Abortion protesters not wasting time
Arriving home after praying outside a Downers Grove abortion facility on Saturday morning, Nov. 6, I sat down and read the Fence Post letter's headline, “Abortion protesters should back off.” The writer of the letter maintains that those who pray or protest at an abortion facility are doing no good, are being rude, and should mind their own business, and that women have a right to “fix” their mistakes in whatever way they choose.
The writer is mistaken. We merely try to inform women entering the clinic that there is help for them, and that there is a better choice. Also, we believe that no one has the right to “fix” a mistake by taking the life of another.
Just this morning those of us praying witnessed a girl come back out of the clinic with an older man who drove her there. She was sobbing. He and two clinic escorts surrounded her. She finally went back in, and the older man drove away. She went into the clinic in a terribly distressed state, all alone. The sidewalk counselor had tried to talk to her, to offer her help, but she was surrounded by those who did not want her to have a choice. It was heartbreaking.
Research shows that most abortions are actually unwanted. Women feel pressured and rushed into a decision. Often they are threatened or coerced by parents, boyfriends or abusers. Sixty-seven percent of them receive no counseling. They don't know the facts of their baby's development; they are not informed of the serious risks involved or the psychological damage that abortion can inflict.
Sometimes women do make the choice for life and leave the clinic. This is cause for rejoicing. The letter writer can be assured that our time and our prayers are not wasted.
Barbara A. Smith
Naperville