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‘I READ EVERY PAMPHLET YOU SENT” Deborah is about four months’ along. She is considering an abortion. She talked about drinking and smoking. I told her this wouldn’t cause birth defects, but it could harm the baby’s health and told her she should stop. Then we continued to talk about abortion. I asked her if she is a Christian and she said “yes.” “GOD WILL PROVIDE,” I told her. She gave a little laugh and she said, “THAT’S RIGHT!” “THIS BABY WILL BE THE JOY OF YOUR LIFE,” I said. She mentioned having a five-year-old. I asked her whether I could send her literature and call her back and she said “yes.” When I called Deborah, she told me the literature helped her very much. “I READ EVERY PAMPHLET YOU SENT” she said. “I’M REALLY HAPPY NOW ABOUT THE BABY.” I asked her about her five-year-old. “OH, YES, “ she said, with a laugh in her voice. “SHE’S REALLY EXCITED ABOUT IT.” I told her about my experience when I was five years old when my little sister was born – how thrilled I was! SHE WASN’T SURE ABOUT THE ZIP CODE I had a hard time understanding Martha when she called from Berkeley in early February. I finally understood her to say that she really doesn’t want an abortion, but that her boyfriend and her mother are pushing her into it. I immediately told her I would send her two packets, one for each of them. When she gave me her address, she wasn’t sure about the zip code. I asked her to call me back when she found it because it was Saturday and I couldn’t call the Post Office. She called me back within the hour, and I immediately sent her the literature for her mother and boyfriend. THE LITERATURE WOULD HAVE STOPPED HER FROM HAVING AN ABORTION Hilda is almost eighteen – her boyfriend is about the same age. She called for an abortion. She said she and her boyfriend want to go to school and aren’t really ready for a baby. I told her God thought otherwise or she wouldn’t have made her pregnant! Hilda says she is a Mormon – I mentioned that Mormons are against abortion. She said it was okay to send her literature and call back. When I called Hilda back, she told me she isn’t pregnant. She also said the literature would have stopped her from having an abortion. I told her that now is the time to think about what she is doing with her life. I said that I knew that Mormons are as against premarital sex as I am. I asked her to save the literature for a pregnant friend – she might save a baby! THREE DEPO PROVERA SHOTS Elizabeth called about possibly being pregnant. She has had three Depo Provera shots. I told her the chances of her being pregnant would be pretty remote. Elizabeth said she creaks when she walks and has gained weight (side effects of Depo Provera). I advised her to let the effects of the shot work out of her body. She said her husband said it would be okay if she is pregnant. I mentioned to her that God says abortion is very wrong and that there is a built-in punishment for what we do that is wrong. I suggested she go in for a pregnancy test to relieve her mind. When I called Elizabeth back after I had sent her literature, she told me the test was NEGATIVE. I asked her if the literature helped her. She said “yes” – she had received it the next day. I mentioned that it would take time for her body to get back to normal. |
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“JUST BECAUSE IT’S LEGAL DOESN’T MEAN IT’S RIGHT” Betty, the mother of a three-year-old boy, called because she wanted to ask a question. She said her boyfriend told her if she had an abortion he would take her to court. “CAN HE DO THAT?” she asked. Before I could answer “no”, I asked her why she wanted an abortion. “I’M NOT READY FOR THIS BABY,” she answered. “DO YOU BELIEVE IN GOD?” I asked. “YES,” she said. “WELL, GOD APPARENTLY THINKS YOU’RE READY FOR THIS BABY OR HE WOULDN’T HAVE MADE YOU PREGNANT,” “IT’S STILL A SIN THOUGH,” she surprised me by saying. “BABIES ARE GIFTS FROM GOD EVEN THOUGH YOU’RE NOT MARRIED,” I said. I told her if she had an abortion, she would feel rotten about it. “I KNOW WOMEN WHO HAVE REGULAR CRYING SPELLS.” I told her the story of an 80-year-old woman still talking about an abortion she had when she was 20. I said that she could become sterile (“REALLY?” she said) – “A 10% CHANCE AND A 30% CHANCE OF MISCARRYING ON YOUR NEXT PREGNANCY.” I told her that her 3-year-old son wouldn’t have a brother or sister. “YOU WOULD BE DEPRIVING HIM OF THE LOVE HE WOULD HAVE,” I said. “THANKS FOR TALKING TO ME,” she finally said. “YOU’VE GIVEN ME SOMETHING TO THINK ABOUT.” “DO YOU KNOW WHAT WILL REALLY HELP YOU?” I said. “I WOULD LIKE TO SEND YOU SOME LITERATURE, OKAY?” She gave me her name, address and phone number. I left her with the thought that she would have to face God and be judged on this. “ABORTION IS MURDER,” I told her. “JUST BECAUSE IT’S LEGAL DOESN’T MEAN IT’S RIGHT!” I called Betty back on a Sunday morning. Her boyfriend answered the phone and began questioning me. I told him I wasn’t selling anything. I said Betty had called me and I had sent her literature. I wanted to know how she was doing. He told me Betty was “asleep right now.” I told him I would call back. When I called back, Betty answered the phone. She told me she and her boyfriend have decided to keep the baby!! She said the literature helped!! THE LITERATURE TURNED HER COMPLETELY AROUND Kim thinks she’s pregnant – she called about an abortion. She has been going with her boyfriend for three years. He doesn’t want her to have an abortion. I told her God doesn’t make mistakes. She will be very happy with this baby! Kim said she would call me after she received the literature I offered to send her (she didn’t call). I told her I would call her back in a week. I talked to Kim on a Sunday morning in early August. The literature turned her completely around. She and her boyfriend are now “trying to put it together” as she described it. (I had asked her if she was going to get married.) I told Kim she made me very happy! “THIS EXPERIENCE OF HAVING THE BABY IS THE MOST EXCITING ONE IN YOUR LIFE,” I told her. “IF YOU HAD DECIDED TO HAVE AN ABORTION, YOU AND YOUR BOYFRIEND COULD BE SPLITTING UP.” I said that 70% of couples who have abortions break up. DEAR FRIENDS OF LIFE LINE; We need your help to pay our LIFE LINE telephone bills and yellow page ads. Thank you for whatever you can send us at this time. God bless you for your help! Marian Banducci LIFE LINE 8/30/04
 All It Takes Is An Ad In The Yellow Pages If you are a pro-lifer who loves the Lord, loves people and a stay-at-home person, I have just the job for you: It can be as simple as placing an ad in your local phone book with either your home phone number or a new one. This ad should be placed under the classification, "Abortion Alternative Organizations." (This hot line, of course, can be manned by more than one pro-lifer. This can be accomplished by hiring an answering service or with a phone device that can be programmed to reach more than one home. Because you are a stay-at-home person, you can be available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Since you are already on call for three times as many hours during the week plus week-ends as the abortion clinics and groups like Crisis Pregnancy Centers, the small amount of time you are away from the phone (for shopping, church, etc.) is really negligible. You'll find many calls come from people who have already tried to reach Planned Parenthood before 8:00 or after 5:00 and are getting a recording. The main thrust of your efforts will be to Talk Them Out Of Abortion. You will definitely bring God into counseling. Your biggest support will be from the Lord. You will find yourself praying as the call comes through and during the conversation. Just about every pregnant girl and woman who calls has been already humbled by the experience and is reachable on a spiritual level. To reinforce what you have been telling the caller, you will want to place pro-life literature in her hands as soon as possible (including pictures of abortions, spiritual information). If you have an arrangement with a local pro-life doctor for pregnancy test (does not necessarily have to be an obstetrician - we have pediatricians who provide this service for us), this is the best way to make sure she gives you her name, address and phone number. She is getting a Free test. I have provided you with the basic plan of action to set up a Life Line for girls and women who would otherwise kill their babies if you had not had the opportunity to talk to them. If you are interested in setting up such a phone line in your area and want more detailed information, call (209) 521-4947 |
THANK YOU SO MUCH!” SHE SAID Candra is four months’ pregnant. She wants to know if you could have an abortion at four months. Candra said she isn’t ready to be pregnant. I told Candra that God thinks you’re ready or you wouldn’t be pregnant. She said she believed in God. I asked her to pray about it. She would be destroying her happiness if she had an abortion. Candra said it was okay to send her literature and call her back. I called Candra on a Sunday morning. She said she received the literature and when she did, she changed her mind about the abortion. Her boyfriend saw the literature and he now wants the baby! I told her how really happy I was to hear that! “GOD BLESS YOU, CANDRA!” I said. “YOU WILL HAVE A LOT OF JOY WHEN THE BABY COMES. GOD GIVES MOTHERS THIS SPECIAL HAPPINESS. YOU JUST WANT TO PROTECT AND LOVE THAT BABY!” Candra thanked me for sending her the literature. “THANK YOU SO MUCH!” she said. “I’VE HAD TWO ABORTIONS ALREADY AND I WON’T DO IT AGAIN!” Janet took a home pregnancy test one day after she missed her period and it came out NEGATIVE. Wanted to know when she could take another test. I asked her whether I could call her and mail literature and she said “yes.”. When I called Janet back, she said she had started her period. She was still worried about being pregnant, and I told her the odds were very much!! in her favor she isn’t pregnant. We talked about the literature I mailed. She said the abortion part was “terrible.” “DID IT CONVINCE YOU THAT ABORTION IS WRONG?” I asked. “OH, YES,” she said. “I HAD TWO ABORTIONS ALREADY AND I WON’T DO IT AGAIN!” “THAT’S VERY, VERY IMPORTANT, JANET. THAT’S WHAT GOD WANTS TO HEAR. IF YOU ARE TRULY SORRY FOR WHAT YOU DID AND PROMISE NEVER, NEVER TO DO IT AGAIN, HE CAN FORGIVE YOU.”
“YOU ARE THE ONLY ONE WHO CAN PROTECT YOUR BABY” Crystal called about an abortion. She said her boyfriend and her parents want the abortion too. I told Crystal abortion is wrong. “YOU ARE THE ONLY ONE WHO CAN PROTECT YOUR BABY!” She told me she lives with her parents and has a one-year-old girl. I talked to Crystal about the effects of abortion: I mentioned 70% of couples splitting up afterwards. “YOU’RE GOING TO FEEL ROTTEN.” I told her the baby would make her happy: “GOD DOESN’T MAKE MISTAKES.” She kept saying “THAT’S TRUE” as I expressed myself. Crystal then told me she is going to move. I asked her if I could send her literature and call her back and she said “yes.” When I called her back she said: “I HAVEN’T DONE ANYTHING. THE LITERATURE THAT YOU SENT CHANGED MY MIND ABOUT THE ABORTION.” She told me she is in the process of moving. Her parents and her boyfriend are not bothering her anymore about the abortion. We talked about her little girl. I told her it would be good for her to have a brother or sister. I WOULD BE HER “TELEPHONE FRIEND” Martha called about an abortion. She just found out she is pregnant. Martha has a five-year-old son who wants a brother or sister. She said she just broke up with her boyfriend who she said is “controlling.” She talked about her family – her mother and her sister both would try to talk her into an abortion. I told her not to tell them she is pregnant. She also said she has another “pro-life” relative who is very judgmental. I told her that I would be her “telephone friend” if she needs someone to talk with. I stressed reading the Bible (she said she owned one), mentioning Psalms 23 and 139. She then asked me questions about them and wrote down the numbers. We talked about her going to church. “YOUR PERSONAL RELATIONSHIP WITH JESUS IS ALL IMPORTANT. GOD WILL PROVIDE,” I kept telling her. When I talked to Martha about sending literature, she told me that a friend had literature sent to Martha’s house when she was pregnant several months ago and Martha didn’t like the abortion pictures. I assured her that I would send her pamphlets WITHOUT the pictures. When I called Martha on a Sunday afternoon, she told me she couldn’t talk right now. (She obviously had someone there with her.) I called her back the following day. She then told me she had changed her mind about the abortion. She said it was what I told her that she kept thinking about: “GOD WILL PROVIDE!” She said the picture of the eight-week-old baby that I sent to her also made an impression. She then got on the Internet and saw actual pictures of abortions which shocked her. She talked about her twenty-four-year-old boyfriend living with his mother: “HE ISN’T LOOKING FOR A JOB,” she said. He doesn’t get along very well with her five-year-old son. I told Martha again that she had to get into the Bible. I mentioned Psalm 139 again. I mentioned praying about her relationship with her boyfriend. “MAYBE THIS BABY IS A SPECIAL GIFT FROM GOD” Brenda called about counseling. She is considering an abortion. She is about 4 ½ months pregnant and has been taking amphetamines off and on. I told Brenda I didn’t think the drugs would cause birth defects but it could affect the baby’s birth weight, etc. “But the real issue here is your dependence on God!” She mentioned she has three other children but her husband has custody. She said this bothers her a lot. “MAYBE THIS BABY IS A SPECIAL GIFT FROM GOD TO MAKE YOU STRONG.” I said. I mentioned reading the Bible – particularly the Psalms. “TAKE TIME EVERYDAY ESPECIALLY IN THE MORNING AND READ THE BIBLE AND PRAY,” I said. We talked about having a sonogram to determine if there is anything wrong with the baby and also the sex. Her boyfriend told her she should decide what to do and it would be okay with him. I told her I would rather have him say “DON’T HAVE AN ABORTION, BUT AT LEAST IT’S BETTER THAN SAYING YOU SHOULD HAVE ONE.” I asked Brenda if I could mail her literature and call back and she said “yes.” The following Sunday I called Brenda back. She had changed her mind about the abortion. She told me she is now off drugs. She has an appointment for a sonogram. |
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Mary called me when she was six months pregnant to ask for baby furniture. This was her second pregnancy. Her only child, a little girl, was ten years old. Mary was in such a state of depression that it affected the sound of her voice - a low expressionless monotone. We talked about the usual things in connection with being pregnant, and when I asked her whether she had insurance or a regular doctor, the answer to both questions was "no" - in fact, she hadn't seen a doctor. When I asked her what her plans were, she admitted she intended to have the baby at home because she was having financial problems. (I told her she could receive help at the county hospital, but she didn't seem interested.) I continued to call her over the next two months, trying to shake her out of her depression, to encourage her to do something about seeing a doctor. I told her she owed it to her baby to get the best possible medical care she could, reminding her that home deliveries could be dangerous. I tried to encourage her to pray about her depression and the safe delivery of her child. Throughout the next few months, I kept calling her on a weekly basis. Her depression never changed. One day I received a call from a strange voice. The person calling was strong and confident. When she told me who she was I couldn't believe it! Mary was calling me to tell me that she had had her baby. It was a "different woman" I was talking with. She explained how she had "just happened" to be at Highland Hospital in Oakland taking a test when her baby came. The baby was coming so fast that the nurses had all they could do to wheel her into an empty room nearby and wait for a doctor who came in just as the baby was coming out. "HOW LONG WAS SHE IN LABOR?" one of the nurses asked the doctor. "SHE DIDN'T HAVE ANY LABOR," the doctor said with a laugh. "WELL, MARY," I said to her, "CAN'T YOU SEE GOD WORKING THROUGH ALL OF THIS? YOU HAD THE BABY IN A SAFE PLACE IN SPITE OF YOURSELF." Before she hung up Mary said, "I WANT TO THANK YOU FOR ALL THE TIME YOU SEPNT TALKING TO ME BEFORE THE BABY WAS BORN. EVEN THOUGH I DIDN'T SAY IT THEN, I WANT TO TELL YOU HOW MUCH I APPRECIATED ALL OF YOUR CONCERN."
Frances called me for an abortion in early August - a sweet-voiced young girl from Taiwan. She told me she was a married student who "couldn't have the baby because of her commitments." I said nothing in reply - got her name, address and phone number and sent her to O'Connor Hospital for a pregnancy test. A few days later I called her back to give her the result of her test, which was positive. "DID YOU RECEIVE THE LITERATURE I MAILED YOU?" "YES, I DID," she responded with an uncertain tone to her voice. When I asked her if she was still going to have the abortion, she said: "LET ME SHOW THE LITERATUR E TO MY HUSBAND." When I called her back the following day, she told me she and her husband decided to have the baby and that the literature had changed their minds. I immediately sent her a pregnancy verification and gave her the number of the Center for Life (pro-life clinic) in San Jose. A few weeks later, Frances - petite, pretty, neatly dressed - was at my front door with her husband. She had accepted my offer of free maternity clothes and in return she was holding a box of candy. As she looked through the boxes of clothes, Frances, her husband and I got better acquainted. When she left, she and her husband expressed their gratitude on "all that LIFE LINE had done for them."
Cynthia called about an abortion. She just had one four months ago and is pregnant again. (She talked about asking for a Depo Provera shot and the clinic not wanting to give it to her.) Cynthia was crying all during our conversation. I told her that God had given her a second chance with this baby. “HE DOESN’T MAKE MISTAKES.” She said her boyfriend wanted her to have the baby, and I told her to count her blessings – most boyfriends tell their girlfriends to have an abortion. Cynthia has a three-year-old son. She told me she is now worried that her son won’t get enough attention if there is a new baby. I said it would be good for her son to have a brother or sister. “IT WILL MAKE HIM LESS SELFISH – HE WILL HAVE A PLAYMATE.” I told her that all the thoughts she was having about abortion were from the Devil. “HE WANTS TO DESTROY YOU.” She mentioned not having to work. I told her that was great – she could be home with her children. “THE MOTHER’S JOB IS THE MOST IMPORTANT IN THE WORLD. YOU HAVE SO MUCH TO BE THANKFUL FOR.” Cynthia seemed to agree with everything I was saying, although she kept crying as we talked. I told her to “BE HAPPY!” She mentioned the father of the three-year-old leaving her, and I said: “NOW YOU HAVE SOMEONE WHO LOVES YOU AND LOVES YOUR BABY. HE’ll BE THERE FOR YOU.” Cynthia then said: “I FEEL SO MUCH BETTER NOW.” I asked her if I could send her literature and call her back. She said “yes.” SHE CALLED ABOUT AN AMNIOCENTESIS TEST She called about an amniocentesis test, wondering how far along she would have to be to have this test done. She mentioned being 40 years old. I then asked her if she was in good health and she said she had high blood pressure. “DO YOU BELIEVE IN ABORTION?” I asked. “WOULD YOU CONSIDER AN ABORTION IF THE BABY HAD DOWN’S SYNDROME?” “NO,” she said. “THEN WHY ARE YOU CONSIDERING A TEST WHICH COULD CAUSE DAMAGE TO YOU AND TO YOUR BABY?” I mentioned the long needle they use which could puncture the woman’s uterus, cause a miscarriage, and also hit the baby’s head. “WHY DON’T YOU LEAVE THIS IN GOD’S HANDS?” I asked her. “THAT’S TRUE!” she answered as she hung up. - 2 - VOICE FOR THE UNBORN-MAY-JULY 2004 “LIFE IS A FLAME THAT IS ALWAYS BURNING ITSELF OUT. BUT IT CATCHES FIRE AGAIN EVERY TIME A CHILD IS BORN.” (George Bernard Shaw) |
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DOCTORS DON'T ALWAYS TELL THE TRUTH We had visited OAKLAND TECH in the heart of Oakland during their lunch break, to distribute literature. At one point a school monitor came out and ordered Mary Carter to move from the front of the school to the corner. Mary told him we had a Constitutional right to be there on the sidewalk but didn't mind moving because she could reach "just as many kids on the corner." The students at Oakland Tech were almost 100% black - unusually well mannered for a tough area. One young boy picked up a few pieces of literature which had been thrown on the ground and politely handed them to us. Two days later LIFE LINE received a call from a mother of one of the students. She said she had seen the literature "lying around the house" and read through it. "DO YOU THINK IT IS POSSIBLE TO SAVE SOME OF THESE BABIES - THE OLDER ONES - THAT ARE BEING ABORTED SO PEOPLE CAN ADOPT THEM?" she asked. We told her that it was difficult because when women have abortions they want the baby to die - in fact, if the baby persists in living, the doctors make sure it is dead.
Then she said that her baby (born six months ago) had died at birth (eight months' gestation) because of birth defects. "I'M 35 YEARS OLD," she said. "THE DOCTOR SAID I CAN'T HAVE ANY MORE CHILDREN." She revealed that the doctor had said told her the baby would probably be defective. "THAT DOCTOR IS NOT TELLING THE TRUTH," we answered her. "BIRTH DEFECTS CAN HAPPEN AT ANYTIME - NO MATTER HOW OLD YOU ARE. YOU ARE STILL YOUNG. AS LONG AS YOU ARE HEALTHY, YOU HAVE AT LEAST ANOTHER TEN YEARS TO HAVE CHILDREN." "OH, I'M SO HAPPY TO HEAR THAT. I BELIEVE YOU!" she said. "I'VE BEEN WALKING AROUND FEELING GUILTY AND DEPRESSED - FEELING THAT I'M OLD ALREADY. I REALLY COULDN'T UNDERSTAMD WHAT THAT DOCTOR WAS SAYING, BUT I THOUGHT IT WAS TRUE. I'VE HAD FIVE CHILDREN - THREE ARE NOW DEAD, BUT THEY WERE ALL NORMAL PREGNANCIES." We told her we would send her more information about the MARCH OF DIMES' involvement in amniocentesis and how doctors are misinforming women about the dangers of having babies after 35. |
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WE WERE HAPPY TO HEAR THE KIDS WERE TALKING ABOUT THE LITERATURE She called our hot line number from the LIFE LINE card she had apparently received on the sidewalk at her school (junior high). In a high-pitched, strained voice, she began asking questions about THE DIARY OF AN UNBORN CHILD (one of the pieces of literature in our packet of information). "IS THIS ALL TRUE?" she asked in a voice which had a touch of sarcasm. "I'M AS SMALL AS A SEED OF AN APPLE? WHAT ARE THEY SAYING?? MY MOM AND DAD ARE PROBABLY THINKING ABOUT A NAME FOR ME?? HOW CAN THAT BE TRUE??" she asked petulantly. "OH, IT IS JUST A STORY," we answered, "BUT IT'S BASED ON THE TRUTH" we assured her. "WELL, MOST OF THE KIDS AT MY SCHOOL DON'T THINK SO," she answered. (We were happy to hear that the kids were talking about the literature.) Then she began to discuss the issue of birth control: "SO YOU'RE AGAINST BIRTH CONTROL TOO." "NORMALLY, THESE ARE TWO DIFFERENT SUBJECTS - ABORTION AND BIRTH CONTROL" we answered her, "BUT IN THE CASE OF THE IUD AND THE BIRTH CONTROL PILL, IT IS KILLING A BABY AFTER THE LIFE HAS ALREADY BEGUN, WHICH MEANS THEY ARE WHAT YOU WOULD CALL 'ABORTIFACIENTS'". "WELL," she changed the subject, "MY MOTHER HAD AN ABORTION AND SHE SAID THERE WAS NOTHING TO IT." "EVERY WOMAN WHO HAS HAD AN ABORTION GOES THROUGH SOME TRAUMA OVER IT," we replied. We told her the story of a girl we knew who kept saying she wanted to hold her baby after the abortion she had had the previous week. "IT'S UP TO THE INDIVIDUAL PERSON WHAT SHE WANTS TO DO," she said defiantly. "YOU CAN'T TELL ME WHAT TO DO." "NO, WE CAN'T - THE CHOICE IS YOURS," we answered. "YOU CAN CHOOSE LIFE OR DEATH, GOOD OR EVIL. GOD GIVES YOU A FREE CHOICE. BUT IF YOU DON'T CHOOSE LIFE, YOU ARE GOING TOWARD HELL." "YOU MEAN I'M GOING TO HELL IF I HAVE AN ABORTION?" she responded vehemently. "NO, WE DIDN'T SAY THAT," we answered her. "WE SAID THE CHOICE IS UP TO YOU - WHICH DIRECTION YOU TAKE." "I DON'T BELIEVE THAT," she said as she hung up. |
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Two days later LIFE LINE received a call from a mother of one of the students. She said she had seen the literature "lying around the house" and read through it. "DO YOU THINK IT IS POSSIBLE TO SAVE SOME OF THESE BABIES - THE OLDER ONES - THAT ARE BEING ABORTED SO PEOPLE CAN ADOPT THEM?" she asked. We told her that it was difficult because when women have abortions they want the baby to die - in fact, if the baby persists in living, the doctors make sure it is dead. Then she said that her baby (born six months ago) had died at birth (eight months' gestation) because of birth defects. "I'M 35 YEARS OLD," she said. "THE DOCTOR SAID I CAN'T HAVE ANY MORE CHILDREN." She revealed that the doctor had told her the baby would probably be defective. "THAT DOCTOR IS NOT TELLING THE TRUTH," we answered her. "BIRTH DEFECTS CAN HAPPEN AT ANYTIME - NO MATTER HOW OLD YOU ARE. YOU ARE STILL YOUNG. AS LONG AS YOU ARE HEALTHY, YOU HAVE AT LEAST ANOTHER TEN YEARS TO HAVE CHILDREN." "OH, I'M SO HAPPY TO HEAR THAT. I BELIEVE YOU!" she said. "I'VE BEEN WALKING AROUND FEELING GUILTY AND DEPRESSED - FEELING THAT I'M OLD ALREADY. I REALLY COULDN'T UNDERSTAND WHAT THAT DOCTOR WAS SAYING, BUT I THOUGHT IT WAS TRUE. I'VE HAD FIVE CHILDREN - THREE ARE NOW DEAD, BUT THEY WERE ALL NORMAL PREGNANCIES." We told her we would send her some information about the MARCH OF DIMES' involvement in amniocentesis and how doctors are misinforming women about the dangers of having babies after 35. Then she started talking about her daughter - how her daughter had confided in her about the way the literature had affected her. She said her daughter told her that our literature had made up her mind not to be involved sexually until she was married. |
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 MAYE Maye called LIFE LINE when she was eight months' pregnant. She had gotten our number from a social service organization in the Fremont area. Maye had a deep, rich voice on the telephone, and I began to picture a middleaged woman when I spoke with her about the baby things she needed. She said she appreciated our kindness because some of the organizations she had called had been "so cold." A few days later Maye walked into my living room - a young, very pretty Indian woman with a long dress and traditional mark on her forehead. When Maye first talked to me, she almost immediately complained about her husband hitting her and told me she planned to leave him. (She had been talking to a women's lib organization in the area who advised her to do this.) I asked her whether or not her husband had hit her since she was pregnant and she said he didn't. I told her that God hates divorce, and I began to question Maye on the good points her husband had. She told me he was a very good father to their two children, a hard worker and that he loved her very much. Maye began to call me periodically over the next few weeks. We had long talks about her husband and children and about bringing Jesus into her life. When she told me that this child would be her last (she planned to have a tubal ligation a few days after the baby was born) I told her that it was a sin to deliberately damage one's body. A few days later she told me she had talked it over with her husband and they had decided to have more children. After advertising for baby furniture in the Fremont church bulletins, we found a crib and high chair for Maye and promptly delivered them to her. She was overjoyed. |
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"GOD HAS FORGIVEN ME" Mary had called me asking for an abortion, and I had a long talk with her. During our conversation I learned that she believed in God and also that she was a member of a local church. I stressed the importance of doing the will of God in her life, rather than what she wanted to do, saying that abortion is against God's law. A few days later I called back to find out if Mary had received the literature I mailed to her and to ask her whether or not she had changed her mind. Mary answered the phone with a happy tone in her voice, and I at once assumed that she had changed her mind about the abortion: "I KNOW YOU HAVE CHANGED YOUR MIND," I told her. "NO," she answered abruptly. "I HAD THE ABORTION YESTERDAY (MONDAY). . . BUT I KNOW THAT GOD HAS FORGIVEN ME. LAST SUNDAY I ASKED THE MEMBERS OF MY CHURCH TO PRAY FOR ME-THEY DIDN'T KNOW WHAT THEY WERE PRAYING ABOUT-BUT I REALLY FEEL GOOD ABOUT IT. I KNOW THAT GOD HAS FORGIVEN ME." I found myself becoming upset with this woman, and I started to pray hard for the right words. "MARY, YOU ARE TAKING THIS MATTER TOO LIGHTLY," I said. ?OU MUST BE TRULY REPENTANT BEFORE THE LORD CAN FORGIVE YOU. TRUE REPENTANCE MEANS THAT YOU HATE THE SIN YOU COMMITTED AND THAT YOU WOULD NEVER DO IT AGAIN." "OH, I'D NEVER DO IT AGAIN," she responded quickly. And then the "right words" came to me: "MARY, ASK YOURSELF THIS QUESTION: IF YOU WERE PREGNANT AGAIN - RIGHT NOW - THIS VERY MOMENT - WOULD YOU HAVE YOUR BABY OR WOULD YOU HAVE AN ABORTION?" Mary could give me no answer. |
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"YOU HAVE TO OBEY GOD" - LEAVING HOME AT CHRISTMAS I received my first Christmas gift on December 19th - a call from a sixteen-year-old girl who had received our literature at Oakland Tech. High. The saving of this baby right before Christmas brought a special joy to my heart! Christine originally called LIFE LINE from Oakland in mid-November. She had received our pro-life literature at school dismissal sometime during the previous year. Christine was in tears. She found out she was pregnant and was torn between wanting her baby and having an abortion. We talked about an hour about all the reasons why she shouldn't have an abortion. Christine told me she had been a straight "A" student until she started seeing her boyfriend. The tone of her voice and her words revealed a sweet and kind nature, and she responded immediately to my advice about prayer and walking with the Lord through this crisis in her life. By the time we had stopped talking, Christine was no longer crying. She was determined to have the baby - no matter what pressures were put upon her to have an abortion. About a month later I heard from Christine again on a Friday afternoon close to Christmas. She was crying again. "I JUST WANT TO THANK YOU FOR WHAT YOU DID FOR ME," she began. "MY PARENTS KNOW ABOUT THE BABY, AND THEY WANT ME TO HAVE AN ABORTION," she said "THEY MADE AN APPOINTMENT FOR ME FOR NEXT MONDAY (DECEMBER 22). MY FATHER HAS THREATENED TO BEAT ME IF I DON'T GO THROUGH WITH IT. I'M AFRAID HE WILL HURT MY BABY. I'M GOING TO LEAVE HOME. DO YOU THINK I'M DOING THE RIGHT THING BY LEAVING?" she said, through her tears. "YES, I DO," I answered immediately. "IF YOUR PARENTS ARE TELLING YOU TO DO SOMETHING BAD, YOU CAN'T OBEY THEM. YOU HAVE TO OBEY GOD." We talked for several minutes. She told me she had talked to a priest and a nun in the Oakland area who said they would help her. "WOULD YOU DO SOMETHING FOR ME?" she asked. "WOULD YOU CALL MY MOTHER TOMORROW MORNING AFTER I'VE LEFT AND TELL HER THAT I'M WITH GOOD PEOPLE AND NOT TO WORRY?" The next morning I dialed the number and talked to Rosa, Christine's mother. Rosa said she had found out about Christine's pregnancy by the telephone charge on her phone bill with the LIFE LINE number. (Christine could have called collect - our LIFE LINE card states, "CALL COLLECT IF OUT OF THE CALLING AREA.") Rosa was bitter. She said her daughter had disobeyed her and her father and ha become pregnant deliberately to hurt her. I assured Rosa that Christine was just a sixteen-year-old girl who thought she was in love and that she had nothing but good things to say about her mother. During the conversation Rosa told me she was a Catholic and that her daughter was "going against everything she had been taught." At one point in our conversation I said to Rosa, "YOU'RE A CATHOLIC WHO ATTENDS CHURCH. DO YOU REALLY BELIEVE DOWN DEEP INSIDE THAT ABORTION IS RIGHT?" She didn't answer. "YOU HAVE A BRAVE DAUGHTER. SHE DOESN'T WANT TO LEAVE HOME AND LIVE WITH STRANGERS BUT SHE KNOWS ABORTION IS WRONG." Ros a told me that Christine was ruining her life - losing her job and missing out on her education. "YOU CAN ALWAYS GET ANOTHER JOB AND FINISH HIGH SCHOOL LATER, BUT YOU CAN'T RESURRECT THE DEAD," I responded. As we ended our conversation, I told Rosa she should be kind to her daughter when "SHE GETS IN TOUCH WITH YOU. DO YOU REALIZE THIS BABY IS YOUR GRANDCHILD? THERE IS JOY IN BRINGING A NEW LIFE INTO THE WORLD - NO MATTER HOW DIFFICULT THE CIRCUMSTANCES." "MARIAN," she finally said, in a soft tone. "DO YOU KNOW WHERE CHRISTINE IS?" "I HONESTLY DON'T", I said, "BUT I KNOW SHE WILL GET IN TOUCH WITH YOU.. YOU CAN HANG YOUR HEAD FOR THE NEXT FEW MONTHS AND CRY, OR YOU CAN MAKE THE BEST OF IT AND LOOK FORWARD TO A WONDERFUL EVENT IN YOUR LIFE - THAT OF HOLDING YOUR FIRST GRANDCHILD." |
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"WE JUST MADE UP OUR OWN MINDS" They walked into my living room - a young married couple in their twenties who had come "for counseling." Mary had told me over the phone that they were both "in the middle of their careers" and wanted to hear both sides of the abortion issue. Immediately I could sense a great deal of hostility on the part of the young man when I told them that LIFE LINE was strictly a pro-life group. When I asked them individually whether they believed in God, the husband said, "NO, I DON'T BELIEVE IN GOD." The response was so quiet that I had to ask him to repeat his statement. The young wife said she believed in God but was disappointed in "organized religion." I then saw my opportunity to tell them about Jesus Christ. "I THOUGHT WE WERE GOING TO HAVE AN APPOINTMENT WITH A CLINICAL PSYCHOLOGIST," the young man flatly stated. I told them that LIFE LINE wasn't interested in trained professionals - our main concern was that the individual counselors related to people - caring enough to be of help. "TELL ME ABOUT SOME EXPERIENCES YOU'VE HAD WITH WOMEN WHO'VE HAD ABORTIONS," the young wife asked. I related to them some personal encounters I had had with women after their abortions including one in which an eighteen-year-old girl kept repeating that she "wanted to hold her baby" a week after the abortion. At this point the husband took his wife's hand in a demonstration of protectiveness from the "terrible story" I was telling. The hostility on the part of the husband soon came to a head as he got up abruptly, saying they were leaving. The young woman then asked me for some literature. As I gathered the pamphlets together, I said to the husband, "I HAVE THE FEELING THAT YOU WANT THE ABORTION MORE THAN YOUR WIFE." "NO, THAT'S NOT TRUE," he answered. As I stood by the open front door after letting them out, I called out to the young woman saying, "PLEASE PRAY ABOUT THIS - PRAY ABOUT IT WITH YOUR HUSBAND. HE SAYS HE DOESN'T BELIEVE IN GOD, BUT DOWN DEEP INSIDE HE DOESN'T MEAN IT." A few days later I called back hoping that the wife would answer the phone. The husband answered - with about half the hostility that he had at our previous encounter. "THIS IS THE WOMAN WHO TALKED WITH YOU THE OTHER DAY FROM LIFE LINE," I began. "I'VE BEEN THINKING ABOUT YOU AND PRAYING ABOUT YOU. DID YOU EVER SEE A CLINICAL PSYCHOLGIST?" He didn't answer the question. Instead there was a brief silence and then he told me they planned to have the baby. "PRAISE THE LORD!" I said to myself. "WONDERFUL" I said to him. "THIS BABY WILL BRING A GREAT DEAL OF HAPPINESS TO YOU BOTH. TELL ME, DID OUR LITERATURE HELP YOU MAKE UP YOUR MINDS?" (I don't know why I asked the question - I knew he would never admit it.) "NO", he said abruptly. "WE JUST MADE UP OUR OWN MINDS," as he quickly hung up. |
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 PLAYING GROWN-UP A child's voice called LIFE LINE saying, "WHERE DO YOU GET OFF GIVING THIS INFORMATION ON ABORTION TO MY KIDS?" "HOW OLD ARE YOU?" I asked. The phone receiver clicked on the other end. About an hour later the phone rang again, and the same voice was talking: "I THINK THESE PICTURES ARE GROSS. WHY DID YOU PASS THIS LITERATURE OUT TO MY CHILDREN?" This time I went along with "the deception." I said that the pictures were gross because abortion is gross. "4,000 BABIES DIE EVERYDAY, A MILLION AND A HALF A YEAR - ALL BECAUSE WOMEN ARE DOING WHAT THEY WANT TO DO RATHER THAN FOLLOWING GOD'S LAW." "YOU SAY MAKING LOVE IS WRONG?" she asked. "BEFORE MARRIAGE IT'S WRONG." We talked for several minutes and then she said: "I'LL LET YOU SPEAK TO MY HUSBAND." A young boy's voice came on the phone, and we got on the subject of fornication sending you to Hell. "MY GRANDMOTHER HAD FIVE CHILDREN. DO YOU MEAN SHE'S GOING TO HELL?" "I DIDN'T SAY THAT. SEX IS BEAUTIFUL IF IT'S DONE ACCORDING TO GOD'S PLAN - IN MARRIAGE - BUT OUTSIDE OF MARRIAGE IT'S WRONG, AND IT WILL SEND YOU TO HELL IF YOU DIE WITHOUT REPENTING." After another several minutes of questions and answers, I said, "WELL, KIDS, I'VE ENJOYED PLAYING THIS LITTLE GAME WITH YOU, BUT YOU REALIZE, DON'T YOU, THAT I KNOW YOU'RE NOT ADULTS?" There was a brief silence of five seconds or so. Then the young boy said, "WELL, I'M 12 YEARS OLD AND IN THE SEVENTH GRADE. WHAT ABOUT KISSING? IS THAT WRONG?" "KISSING SHOULD HAVE A COMMITMENT BEHIND IT," I answered. "YOU JUST DON'T WANT TO GO AROUND KISSING EVERYBODY." The young girl said, "I'M IN THE SIXTH GRADE (12 YEARS OLD) AND I FRENCH KISSED' A BOY. WHAT'S WRONG WITH THAT?" "IT'S VULGAR AND CRUDE," I answered. "WE'RE TEMPLES OF GOD AND SHOULD RESPECT EACH OTHER." Then she asked me how you knew when things were right or wrong. I told her to start praying - "PRAY TO JESUS - AND YOU'LL KNOW." I asked her if she read the Bible, and she said there was one around the house but she didn't know exactly where it was. I talked for over an hour on that Saturday afternoon three days after a distribution of literature at ISAAC NEWTON GRAHAM MIDDLE SCHOOL in Mountain View. It was a fascinating conversation to say the least - a look into the minds of two twelve-year-olds trying hard to be grown-up and asking questions about love and marriage that only could be asked of an anonymous listener. |
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"WHY DIDN'T THEY SHOW ME THE PICTURES?" Martha called LIFE LINE. She had just received our packet of literature under the windshield wiper of her car at LANEY COLLEGE in Oakland. She was upset over the pictures of abortions saying she had had an abortion earlier this year (saline abortion at six months). "WHY DIDN'T THEY SHOW ME THE PICTURES?" she asked in a trembling voice. She then questioned me on what happened to the baby during a saline abortion. Martha told me that her live-in boyfriend was upset with her when she had the abortion and, in fact, was still upset. "HOW LONG HAVE YOU KNOWN HIM?" I asked. "FOUR YEARS," she answered. "WHY AREN'T YOU MARRIED?" I asked her. "I DON'T FEEL I'VE KNOW HIM LONG ENOUGH." Then she went on to say that he is the father of her 14-month-old girl, as well as the father of her aborted baby and the baby she is now carrying. During the course of our conversation, Martha told me that she now dreams about the abortion experience and wakes up every morning thinking about the baby. We talked for several minutes. I emphasized over and over again that she must repent of her abortion - take the full blame if she wanted God's forgiveness. Also, if she didn't make up her mind to stop living with her boyfriend or marry him, God couldn't forgive her. I urged her to pray to Jesus for strength. Martha listened and agreed that it was wrong to be living with here boyfriend. She asked for my name as she hung up, saying that she would never have another abortion. |
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Please Contact Us with any comments or suggestions. Updated Monthly Last Updated 05/15/03 |
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