I wish I could remember her name. But her face is still clearly etched in my mind. It was an ordinary day at the clinic when she walked in for her appointment, but the outcome was one I will never forget.
The young woman had scheduled an appointment to discuss removing a large, protruding hernia. During the examination, I realized there was some rather unexpected news that I needed to share with her. Like many women who walked through the clinic’s doors, she was pregnant.
Hearing this, shock clouded her face. She walked out of the clinic, distraught and unsure of her next steps. She already had four kids and wasn’t sure if she could handle another. And on top of that, this pregnancy meant her surgical procedure would need to wait. Her condition was not life-threatening, and it didn’t merit the risk of anesthesia during a pregnancy.
The next day, I looked up from some paperwork to see her marching into the clinic—a woman on a mission. She planted herself in front of me and stated that she wanted the pregnancy terminated.
I paused and considered her statement. As a believer in the Lord Jesus Christ, Creator of the gift of the life within her, I couldn’t destroy the precious life he was forming inside her.
I guided her to the ultrasound room, explaining that I couldn’t and wouldn’t help her terminate the pregnancy, but that I would examine her and present her with helpful, viable next steps.
On one wall of the ultrasound room hung a poster outlining early fetal development. On another there was a poster saying, “Take my hand not my life.” An educated woman, my patient read the information, as I prepped her for an ultrasound. And God began softening her heart.
As the precious, tiny, 12-week baby came into view, she fell silent. For the first time since she’d learned of her pregnancy, she saw that there was a baby. It only took a second for her to fall in love with the tiny baby within her womb.
Knowing her fears, I rushed to assure her that our clinic would care for her and love her through the delivery. No questions asked. No obligation for her to raise the child. If she wanted, she could even leave the baby with us to find a loving, adoptive home.
She left with tears in her eyes and a different kind of determination written across her face—her mission had changed.
A couple months, I had the joy of delivering her healthy, pink, chubby girl, and dressing her in brand new clothes, wrapping her in a blanket, and placing her into the smiling woman’s arms.
With tears in her eyes, once again, the mother turned to me and said the minute that she saw her baby during the ultrasound, she fell in love.
- Lori Smith, Medical Missionary to Papua New Guinea
Did you know you can impact ministries just like Lori’s?
By donating to our global pregnancy resource fund, you can help fund pro-life ministries around the world. Our ministries give women the support and resources that they need in order to make the choice for life! Your gift would help to ensure that they can continue this life-saving work.
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4/5 women, having seen an ultrasound, decide to keep the baby.*
99% of abortions occur outside of the US.
97% of pro-life funds are spent inside the US.