Planned Parenthood’s Aurora mega-center [Photo by Eric Scheidler]
Pro-life activism is work where you don’t always see the fruits of your labor right away. Sidewalk counseling is a perfect example of that. You may not know till you get to heaven how many people chose not to abort their babies simply by your presence and your peaceful outreach. But sometimes God gives us the gift of seeing our work pay off here and now. That happened to sidewalk counselor Joe B. last weekend in Aurora, Illinois. Joe was counseling outside Planned Parenthood’s Aurora mega-center during their busiest abortion time—early Saturday morning. A young couple went into Planned Parenthood and Joe tried to speak to them before they went inside, but they didn’t interact with him. About half an hour later, the young man came out, threw his clenched hands in the air and shouted to Joe, “She’s pregnant and we’re keeping our baby! I hope it’s a boy!” Joe congratulated the young man and told him about the nearby pregnancy resource center, Waterleaf Women’s Center. The man said they didn’t need assistance and told Joe to save the literature for someone who may need it. Before he left, the young man looked at Joe and said, “You know, you guys being here made me think.” And that’s exactly what sidewalk counselors are supposed to do: make people think. Think about the reality of their unborn child, think about the horror of abortion, think about a life plagued by the thought of a life they snuffed out. Because when people think about abortion it only becomes less appealing. If you’re interested in learning more about sidewalk counseling and what you can do to help, visit our sidewalk counseling resources page. Or, if you’re in the Chicago area, you can come to the sidewalk counseling seminar hosted by the League’s Ann Scheidler this Saturday, November 19. Get all the details here.
