A nun walked into an abortion clinic. It sounds like the beginning of a bad joke, but it’s exactly what happened a few weeks ago at an FPA Women’s Health abortion clinic in Oxnard. The sister, like many non-abortion patients, didn’t realize it was an abortion clinic.
A sidewalk counselor approached her before she went in and told her what other “services” FPA provided. She was horrified to learn FPA does abortions. She canceled her appointment and left, thanking the sidewalk counselor.
The primary goal of sidewalk counselors is to persuade abortion-bound mothers to leave the facility without killing their children, but their public witness reaches a broad swath of the community, far beyond just those entering the abortion clinic.
A man stopped one day while I was sidewalk counseling to tell me that his 18-year-old son would not even consider abortion because of all the years of driving by and seeing my signs.
A woman stopped one day to tell me that she had once gone out to pray at an abortion clinic. A friend of hers had kept asking her to go and finally she went - it turned out to be the day her daughter had scheduled an abortion. Her presence on the sidewalk saved the life of her grandchild. The daughter just drove by and didn’t stop when she saw her mom on the sidewalk.
People stop and ask for resources for pregnant mothers they know, they ask questions about the pro-life position, they cry and tell about children they aborted or thought about aborting.
As the spring 40 Days for Life campaign begins on Ash Wednesday, know that your presence on the sidewalk has a much bigger impact than you can see. There are over fifty vigil sites in California, so find your local vigil and commit to hours of prayer this Lent for an end to abortion.
Also, know that your right to stand, pray, display signs, and speak to patients and passersby on the public sidewalk remains unchanged, despite the Biden administration’s harsh attacks on pro-lifers who have entered private property to conduct their advocacy. Read more from Life Legal Defense Foundation here.
Brush up on your sidewalk counseling with our online guide or contact us to schedule an in-person training!