion funds. The content creator stated:

"If you're pregnant, but you want to be unpregnant, but you broke — you don't got money for the clinic — you go to an abortion fund and they give you funds for the abortion."

Videos of this nature have become abundant on social media platforms. However, funds given to pro-choice causes are not some kind of helpful philanthropy. In 2023-2024, Planned Parenthood received over $684 million in private donations. Another large pro-abortion organization, Reproductive Freedom for All, acquired $4.5 million in donations in 2023. Contributions that fund pro-abortion causes lead to more killing of living, precious, and valuable human beings in the womb. Not only are corporate offices of pro-choice organizations being funded, though. There is increased interest in distributing funds that specifically go to women who will walk into an abortion facility and end the life of their baby. These are pools of money that pay to crush the skulls of developing babies; to poison healthy fetal bodies until they reach their demise.

There should be laws passed that protect all members of the human species from violence — not just those who are born. We need full legal protection for the preborn. In addition to this, our society needs to ban fundraising for causes that exist to violently oppress unborn humans. Abortion funds rely on manipulative public relations tactics that make them appear supportive and helpful to women, when in fact, many women who undergo an abortion have not received adequate education on the development of the baby inside them. Abortion clinics are notorious for disinforming women by telling them their child is not a human and that the abortion involves no killing. These facilities also fail to inform women of the physical and psychological risks that abortion poses to the mother. This is not informed consent, and it leads to the loss of preborn lives and the harming of women. 

Funding abortion is deeply harmful to women. When a woman finds herself facing an unplanned pregnancy, she is not helped by people who seek to destroy one of her closest family members — her own baby in the womb. Rather, real aid is provided to those facing crisis pregnancies by offering them the kind of confidential and free support that pregnancy resource centers provide every day. Things like parenting classes, diapers, baby clothes, single mom support groups, GED classes, and much more. Pro-abortion centers — such as Planned Parenthood — offer none of these. Instead, they claim to empower women by decapitating their child, leaving the mother with grief and trauma, and sometimes physical harm as well.

People with a heart for women should be funding pregnancy resource centers that give women real, life-affirming help for both mom and baby. Funding abortion, on the other hand, destroys preborn women (and men) and damages the mother. There is nothing pro-woman about making donations to a cause to kill a person's close family member — their own child.

On this day three years ago, the Supreme Court of the United States issued its decision on Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization. The Justices concluded that Roe v. Wade was unconstitutional, overturning the abortion case that had been in effect for forty-nine years, and had led to the deaths of over sixty-three million preborn children.

Today, we remember the millions of babies whose lives were destroyed because of the barbarity of Roe v. Wade. Children were subjected to violent harm by having their skulls crushed, bodies suctioned away, heart attacks induced, and being poisoned to death. No human being should be exposed to the unjust treatment that millions of babies have undergone in the United States. Roe v. Wade is as brutal as other unjust Supreme Court Cases of America's past, such as Dred Scott v. Sandford. Both cases made the lethal mistake of calling some human people "non-persons." But we know that every member of the human family has a right to full legal protection and is a human person worthy of safety and human rights.

American women have never benefited from having their babies killed through legal abortion; instead, abortion has caused severe trauma, grief, loss, and pain in the lives of ladies around the nation. Abby Johnson believed in legal abortion with all her heart and was the director of a Planned Parenthood clinic. She had two of her own abortions. Later, she had a change of heart, became pro-life, and recognized that her babies deserved love, not abortion. Abby went on to found her own anti-abortion organizations to advocate towards the end of Roe v. Wade and abortion clinics in America. Cree Erwin underwent an abortion on June 30, 2016, at Kalamazoo Planned Parenthood. She experienced complications such as blood clots and uterine perforation. Despite seeking help in a local emergency department, Cree passed away on July 3. Successful abortions always kill at least one person — a valuable baby — but sometimes the mother is also killed in the process. By advocating for an end to our modern pro-abortion era, we stand with the unborn and with women who have been damaged or even killed through the practice.

Overturning Roe v. Wade is only the beginning of the anti-abortion advocacy of the twenty-first century. Many more pro-life strides will be taken, and more pro-life laws will be enacted. Additional minds will change from pro-choice to pro-life, and the anti-abortion movement will keep educating the public about the unborn and how every abortion is an inhumane atrocity.

Ending Roe v. Wade was just the start — achieving full legal protection for every baby around the globe is our north star that we will continue to pursue with passion and fervor.

We are finally approaching summer days. I don't know about you, but I love to sit outside and enjoy the sunshine and warm weather with a good book to read. Because there are still over 3,000 abortions every day in America, our advocacy for life is far from over. Therefore, we can use some of our warm summer free time to learn more about how abortion has harmed the world, and how we can continue fighting to make violence against children no more around the globe.

Here are eight anti-abortion books to consider adding to your summer reading list!

1. "Why Pro-Life? Caring for the Unborn and their Mothers" by Randy Alcorn

This book by Randy Alcorn is a classic — it gives a powerful overview of the pro-life position and how anti-abortion advocates should respond to cultural lies about the unborn. "Why Pro-Life?" is a quick read that will inspire you to be more effective in your fight for life.

"Are the older ones more human and the younger less human? Does someone become more human as they get bigger? If so, then adults are more human than children, and football players are more human than jockeys. Something nonhuman doesn't become human by getting older and bigger; whatever is human must be human from the beginning" (p.21)

2. "Abortion Survivors Break Their Silence" by Melissa Ohden

The newly released title "Abortion Survivors Break Their Silence," is a chronicle of several different people who survived abortion attempts on their lives while they were yet in the womb. Every abortion survivor reminds us that the presence of "pregnancy termination" in our society means the lethal oppression of individual babies who have a right to life. I loved this book because it shared stories of abortion survivors I had never heard before, and it gave me fresh hope that our mission to end the killing of the unborn is absolutely possible.

"My mere existence, plus that of my fellow survivors, is a flaw in the arguments of so-called pro-choicers. Our births, our fights for survival, our collective voice, are a huge shout-out to the world: 'We are more than the choice of others! We are humans in our own right, and we choose to live!' Even as an injured newborn, whether I realized it or not, I chose to live. I arrived in this world fighting to breathe, fighting to survive. It was instinctive. This book describes others like me whose instincts to hold on to life, even by a thread, only add to that unified chorus: 'I choose to live!'" (p.22).

3. "The Case for Life" by Scott Klusendorf

A pro-life professional who has been involved in the fight to end abortion for years is Scott Klusendorf. Having trained thousands of high schoolers, college students, and professionals to defend life, Klusendorf has a wealth of practical experience in guiding individuals to make a case for the anti-abortion position that is persuasive and compelling. I enjoyed Klusendorf's conversational style of writing and the numerous examples the book included of how to respond well in conversations where pro-abortion claims are made.

"Although humans differ in their respective degrees of development, they are nonetheless equal because they share a common human nature that bears the image of their Creator. Humans have value simply because they are human" (p.205).

4. "Redeemed: My Journey After Abortion" by Toni McFadden

Anti-abortion advocate Toni McFadden has shared her story of choosing abortion to audiences through speaking for years, but more recently, she made her testimony available in print. In "Redeemed," McFadden tells about her experience of becoming pregnant while still in high school, and how those around her failed to provide pro-life support. A few years after having an abortion, McFadden had a change of heart and came to oppose abortion. Her story gives insight into how the pro-life movement can reach young women facing crisis pregnancies and reminds us that our world needs God's message of redemption.

"Sitting across from my best friend, I blurted, 'I'm pregnant.' 'You have to get rid of it,' was the very first thing out of her mouth. During the next few minutes, she was very much in charge. 'I know what to do. We just call the abortion clinic.'" (p.2).

5. "You Carried Me" by Melissa Ohden

If you are looking for a book that is a personal story and pulls at the heartstrings, this is the right pro-life read for you. "You Carried Me" is the account of how Melissa Ohden was born alive after a saline infusion abortion in 1977. Thanks to the help of nurses who saved her from the abortion room in a hospital, she was taken to neonatal intensive care where she received the support necessary to recover from the physical harm done against her in the womb. She went on to pursue a journey of looking for her birth mother -- eventually sharing her story nationally, and founding her own organization, Abortion Survivors Network.

"Many people think abortion is a discrete act that has no lasting effect. They are so wrong! Abortion can't be compartmentalized and is never forgotten. And its effects ripple through generations" (p.165).

6. "Stuck: A Complete Guide to Answering Tough Questions About Abortion" by Justina Van Manen

"Stuck" could be compared to a short textbook on pro-life apologetics. With stories from real anti-abortion outreaches, and research from top pro-life experts, this book will enable any advocate to better engage pro-choice people with the truth about the unborn.

"The dependency of another human being heightens our responsibility towards them, even if it places us in difficult situations. That is the reality of living in a just society: rights and responsibilities go hand in hand" (p.119).

7. "Tearing Us Apart" by Alexandra DeSanctis and Ryan Anderson

Alexandra DeSanctis and Ryan Anderson utilize this volume to explain how abortion damages women, the unborn, society, and much more. The world is worse off because babies are killed daily, and "Tearing Us Apart" describes the specific ways havoc has been wrecked through the abortion industry. Read this book to more thoroughly grasp how our globe is suffering because preborn lives are being destroyed.

"Abortion is a grave moral evil, an act of violence against the most vulnerable members of the human family. Every abortion ends the life of an innocent human being in the womb, and child who, because he is human necessarily possesses intrinsic worth and dignity and thus deserves to have his life protected. Parents, in particular, bear special responsibilities to their children, and thus abortion strikes at one of the most profound human relationships" (p.20).

8. "The Hand of God" by Bernard Nathanson

At the prime of the sexual revolution in the West, OBGYN Bernard Nathanson joined forces with pro-choice campaigners in an attempt to persuade public opinion about abortion, with the intent of seeing abortion legalized everywhere in America. Nathanson killed tens of thousands of babies with his own hands. But one day, Nathanson began to rethink his promotion of abortion. Was it truly morally acceptable to destroy embryos and fetuses? Nathanson went on a journey of reconsidering what he had done and what he believed.

"As I look back across the twenty-five years separating me from that revolting extravaganza playing itself out on the bodies of pregnant women and their slaughtered babies, I am struck by the uncritical nature of the task we had set for ourselves, by the moral and spiritual vacuum at the core of this fantastic operation, by our unquestioned certainty of the high level of moral rectitude on which we operated. And yet, the thing was so obviously sordid. Why couldn't we make the link between the ethical and the moral, between the shoddy practices and the shabby practitioners, the evident greed and callous motives, between the crassness of the enterprise and those involved in it, between all these ethical indicators and the grotesque immorality of the act itself?" (p.106)

If you decide to pick up one of these books, let me know what you think!

 

TikTok user @AbortionGurl posted a video alleging that she had seen the body of an aborted 6-week-old child while working at an abortion facility, and that the embryo looked like a "piece of snot." She claimed that pro-life advocates value the preborn child more than those who are born. The TikTok user's assertions are wrong on multiple accounts, which we will examine in this post.

When we consult the field of science dedicated to the study of life in the womb — embryology — we find that these experts never refer to the developing human as a "clump of cells" or "piece of snot." Instead, the preborn child is seen as a physiologically complex individual human who is reaching important developmental milestones. The claim that the unborn at six weeks is a "piece of snot" is, in fact, medically inaccurate information, and promoting this line of thinking is disinformation.

The Developmental Milestones of the Six-Week-Along Embryo  

At six weeks, the embryo is capable of spontaneous movements and responds to touch. It also becomes possible to see the difference between the child's upper and lower arm with the formation of their hand plate and elbow. The development of the 6-week-old baby's hand plate also leads to the clear formation of fingers. Four to five days after the upper limb has formed, the embryo's lower limbs also develop. Week six is also the time at which early ear structures begin to form, such as the auricular hillocks, a structure that later becomes the external ear canal. Because the child's retina has formed, this is the week of development at which the eyes become obvious. Additionally, the preborn child's digestive system is growing steadily, with rapid development of the intestine [1].

Clearly, the embryo at this stage is not a "piece of snot" but a physiologically complex member of the human species who only needs time, safety from violence, and proper nutrition to make it to birth. The specific embryo the abortion worker referred to in her TikTok most likely had all of these signs of growth and development, and he or she deserved to be safe from abortion. Tragically, the little one's life was unjustly ended, and even the memory of their life is used by this abortion worker to attempt to further convince people that preborn lives are not worthy of safety. Nothing could be further from the truth — every baby, from the moment of fertilization, has a right to be free from oppression and murder.

Do Pro-Life Advocates Value the Preborn More than the Born?

The other claim made by the abortion worker in the TikTok was that "anti-choicers value a piece of snot [6-week-along embryo] more than us." Being that abortion facility staff come up close and personal with this issue daily, it makes sense why this woman would examine the value of the embryo to her and to those who do not hold her view. She determined that pro-life advocates must value women very little and embryos very much. However, this is not an accurate representation of the pro-life movement's position on the value of women or preborn humans. Anti-abortion advocates value mother and child equally. 

At fertilization, a new human being comes into existence [2]. At the moment this occurs — with sperm and egg fusion — a brand new person comes to be who is worthy of protection from violence like any other member of the human race. Both the mother who is supporting the development of the child and the baby in the womb deserve to have their human rights honored by defending them from injustice.

It's basic knowledge to all people that it is wrong to intentionally kill an innocent human being. Abortion is an act that intentionally kills an innocent preborn human, and therefore, abortion is wrong. Although the preborn child is small — such is the case for the 6-week-along embryo we are examining in this post —they are no less worthy of life. A just society makes an effort to protect the vulnerable, but tragically, in today's day and age, it is legal in many places to kill humans in the womb. This is a grave injustice that must be stopped. That is why, here at Embryo Advocates, we advocate daily to stop the killing of defenseless lives in the womb.

It's Not Too Late for @AbortionGurl to Change Her Heart on Abortion

Although TikTok user @AbortionGurl has dedicated her account and content creation to the promotion of abortion, it is not too late for her heart to change. At some point in her life — and maybe currently — she has been employed in an abortion facility where the execution of tiny humans takes place. Even so, AbortionGurl can have her perspective transformed from pro-abortion to anti-abortion. We've seen God move in the hearts and lives of abortion workers before — such as in the cases of Abby Johnson and Anthony Levatino — and it is possible for this woman to be set free from the industry of death, too. Will you take a moment today to pray for AbortionGurl to see the value of 6-week-old babies in the womb and all preborn humans? 

----
[1] Moore, K.L., Persaud, T.V., & Torchia, M.G. (2020). The Developing Human: Clinically Oriented Embryology (11th ed.). Edinburgh: Elsevier. [1] pp. 210-211.

[2] Ibid, p.57.

 

Image Credit: Nicholas Kamm /AFP Via Getty Images

Tomorrow, Donald Trump will be sworn in as the 47th President of the United States of America. As Trump begins to enact policies and decide how this administration will be run, how should he approach the issue of abortion?

Trump has taken various different stances on abortion throughout his lifetime. Before running for President for the first time, he claimed to be pro-choice. Later, while campaigning for the presidency, he said he was pro-life. Now, recently, he has taken the position that “Exceptions are very important” and has said he would veto a national abortion ban.

We have yet to find out what exactly Trump will do during this presidency, but here is my take on how he should approach the abortion issue this term.

Let’s begin with the basics. What is abortion? Abortion is the direct, intentional killing of an innocent human being in their mother’s womb. We know that it is wrong to intentionally kill an innocent human being; abortion does that; therefore, abortion is morally wrong.

It is the responsibility of every nation on the planet to protect its most vulnerable members. Countries around the world have passed laws banning the killing of born human beings. If you were to kill someone, you would be held accountable. But, due to disinformation campaigns from NARAL, Planned Parenthood, and other abortion propaganda giants, our culture began to change how we view life in the womb. Instead of championing the protection of life, many countries around the world, starting as early as 1920 in the USSR, abortion was decriminalized. Eventually, with the passing of Roe v. Wade in 1973, the US followed the lead of many other countries that failed to protect their babies. Ultimately, thank God, on June 24th, 2022, Roe v. Wade was, alas, overruled.

However, this one action is not the end of the federal government’s responsibility regarding abortion. Approximately 3,000 preborn people die daily through abortion. This is the most significant human rights atrocity of our time. And, yet, many times, our nation’s politicians and presidents have FAILED to extend basic protections for the tiniest humans in our country. And thus, more than 63 million United States children have been executed in their mother’s wombs because there have been no legal protections for unborn humans.

As Donald Trump enters his Presidency, it is time to act on behalf of life.

Basic Biology teaches that when two human beings reproduce together, the species of their offspring is indeed human. So, our humanity does not start at birth, viability, or heartbeat — rather, at fertilization, a new life has started and deserves FULL legal protection. 

I call upon Donald Trump and his new administration to act on behalf of the unborn by defunding all federally subsidized abortion funding programs. And by enacting legislation that protects every preborn human from the moment of fertilization. This is not an extreme proposal. This is what it means to treat our preborn neighbors with basic justice and decency. This is not advanced ethics, this is doing the bare minimum to stop violent discrimination against babies in the united states.

So, Donald Trump, as you enter the White House once again, let the weight of 3,000 abortions per day in your country weigh heavily on your shoulders. You have the power to act, and you will answer to God for how you wield your power and how you respond to an injustice you have a legal ability to stop.

Act on their behalf, and millions of pro-life Americans will stand behind you in the decision.

Image Credit and Copyright: howmanyarethere.net

The abortion industry and pro-choice advocates claim abortion is an issue that is extremely complex and difficult -- if not impossible -- to discern. But abortion is actually an incredibly straightforward issue. This is because of the basic knowledge we have as human beings about the importance of protecting people from violence. A simple syllogism breaks it down this way:

(1) It is wrong to intentionally kill an innocent human being.

(2) Abortion intentionally kills an innocent human being.

(3) Therefore, abortion is wrong.

Although there are a lot of unique circumstances that surround each mom and baby during a crisis pregnancy, the truth remains that violence is never a solution.

Image Credit and Copyright: casetacreativa - stock.adobe.com

Some pro-life organizations urge anti-abortion advocates to stop saying, “Abortion Is Never Medically Necessary,” but I disagree, and here is why.

I started working in health care seven years ago — five of those years have been in critical care. I am not claiming to be a physician — I’m just a nursing assistant — but having worked with very sick pregnant women several times. Seeing all the interventions we have available in health care for women and babies alike in pregnancy has convinced me even more that we cannot let go of using the phrase “Abortion is never medically necessary.”

When we say things like, “Oh yes, I would support a woman having a medically necessary abortion” we are literally siding with Planned Parenthood and the abortion industrial complex who wants people to believe that they will never survive without being able to kill babies.

The truth is, it is genuinely never necessary to intentionally starve, poison, or crush the skulls of prenatal human beings.

So how exactly are medical emergencies handled with a pregnant woman?

Did you know that even pro-choice physicians in emergency medicine and many obstetric wards act in a pro-life way when they respond to obstetric emergencies? When a pregnant woman begins to decompensate (which means become increasingly ill in a dangerous way), it is normal for physicians to call for an emergency c-section.

Did you know that obstetricians are able to deliver a baby in just two minutes from the time an incision is made in a mother’s abdomen? It only takes two minutes from incision to separate mom and baby in a medical emergency — this is not an abortion. It’s real medical care.

Not only do emergency C-sections save women’s lives, they also give the baby a fighting chance at survival by receiving neonatal critical care. And even in the cases where, tragically, the baby can’t be saved, there is a whole field of medicine devoted to helping babies be comfortable and be treated humanely in their last moments — this is called neonatal palliative care.

So we chatted about the specific medical details of why abortion isn’t medically necessary; now, let’s talk about semantics. The pro-abortion movement is devoted to dehumanizing the unborn child and to convincing society that women would be dead if they couldn’t have an abortion. To accomplish these ends, the pro-abortion movement plays linguistic games, because the words we say and use have power. Thus, the abortion industry isn’t close to stopping their usage of the phrase “Abortion is medically necessary.” They live and breathe to convince women that they will someday be at death’s doorstep if they can’t have their child suctioned away to death through abortion.

I am not waving a semantic white flag to the abortion industrial complex.

All we have to do in order to use the phrase “abortion is never medically necessary” clearly and in a way that makes sense to a pro-choice individual is take the care and time to explain that medical interventions will always be available to save women’s lives in an emergency and that we don’t have to kill the baby in the process.

I have seen pro-life advocates who profess to be 100% against abortion say in conversations with pro-choice people “Oh yeah, that’s fine if a woman needed to have an abortion for health reasons.” The reason why some pro-life advocates are doing this is because they think it is helping them build common ground with the pro-abortion person to ultimately change their mind, but if we try to change pro-choice minds this way, we’re still waving a white flag to the abortion industry. We’re saying, “Go ahead, I don’t mind if you keep telling all women they’ll be dead if there isn’t any abortion. That’s fine.”

I refuse to let the abortion industry hijack linguistics and what we believe about critical illness in pregnant women.

The truth is, in real life, and in real emergency situations every day, women receive emergency C-sections when necessary and their babies receive medical care thanks to incredible NICU professionals. So it really is true — abortion is never medically necessary. We must not cease using this specific language as we seek to transform our culture to anti-abortion.

On Thursday, December 12th, Texas’ Attorney General filed a lawsuit against abortionist Margaret Daley Carpenter for prescribing the abortion pill to a Texas resident. A twenty-year-old mother found herself pregnant while living in Texas and sought an abortion through telemedicine. Carpenter – a New York based physician – prescribed death-inducing drugs that successfully killed the woman’s 9-week-old preborn child. The young mother began experiencing complications and requested that her partner take her to the emergency room due to severe bleeding. It was after this event that her partner discovered that the baby’s death was intentionally induced – he found the Mifepristone container with prescriber Margaret Daley Carpenter’s name on the bottle. 

It is illegal to practice medicine in the state of Texas without a Texas medical license, and it is also illegal to prescribe abortion-inducing drugs in the state. Therefore, when this case was brought to authorities, AG Ken Paxton sued Carpenter, asking the court for an injunction that would prevent Carpenter from prescribing abortion pills to people residing in Texas. The suit also requests penalties of $100,000 for every violation of Texas law.

This young woman’s unborn baby had a right to be protected from violence. Margaret Daley Carpenter has been killing babies just like this nine-week-old one for over twenty-four years. This kind of harm and oppression of our society’s smallest members must be stopped. Abortionists dismember and poison humans, and they must be held accountable for their crimes against humanity.

Image Credit: David Hume Kennerly/Getty Images 

A little over a week ago, the news was announced that Donald Trump has won the presidential election, and will become the 47th President of the United States. It is excellent news for the unborn that Kamala Harris has been defeated — had Harris become our next President, babies in the womb would have been more at-risk then ever before. However, just because Harris was defeated does not mean we can sit back and relax on the legal and legislative front as the pro-life movement.

Let’s take a brief moment to review Donald Trump’s record on abortion. Prior to becoming a politician, Trump was a Democrat who publicly supported abortion. Once he began running for the 2017 Presidential election, Trump announced that he was now pro-life and would take pro-life action if elected as President.

During Trump’s presidency in 2017, he did make some decisions that had a profound impact on the history of the fight against abortion in America — namely by appointing Supreme Court Justices who helped to overturn Roe v. Wade. We applaud Donald Trump for his role in abolishing Roe v. Wade — one of the very most egregious cases in the history of America that led to the deaths of over 63.5 million preborn people. However, when it came time to begin his campaign for the 2025 presidency, Trump let it be known that he had already helped overturn Roe v. Wade and that he would not be supporting a total-ban on abortion.

Trump joined Tudor Dixon on a podcast to discuss her defeat in the political race against Gretchen Whitmer for the position of Michigan’s governor. Trump told Dixon during this podcast interview that the reason she lost her race against Whitmer was because she did not hold abortion exceptions in her campaign. I think it’s fair to say that entire pro-life movement felt betrayed by Donald Trump not only in this instance but the many other times since that he has made it clear that he will campaign with abortion exceptions.

Exceptions for abortion are not compassionate, loving, or humane. And they are not the way to win political races either. I struggled myself as I prayed and wrestled over who to vote for in the 2025 Presidential race. I felt that Donald Trump had abandoned the unborn child and sided with abortion advocates by supporting exceptions that merely lead to more child killing.

The unborn have a right to our defense and Trump failed them when he announced that he would not take a strong stance for life. Now here we are, a few months later, and Trump has won. Thank God Harris was defeated! I wish I could be completely confident that Trump will make protecting the unborn from conception his priority, but we have yet to see how he will act on the issue during his next term as President of the United States.

How should Donald Trump proceed regarding the unborn now that he has been elected as the 47th President of America? He must take a stand for human rights and oppose all violence against preborn babies. This means that Trump should advocate for a national abortion ban and do everything within the power of a President to advance protections for defenseless Americans in the womb. If we are to have hope of Donald Trump enacting pro-life laws, then pro-life advocates have to be loud. We have to raise our voices on behalf of oppressed babies.

Every child should be safe from violence no matter what — but right now, many places in America allow for babies to be slaughtered. This is an injustice, and we must not stop raising our voices and holding politicians accountable until every mom and baby is safe from abortion.

Image Credit: Center for Reproductive Rights 

Kate Cox has become famous after facing a devastating prenatal diagnosis for her unborn child. Her baby was diagnosed with Trisomy 18, a genetic disorder that affects the baby, but does not put the mother at increased risk.

After finding out about her child's condition, Cox discriminated against the baby for being disabled and acted in lethal violence against him or her by aborting the baby. There is nothing compassionate about killing one disabled baby so you can try again to have another baby that isn’t disabled. That is eugenic. I wonder how Cox’s next baby will feel when they are older — knowing that they too would have been killed, had they been disabled like their brother or sister who had Trisomy 18.

Despite what Cox has claimed to the media, her life was not endangered by carrying a disabled baby in her womb. All that was endangered was her lifestyle — she and her husband did not want to care for a disabled child. When other situations do arise in pregnancy where women's lives are genuinely at risk because of the pregnancy, it is possible to separate the mother and baby without abortion via early delivery. This gives the baby a fighting chance at life with neonatal critical care treatment.

Because we have the medical interventions available in today’s world of emergency C-Sections, and neonatal critical care to help tiny babies survive an early delivery if possible, abortion is genuinely never medically necessary.

It’s never medically necessary to dismember, poison, stave, or crush the skull of a child in the womb.

During a speech at the Democratic National Convention, Cox claimed abortion bans are anti-family. However, abortion bans are just like other types of murder bans — for example, we ban homicide against born children and adults in America. This is very pro-family because it helps keep our families alive and safe. The same is true with abortion bans. These laws save lives and protect the smallest members of families from violence.

Kate Cox is not the “feminist icon” she is being promoted as. Rather, she is a woman who discriminated against her vulnerable child for their disability. She killed her child because that baby didn’t meet her standards. That is horrifying. Babies should always be protected from violence, even when their parents reject them because of a disability. There are many loving families who specifically look for disabled children to adopt so they can receive a lifetime of love. 

If only Kate Cox’s baby could have had that kind of life, instead of being violently killed and disposed of as the days medical waste at an abortion clinic somewhere.

Recently, I found myself feeling convicted to speak up for the cause of the preborn child at an abortion clinic. One problem: I was on vacation out of state. I did not have any pro-life connections in the area, I had not brought any fetal development or crisis pregnancy literature, and I also plain did not know anything about how abortion was affecting the local area or pro-life resources in that state. So what’s a girl to do?

A few ideas for effective sidewalk advocacy in an out of state environment:

(1) Research the area - we live in an age of mass information. Think of how often you may use the internet to research an idea or location. You can also apply that to raising your voice for life in a place with which you’re not familiar.

Discover key information: (a) abortion clinics in the state - is there an abortion clinic near where you are vacationing? If you have the Maps app, simply type “Abortion services near me” into the search bar. (b) Where are local pregnancy centers located in relation to the abortion clinic, and what services do they offer? (c) What kind of social service agencies surround the area? Is there a local adoption agency, maternal housing, and women’s shelter?

To increase your grasp of recent pro-life happenings in the area, try searching the state’s name on Live Action News and Life Site News. This can give you an overview of current events in the area as they pertain to the preborn. A quick stop to do some research can help you advocate for life more effectively.

(2) Acquire helpful resources to provide for abortion-bound women you may meet in the area - can you visit the local pregnancy center and ask them for their informational literature? Can you acquire embryonic and fetal development literature to distribute? Do you have abortion pill reversal pamphlets?

If you do not have these resources, don’t let it hold you back from going to the abortion clinic. When I went to the out of state abortion clinic near where I was vacationing, I had absolutely nothing, as far as life-defending literature goes. I knew this might be an issue, so I researched local pregnancy centers and made a hand-written note with the closest pregnancy center’s phone number and address. You can take a DIY approach if all else fails.

If you encounter a woman who has taken the abortion pill and wants abortion pill reversal, there is a national hotline to call. Add this number to the contacts in your phone:

Abortion Pill Reversal 24-Hour Helpline: 877-558-0333

(3) Make new connections and ask questions - if you have the opportunity while sidewalk counseling at the new location, try to meet any fellow pro-lifers who may be there to pray, hold signs, or reach out to the women. Ask identifying questions of those who regularly advocate in the area:

- What do you know of this abortion clinic? How long has it been open? What kinds of abortions do they perform? Has anyone chosen life recently? How regularly is there a pro-life presence outside this abortion clinic? What do you know about the abortionist and other staff here?

- Which pregnancy center do you prefer to take abortion-bound women to? Do any local centers have availability to give an ultrasound to an abortion-bound woman immediately, should the need arise? What kinds of services do they have?

- Do you have crisis pregnancy literature for this specific area? Sometimes local pro-life advocates may be willing to share extra pamphlets that would be especially helpful to the women at that particular abortion clinic.

(4) Pray - abortion is the intentional destruction of a preborn life. This is a spiritual war; we need Jesus Christ to go before us in this battle for the rescue of preborn children. Lift up specific requests to the Lord about your upcoming trip.

Making the decision to raise your voice for the unborn in a location you are not used to can be nerve-wracking, but anywhere there is abortion, we should feel compelled to do something to advocate for the children's cause. If you have seven days on vacation, why not dedicate one of those to locating the nearest abortion clinic and prayerfully examining how you can make a mark for life in that place?

Hopping into an Uber and going to an abortion clinic in Arizona I was completely unfamiliar with--prior to the trip--seemed somewhat disorganized and risky, but I knew, for some reason, God was calling me to fight for the preborn in that place. When I stepped out on a limb and went, God faithfully provided in more ways than I expected. I interacted with four local pro-life activists, learned about how abortion affects the Phoenix area, and got to talk with a girl who turned away from her abortion appointment that day. Who knows, maybe it was for that particular girl and her baby that God led me to walk into the unknown that morning. When God burdens your heart to go out and defend the local unborn children who are signed up for death, you never know what particular ways you will discover that God has gone before you.

Oh to think that our will to obey or rejection of His call could be the difference between death and life for particular preborn children.

Am I willing to exit my comfort zone so that more babies might be saved from the horror of abortion, even in places that seem unfamiliar to me?

Have you ever had a morning you woke up--knowing it was time to go to the sidewalk--and you questioned if you should even go at all?

Have any of these thoughts ever crossed your mind? Maybe it won't make a difference. Maybe pro-choice people would just yell at you all morning, anyway. Maybe you'd make it worse--not better--for these women in crisis.

Sometimes it feels like a battle even to get into your car and drive to the clinic of death. Perhaps you feel the emotional strain of knowing a hundred stories of unborn children being unmercifully put to death and have only a few memories of babies actually being saved from abortion. At the clinic I counsel at, we seem to have dark times when there hasn't been a save for months, then other seasons when babies are saved every single week. As you walk through those wilderness seasons--full of antagonistic pro-choice activists, interactions with abusive boyfriends of the abortion-bound women, angry abortion clinic staff, or some of the other difficulties--do not loose heart. In our human nature, we see the trials and challenges, but ultimately we fight--in the name of Jesus--for the unborn!

There was a particular day when I was in training that I awoke to these very thoughts. "The other counselors have this under control; they do not need me. I am going back to sleep." Later I heard that a child was saved from abortion that day. Though it was true that the other counselors were well experienced and able to handle counseling without me, I was convicted and certain that God was leading me to be there that day. Yet I allowed my objections to take precedence over His leading and call to speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves.

It's sad to reflect on that day and see how quickly I listened to the voice of the enemy. God values life and defends those who are vulnerable: "A Father to the fatherless, a defender of widows, is God in His holy dwelling" (Psalm 68:5). The enemy delights in ruin, murder, death, and indifference. Our call to advocate for women in crisis does not mean we can never have times we refrain from going to the sidewalk to rest and refresh, but if you are not specifically taking a break, what is holding you back? Do you believe the lie that this ministry is unimportant or that going will not change anything? Our God is so much stronger than what we can see; His ability is greater than my sense of optimism or pessimism. When I am tempted to feel small and afraid, by His grace, I will yet speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves.

Ultimately, this ministry is not about me and my own ability. As it has been said, "God does not call the equipped; He equips the called." 2 Peter 1:3 says: "His divine power has granted to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of Him who called us to His own glory and excellence." Thus we can stand in assurance that no matter how much we may be lacking, He is enough. God will provide what we need in order to effectively counsel women who pursue abortion.