Nineteen-year-old Rachel came into our center a few weeks before the holiday season. She was seeking an abortion and wanted to verify she was pregnant and receive information on abortion. After her pregnancy test, which was positive, and an ultrasound revealing her six-week-old on the screen, and receiving information on all three of her pregnancy options, Rachel left still planning to abort. When a woman is abortion-determined like Rachel, rarely do they change their minds.
However, sometimes there is one thing that stays with a few of those women, and they do end up choosing life. That happened to Rachel.
A Charge of Heart & Mind
Within a few weeks, she contacted our center asking about resources, including Medicaid and True Care’s parenting classes.
“I thought long and hard about abortion, and I decided I just couldn’t do it,” Rachel said. “I’ve decided I’m going to parent, and my boyfriend is on board with that decision. He wasn’t at first, but he listened to my thoughts and concerns, and he now supports parenting.”
Rachel also expressed interest in Embrace Grace, and with another Casper church planning to start a program next month, we’re able to connect Rachel with the leaders of that new program. When she received the gift box filled with encouraging notes, a book, and a onesie, she appeared excited. She also asked how to sign up for Baby & Me, our parenting program for first-time moms.
Whether Rachel was impacted by the ultrasound image, the information contained within the pages of the abortion brochure, or the Gospel presentation – perhaps all three – we don’t know. What we do know is this, however: God works in women’s hearts, and we are the instruments He uses. Our advocates and nurses, our educational brochures, our programs – each of these is a tool God can, and does, use to reach the hearts of women who come to our center … including the hard cases, the abortion-determined women.
Prayer & Persistence
Prayer (which we do daily) and persistence (not giving up telling and showing abortion-determined women the truth) pays off.
Last year, 35 percent of women assessed as abortion-determined chose life for their unborn. Considering the impact of COVID-19 upon employment in Natrona County, we are thankful to see that number. Finances are often the reason women choose abortion, so being able to offer Medicaid through our Resource Program and provide women in our Baby & Me Program with an incentive item (like a crib, stroller, or $200 gift card) helps off-set some of those financial concerns. Eighty-nine percent of our patients assessed as abortion-minded and 94% of those assessed as abortion-vulnerable chose life last year. A total of 198 unborn lives were saved from abortion in 2020!
We are praying God will help us increase that percentage of abortion-determined women who choose life in 2021.
Please uphold True Care, our staff, and patients in your prayers during this New Year. Prayer and persistence can, and do, make a difference!