She called after our distribution of literature at HOLY NAMES COLLEGE in Oakland: "I WANT TO REGISTER A COMPLAINT," she began. "THIS IS A CATHOLIC COLLEGE, AND WE DON’T NEED YOUR INFORMATION. A GROUP OF US HERE AT HOLY NAMES ARE DISGUSTED WITH YOUR LITERATURE. DO YOU KNOW HOW IT FEELS TO COME BACK FROM LUNCH AND SEE LITERATURE LIKE THIS ON YOUR CAR?"

I told her I knew the literature was strong, but it was necessary that people know the truth about abortion. I told her about the junior high student who had received our literature years ago and how she said she would remember the woman all of her life who said, ‘I’M JUST TRYING TO SAVE LIVES.’ NOW SHE’S GROWN UP AND IS INVOLVED IN THE PRO LIFE MOVEMENT." I asked her about Nazi Germany, and if she lived in those times, whether or not she would have objected to having pictures of Auschwitz put on her car. She said she probably would object. "ARE YOU AGAINST ABORTION?" I asked. "I FEEL IT’S A WOMAN’S RIGHT TO CHOOSE." "THAT’S NOT THE CATHOLIC VIEWPOINT," I told her. "THE REASON WHY WE DISTRIBUTE LITERATURE TO ALL THE SCHOOLS IN THE AREA IS BECAUSE WOMEN ARE HAVING 4,000 ABORTIONS A DAY IN THIS COUNTRY - CATHOLIC WOMEN AS WELL AS OTHER WOMEN."

"YOU’RE NOT AGAINST BIRTH CONTROL, ARE YOU?" she interrupted. "THE BIRTH CONTROL PILL IS AN ABORTIFACIENT. THE BABY IS KILLED AFTER IT IS A WEEK OLD," I explained. "WELL, WHAT ABOUT THE CONDOM AND OTHER FORMS OF BIRTH CONTROL AREN’T THEY ALL RIGHT?" she asked. "THE ROOT OF THE PROBLEM IS HAVING SEX BEFORE YOU’RE MARRIED," I told her. "THAT’S CALLED ‘FORNICATION’ IN THE BIBLE, AND IT WILL SEND YOU TO HELL. HAVING SEX WITH A YOUNG MAN WHO IS JUST USING YOU IS A BAD MISTAKE. BY THE TIME YOU ARE READY TO MARRY SOMEONE, IT WILL BE HARD FOR YOU TO RECOGNIZE WHAT REAL LOVE IS. JESUS PUT A HIGH PRIORITY ON PURITY," I told her. "I DON’T KNOW WHETHER OR NOT YOU’VE HAD SEX ALREADY, BUT IF YOU HAVE, START TO PRAY TO THE LORD JESUS FOR THE STRENGTH TO STOP. YOU CAN’T DO IT ALONE, YOU KNOW. YOU NEED GOD’S HELP. DO YOU KNOW THERE’S SUCH A THING AS ‘SECONDARY VIRGINITY’?"

Then in a very quiet voice, she asked me how a husband would feel if he knew his wife had had sex with someone else before marriage. By the end of our conversation, she had forgotten all about her anger at seeing the pictures of abortions and was appreciative of the advice I had given her.

Twenty-one-year-old Patricia called me when she was about four months pregnant. She said she just wanted to talk. Over the next few months Patricia called me several times. Patricia was an angry person. This was soon apparent in the condemnation of her boyfriend who she said had "raped her." She was both angry and afraid of him, voicing her fears that he might find her. She didn’t want him to know she was pregnant.

Patricia had been living on the streets. Her boyfriend, a married man (she found this out later) was totally deserving of her anger. He later ended up in jail for drug dealing.

Patricia’s mother, a nurse who worked nights, had taken her daughter in off the streets. Patricia resented her mother. (She told me her mother had raised five children alone and had to work all of her life.) Patricia didn’t think it was fair for her mother to charge her $100 of her Welfare money for room and board. I began to defend Patricia’s mother to her, telling her that she should "count her blessings." She had a place to live and she was at home. "YOUR MOTHER IS YOUR BEST FRIEND," I told her many times.

In every conversation we had over the months, I suggested that she put her life in the hands of Jesus. I urged her to read the Bible. It all seemed to be falling on deaf ears. She either changed the subject or gave no response. Nevertheless, I persisted. As I talked to her, she kept her bitterness. After several conversations in which she appeared to be just using me as a sounding board, one day she called me with a new tone of voice. She was bubbling over with excitement: "MARIAN, I KNOW NOW WHAT YOU’VE BEEN TRYING TO TELL ME. I’VE FOUND JESUS CHRIST. OH, MARIAN, ISN’T HE WONDERFUL? I’M READING THE BIBLE NOW AND I’M PUTTING MY LIFE IN HIS HANDS. YOU’RE RIGHT, TOO, ABOUT MY MOTHER. I KNOW SHE LOVES ME. WE’RE REALLY GETTING ALONG NOW. OH, MARIAN, ISN’T JESUS WONDERFUL?"

For some reason I found this sudden change in Patricia’s personality difficult to completely believe. Where she had been hard and bitter, she was now all sweetness and light! A few days later the phone rang. The young woman on the other end of the line stated, "PATRICIA TOLD ME TO CALL YOU. SHE SAID I NEEDED TO TALK TO YOU." I had no idea why Patricia had given this young woman my phone number, but I knew it must be important, so I did my best to talk to her. I managed to find out from her that she was living with her boyfriend and was very unhappy. She was an extremely nontalkative person. I witnessed to her about Jesus Christ. About five minutes later, Patricia called me: "OH, MARIAN, THANK YOU SO MUCH. MY FRIEND FEELS SO MUCH BETTER. DO YOU KNOW SHE WAS TALKING ABOUT COMMITTING SUICIDE? ISN’T JESUS WONDERFUL, MARIAN?" I was finally fully convinced that Patricia was a changed person.

Patricia called me after the baby was born. It was a hard delivery, but she gave birth to a beautiful 8-pound baby boy. "HE LOOKS LIKE MY SIDE OF THE FAMILY - LIKE MY FATHER!" she said with excitement. When I asked her what she had named the baby, she said, "CHRISTOPHER." "DO YOU KNOW I HAVE A SON NAMED CHRISTOPHER?" I said. "WHY DID YOU NAME HIM CHRISTOPHER?" I asked. "I’M NAMING HIM AFTER JESUS CHRIST!" she said with enthusiasm.

The following experiences were like receiving a hard slap across the face. The reality of the absolute cruelty that can be involved regarding abortion became crystal clear:

Larissa called me on a Monday morning in November. She was seventeen years old and had all the right answers. She said she was pregnant and wanted to talk about it. Could she make an appointment for counseling? As we started our conversation, she soon forgot about making an appointment and began to pour out her heart to me. Her boyfriend wanted her to have an abortion (he had made an appointment for her for the following day) and her mother, a forty-one-year-old divorcee also wanted her to have the abortion. She told her daughter that she didn’t want to be a grandmother. Larissa explained that her mother had a 26-year-old boyfriend and she was very age conscious.

     As I talked to this young girl, she constantly surprised me by the maturity in her remarks. She told me that she was going to have this baby with a determination in her voice. "HE IS SO SAFE INSIDE OF ME," she said sweetly. "I’M GOING TO MAKE SURE THAT NO ONE CAN HURT HIM." We talked about prayer and turning her problems over to Jesus Christ. (It was evident that she had already been praying before she called our number.) At the end of our conversation, Larissa asked me whether I minded if her mother called me. I told her that, of course, her mother could call. Our conversation ended with Larissa’s words: "WHEN I CALLED YOU, THE SKY WAS GRAY - NOW IT’S BLUE. THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR TAKING THE TIME TO TALK TO ME."

     A few hours later I received a rude shock. Larissa’s mother called me to announce that her daughter WAS GOING TO HAVE THE ABORTION!! "I DON’T WANT A BABY AROUND THIS HOUSE!" she said, her voice spitting out hate with every word. She said her daughter tried to commit suicide twice and was in some other trouble, and if she tried to get out of having the abortion, she would call the authorities. I realized that nothing I could say would penetrate this woman’s hard shell!

     For several hours afterward, I thought and prayed for Larissa, with a sinking feeling of helplessness overwhelming me, as I realized that sweet Larissa was no match for the cruelty of this woman. Calling back the next day, I was told that Larissa was at the doctor’s. I knew then that she was at the abortionist’s.

In all my years of working in the pro life movement and the hundreds of phone calls I’ve received, I have never been so unnerved over a phone conversation. A woman called LIFE LINE the same day we distributed literature at two colleges in the San Mateo area. First, she said someone had damaged her truck when literature was put on her car. I refused to talk to her about it, as I knew it was a crank call. Two days later she called back again on a Saturday afternoon mentioning that it was the second time she had called. This time she claimed that it was the windshield wiper on her new truck that was damaged. Could she have someone’s name so that she could bill that individual? Feeling certain that this was a pro-abortion maneuver, I told her it would be difficult to prove that any one person damaged her windshield wiper "I THINK YOU SHOULD FIND ANOTHER WAY OF DISTRIBUTING YOUR MATERIAL," she said angrily. "WHY?" I asked, "WHY ARE YOU SO CONCERNED ABOUT A WINDSHIELD WIPER? WHY AREN’T YOU BOTHERED ABOUT THE BABIES WHO DIE EVERYDAY IN THIS COUNTRY - 4,000 A DAY?" "WELL," she shrieked, "I FLUSHED MY SIX WEEKS OLD FETUS DOWN THE TOILET AND IT DIDN’T BOTHER ME!" A cold chill ran through me!!!" DO YOU BELIEVE IN GOD?" I managed to ask. "WHAT’S THAT GOT TO DO WITH IT? LISTEN," she screeched as she hung up, "A WHOLE ROOMFUL OF DEAD FETUSES WOULDN’T BOTHER ME."

     (I had a flashback of a movie I had seen years ago - A TALE OF TWO CITIES - with the character, Madame Dufarge knitting as she watched the heads of the French aristocrats roll.)

Tanya called on a Monday morning following a Thursday afternoon distribution of literature at a nursing school in Hayward. There were close to 100 cars parked there which we leafleted in less than five minutes. Tanya immediately began shouting: "WHAT RIGHT DO YOU HAVE TO PUT THIS LITERATURE ON OUR CARS?! I’M UPSET AND SO ARE SEVERAL OTHER PEOPLE HERE. I’M SEVEN MONTHS PREGNANT, AND I DON’T NEED TO SEE THESE PICTURES!" As she kept her voice up to full volume, I found myself yelling back at her: "WHY ARE YOU SO UPSET OVER A PICTURE?" I said, trying to get a word in edgewise. "WHY AREN’T YOU MORE UPSET OVER THE FACT OF ABORTION? THERE ARE THOUSANDS OF BABIES KILLED EVERY WEEK IN THE U.S."

     As the argument progressed, I finally realized what was bothering her. It was our comment about the birth control pill being an abortifacient . I was surprised that she shouted her name and address at me so that I could send her documentation on the birth control pill and the various brands that are considered to be abortifacient. I then started to talk to her about her personal life and began witnessing to her about Jesus. There was an almost immediate change in the tone of her voice. She was talking normally. She told me that she is 19 years old and not married and that she is studying to be a nurse. When I told her that having sex before marriage is a sin, she seemed surprised: "IS IT REALLY WRONG?" she asked. I talked about how important it was for her to start a relationship with Jesus Christ and that she should begin by reading the Bible. Her quiet answers made me realize that the power of Jesus Christ was having an effect on her. She sounded like a different person from the one who kept shouting at me in the beginning of our conversation. Later I mailed Tanya a copy of the Gospel of John and information on the birth control pill.

Shirley, a young woman working shifts "in the restaurant business" called for an abortion. She told me her mother babysits her fifteen months old little girl. She admitted to having an abortion last year. I told Shirley she must start praying to get strength to avoid making another serious mistake. The abortion could make her sterile, etc. At the end of our conversation, she said she would discuss it with her mother to see if she would be willing to help her. A few days later Shirley called me back. She had received our literature and had changed her mind about the abortion. Her mother is supporting her.

Lana called regarding NORPLANT. She is 19 years old, and seven months ago NORPLANT was inserted in her arm. She has had several pregnancy tests over the past four months, all coming out negative. Now she has just had two pregnancy tests, one blood and one urine - both negative. (One of the major side effects of using NORPLANT is spotting and stopping of periods.)

     I advised Lana to have this dangerous device removed and wait until she’s married to have sex. I told her about all the sexually-transmitted diseases out there including chlamydia which could make here sterile. I mentioned that the people who want children the most are those who can’t have any. She readily agreed, implying that she knew that some of her friends are sterile. We talked about AIDS. I told Lana that if she would walk the straight and narrow path, she would have God’s help in her life. If she didn’t, she would end up ruining her life. I asked her whether she wanted a husband and family some day. She said "yes." "WELL, LANA, YOU COULD BE DOING SOMETHING NOW THAT WOULD PREVENT THIS FROM HAPPENING. THE ONLY WAY YOU ARE GOING TO STOP HAVING SEX IS THROUGH THE HELP OF GOD." I urged her to start praying about her situation. When I asked her whether I could send her some materials, she very willingly gave me her name and address.

Twenty-five-year-old Yvonne called me in April, a very confused girl. Her friends were urging her to have an abortion and even her mother was leaning in that direction. Yvonne told me how much her mother’s family interfered in their lives, and she was afraid of their disapproval if she kept the baby. After talking with her for about forty-five minutes, she asked if she could have a counseling appointment with her mother.

     That night the mother and daughter came to my home. During our lengthy conversation-approximately 2 ½ hours-I learned a great deal about Yvonne, her mother and her family. By the end of the evening, it was settled that Yvonne was going to have the baby and that her mother would stand by and help her.

     A few weeks later I received the following note from Yvonne: "I WANTED TO WRITE A FEW SHORT LINES AND THANK YOU FOR BEING THERE WHEN I NEEDED SOMEONE TO TALK TO. THE FIRST TIME I TALKED TO YOU ON THE PHONE I WAS REALLY CONFUSED BETWEEN HAVING THE BABY OR HAVING AN ABORTION. DON’T GET ME WRONG, MARIAN. I NEVER REALLY WANTED TO GO THROUGH AN ABORTION. IT’S JUST THAT SOMETIMES PEOPLE PUT THINGS IN YOUR HEAD AND MAKE YOU THINK THAT AN ABORTION WOULD BE THE ANSWER FOR EVERYTHING. BUT, ANYWAY TALKING TO YOU HELPED ME A LOT IN MAKING THE RIGHT DECISION. I AM REALLY GLAD THAT GOD PUT YOU IN MY WAY AND AT THE RIGHT MOMENT. DON’T FORGET TO KEEP IN TOUCH. TAKE LOTS OF CARE."

I received a LIFE LINE call from a disgruntled student (after leafleting parked cars at STANISLAUS UNIVERSITY in Turlock) who told me emphatically that the pictures of abortion almost made him throw up. "I SHOWED THEM TO MY ROOMMATES, AND THEY ALMOST THREW UP," he said a little angrily. "I’M GLAD TO HEAR THAT," I answered cheerfully. "NOW YOU KNOW WHAT ABORTION IS, DON’T YOU?" I asked. "DO YOU REALIZE THAT THEY KILL OVER 4,000 OF THESE LITTLE BABIES EVERYDAY?" "REALLY?" he responded. "YES," I answered. "THAT’S A TOTAL OF 1 ½ MILLION A YEAR AND OVER 20,000,000 SINCE THE SUPREME COURT DECISION OF 1973," I answered. He admitted that was a lot of abortions. I told him that if you asked a woman who was considering an abortion who was the mother of a toddler if she could cut up her little child in pieces, she would be shocked and say "NO!" "WELL, THAT’S EXACTLY WHAT SHE’S DOING WHEN SHE HAS AN ABORTION EXCEPT SHE CAN’T SEE THE BABY." I told him that they abort babies that are seven and eight months and get away with it. "NO!!!" he exclaimed. "YES, THAT’S REALLY TRUE," I replied. I told him about the protest in Kansas last year and about the abortionists flying in to kill the babies. "DO YOU REALIZE THE NEWS MEDIA BLOCKS OUT THE REAL TRUTH ABOUT ABORTION?" I asked. "WHY IS THAT?" he asked. 'WELL, IT’S PROBABLY BECAUSE ABOUT 85% OF THEM ARE PRO-ABORTION," I replied. Then he got on the subject of population and inferred that maybe abortion is necessary because we are overpopulated. "THAT’S ANOTHER LIE," I answered. "IF IT WEREN’T FOR IMMIGRATION HERE IN CALIFORNIA, FOR EXAMPLE, YOU WOULD BE SEEING A LOT OF EMPTY BUILDINGS," I told him. "THE POPULATION IS GOING DOWN ALL OVER THE WORLD." I mentioned Canada, European countries, and Russia’s population going down because of multiple abortions. I told him about China’s one-child policy: "IF A WOMAN GETS PREGNANT FOR THE SECOND TIME IN CHINA, SHE IS FORCED INTO AN ABORTION." "IS THAT REALLY TRUE?" he asked, obviously shocked. "THERE HAS BEEN SOME MENTION OF IT IN THE NEWSPAPERS BUT IT ISN’T EMPHASIZED," I told him. As our conversation came to an end, I asked him to spread the word about abortion. "YES, I WILL," he said. "I’M GOING TO SHOW THIS LITERATURE TO ALL MY FRIENDS."

Melinda called for an abortion. Her husband is having an affair with another woman. She has two children. (With the second one she was tempted to have an abortion but she changed her mind.) I told Melinda that what she was thinking of doing was very, very wrong. I asked her if the problem was financial and she said "yes." Then she remarked that she had Kaiser insurance (full coverage for the doctor and hospital costs.)

     I asked her why she wanted to throw away her future happiness with this new baby, a gift from God! In a few years this baby could bring her some grandchildren. I told Melinda that her husband was going through a time of temptation but that he would very likely come back to her in the end. Most husbands do. But if she had an abortion, she would be doing something worse than her husbands infidelity. She would be a murderess. I told her 70% of the couples who have abortions separate afterwards. I asked her if she prayed. She said she prayed with her children. I said now is the time to pray as hard as she can for the strength to do the right thing. I asked Melinda if she had a Bible and she said she did. I suggested that she start reading it and pray to Jesus to give her strength every day. "PRAY FOR YOUR HUSBAND, MELINDA," I said. "HE WILL PROBABLY EVENTUALLY COME CRAWLING BACK TO YOU. YOU DONT HAVE TO DIVORCE HIM. THOSE TWO CHILDREN AND YOUR NEW BABY WILL HELP BRING HIM BACK. YOU HAVE A GOOD FOUNDATION FOR YOUR MARRIAGE WITH YOUR CHILDREN. NOW THE THIRD BABY WILL MAKE IT STRONGER.. JUST KEEP PRAYING, MELINDA. YOULL BE STANDING ON A STRONG ROCK." I told Melinda I would send her materials and call back in a few days. She asked me for my name at the end of our conversation.

The mother of a nineteen-year-old girl called me on evening in mid-November. Her first words to me were, "ARE YOU OPEN?" (I assumed she meant open for abortion.) It was approximately 6:00 PM and before I could tell her about our free pregnancy test, we began an intense argument. She told me her daughter would be unable to cope with a child. "SHE COMPLAINS TO ME ABOUT NOT MAKING HER LUNCH WHEN SHE GOES TO WORK." The mother said in a nasty tone of voice. "I'M NOT GOING TO RAISE THIS BABY! SHES 4 ½ MONTHS PREGNANT, AND WE WANT TO HURRY BEFORE IT'S TOO LATE FOR HER TO HAVE AN ABORTION."

     I told this woman that having the baby would be the fastest way for her daughter to grow up. I asked her whether she believed in God. "I'M A CHRISTIAN, AND I SPEAK IN TONGUES." she answered. "I FEEL THAT GOD IS IN ME." Bluntly I told her that this was impossible, that instead it was the Devil who was in her because she was thinking about being an accessory to murdering her own grandchild. I told her that she and her daughter would regret having killed the baby. After our conversation had disintegrated into a shouting match, I told her that I was about to hang up on her, that I would pray that a miracle would happen that would change her mind about killing her grandchild.

Catherine called from Riverbank on a Sunday evening in October. She asked about getting an HIV test, saying she had had sexual intercourse with a young man without knowing he was very promiscuous. After the encounter, she overheard some boys gossiping about her sexual partner, and she was overwhelmed with fear that this young man was an AIDS CARRIER. She had been introduced to this young man by some of her friends who neglected to tell her the truth about him. Catherine also felt she might be pregnant, explaining the circumstances of the sexual encounter. From the information provided, I told her that the chance that she was pregnant was nil. I told Catherine that she should calm down and begin by seeking Gods forgiveness for this act (she had told me that in the past she had attended an Assembly of God church with her mother). "CATHERINE," I told her, "YOU MUST ESTABLISH A RELATIONSHIP WITH GOD IN ORDER TO HAVE THE STRENGTH TO STAY OUT OF TROUBLE AND LIVE A GOOD, HAPPY LIFE. SAVE YOURSELF FOR THE MAN YOU WILL EVENTUALLY MARRY! IT IS A DANGEROUS THING TO BECOME INVOLVED IN SEXUAL ACTIVITY! BESIDES AIDS THERE ARE MANY VENEREAL DISEASES OUT THERE WHICH CAN MAKE YOU STERILE AND CAN BE LIFE-THREATENING." I told Catherine that she should have an HIV test to help relieve her mind, but she shouldnt jump to the conclusion that she has AIDS.

     Catherine thanked me for talking to her in a sweet sincere voice. She asked me whether I thought that God would punish her by giving her AIDS. I told her I would have to know the mind of God to answer her.

     Catherine called again two weeks later 6:00 AM on a Sunday morning. This time she told me she had been to a clinic for testing and found out that she wasnt pregnant but had contracted chlamydia* from her sexual encounter. Now Catherine had slipped again. She had gone to a party the night before and again got involved sexually with a stranger. This time she said she didnt go all the way because of her guilt. Catherine told me that everyone else in her family were living good lives except for her. "I JUST WANT SOMEONE TO LOVE ME", she said. "I CANT UNDERSTAND WHY GOD ISNT STOPPING ME FROM DOING THIS." "CATHERINE," I said, "IN THE FIRST PLACE WHAT YOU ARE DOING HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH LOVE. YOU CANT BLAME GOD OR ANYONE ELSE BUT YOURSELF FOR WHAT YOU ARE DOING. THE ONLY WAY YOU ARE GOING TO STOP THIS DANGEROUS GAME IS WITH THE HELP OF THE LORD." I stressed prayer to her again daily prayer and Bible reading. "ITS SUNDAY MORNING, CATHERINE, WHY DONT YOU GO TO CHURCH WITH YOUR MOTHER. IF YOURE SINCERE AND REALLY WANT TO PLEASE GOD, HE WILL HELP YOU."

     *chlamydia a very common sexually transmitted disease. This infects 3-5 million per year. Chlamydia is considered to be the most common cause of sterility in women and also causes sterility in men. (In women, advanced stage may require removal of uterus, tubes and ovaries.) Four million new cases are reported annually. 70% are not aware they are infected. 40% of those sexually active are suspected carriers.