By Angela Thorne
It was a cold morning late in October, and I found myself once again standing outside the abortion clinic nearest our house. It was depressing, watching people drive up to the clinic, not knowing what was happening inside. I was one of only a few people there, and as a woman got out of her car I stepped forward to speak. “Excuse me, ma’am, but may I ask why you’re here?” She paused, but before she could answer, an escort from the clinic began to usher her away. “Leave the poor girl alone,” she said. “What could you possibly say to her?”
What do I say, I thought, not just to this mother but to the clinic worker standing nearby? I could ask how they felt regarding the impact of abortion on society. In America today, children are not considered human until they are born. However, it is society that will eventually suffer the consequences of the hundreds of brilliant minds lost through abortion. How many Einsteins, how many Mozarts has abortion killed before they even had a chance to develop their talents?
Should I tell this pair about the side effects their actions will have on them? It is well known that mothers who have miscarried experience grief, the same as if the child had already been born. And why not? The preborn baby is just as precious to his mother as her five-year-old child. The grief this woman is facing will be the same, whether it comes days, weeks, or even years later. And how will this clinic worker feel when she sees what really goes on in this clinic and the deaths she has helped cause? I want to warn them, now, that their actions will have consequences.
Most importantly, I want to communicate to them that this baby is a person. The only difference is that the baby is still developing. The baby’s thoughts and feelings should still be valid. To anyone who responds that we cannot know the baby’s feelings, I ask how many people wish their parents had gotten them aborted. Would they approve of their own parents’ decision should they have chosen to have an abortion? How many people can say yes to these questions? The baby growing inside his mother is one of the greatest miracles given to humanity, and one look at an ultrasound or development chart should prove that.
I break free from my thoughts and look at the women. I could give them so many facts or statistics, but I know that they will counter with their own opinions. Instead, I just say, “I wanted to say that I love your baby. But more importantly, God loves your baby. This child is His creation. Please don’t destroy the baby.”
I wish I could say the mother turned around and left or that the clinic worker broke down and walked off the job. However, neither of these happened. We looked at each other for a minute, and then the two of them walked into the clinic together. It’s always heartbreaking when I see a child I can’t save, but every success brings me fresh hope. I would work twice as hard to save a single child’s life. I close my eyes, whispering a silent prayer for the preborn child before stepping forward as another car drives up.
Angela Thorne won second place in the high school category of CLSP’s 2022 Pro-Life Essay Contest. She is in 11th grade.