She Was Heading to the Abortion Clinic When She Saw Pro-Life People Praying and Changed Her Mind

By Christian Vazquez
Life News

A woman who personally had been impacted by sidewalk counseling now fights for the right to counsel pregnant women like she once was.

Alina Dulgheriu, a member of the Be Here For Me campaign against abortion, recently lost a High Court appeal challenging a buffer zone in Ealing, London, that prevents pro-lifers from reaching out to women outside abortion facilities, according to The Catholic Universe.

Dulgheriu opened up about why she fights for the right to reach out to pregnant women via sidewalk counseling, for she had once considered getting an abortion herself.

She said she had planned to get an abortion because she felt like she did not have any other options.

“I was devastated because I could never have imagined having an abortion, but I couldn’t find the support I needed to continue my pregnancy,” she said.

Dulgheriu then planned to go to an abortion clinic, thinking her mind was made up.

“So I made my choice, but once I walked through that gate, there was a woman there saying, ‘we can offer you help’. Then I felt that I did have a choice. I can choose, yes or no. I chose not to go ahead with the abortion because I was given another option by the woman at the gate,” she said.

Today, Dulgheriu attends vigils with her daughter, praying rosaries and offering women a chance to reconsider abortion. However, there have been roadblocks that make it more difficult for this life-saving work to happen.

In April, the Ealing Council in west London unanimously approved the 100-meter (328 foot) buffer zone to prohibit pro-life outreach around a Marie Stopes abortion facility in the city. Those who violate the buffer zone could face fines or jail time.

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Pregnant, need help or know someone who does?  

National Hotline: Call 1-800-712-HELP or Text 'HELPLINE' to 313131.
In Southeast Penna:  Call the Community Women's Center at  215-826-8090

If you or someone you know is suffering after abortion, confidential non-judgmental help is available.  

Call Project Rachel's national toll-free number 888-456-HOPE (4673) or visit hopeafterabortion.org.  

Democrat Lawmakers File Bill to Criminalize Pro-Life Free Speech They Find “Annoying”

Ohio Right to Life

Yesterday, pro-choice Democratic lawmakers introduced a bill in the Ohio House to criminalize free speech that they consider “annoying” by setting a 15-foot buffer zone around abortion facilities.

The bill is similar to another they introduced in 2015, as well as a Columbus City Council measure that attempted to do the same thing last summer. The legislation targets sidewalk counselors and other pro-lifers who maintain a regular prayerful presence outside of abortion facilities, attempting to reach women and men one last time before an abortion takes place. These pro-life advocates offer women life-affirming options. They offer them a chance to talk, a chance to think, and a chance to reconsider.

It’s no wonder the abortion industry is annoyed: Pro-life advocates like these aren’t taking abortion-on-demand lying down. They’re giving women real alternatives: The choice to parent and the choice to make an adoption plan.

As overreaching as Roe v. Wade was, the infamous Supreme Court decision didn’t outlaw disagreement, and it didn’t criminalize free speech. For an industry that purports to be about “choice” and “freedom,” this kind of legislation reveals how shallow their supposed values really are.

But let’s be clear: This legislation is going nowhere. Ohio’s legislature is overwhelmingly pro-life, having passed 18 Ohio Right to Life-supported initiatives in the last six years. Furthermore, the Supreme Court has already unanimously ruled buffer zones unconstitutional.

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How Can You Do a Better Job Counseling Women Considering Abortion? Here’s Some Tips

By Josh Brahm
Life News

Every other Tuesday we publish a new episode of the Equipped for Life Podcast, available to everyone who purchases our course, “Equipped for Life: A Fresh Approach to Conversations about Abortion.” Generally these podcast episodes won’t be available to the general public, but we plan on occasionally making exceptions, and we’ve decided to make our 11th episode the first one we make available to everybody.

This is the first part in a two-part series on practical sidewalk counseling tips, from the person who has impressed me most with the way he thinks about decision making in front of abortion facilities, our Operations Coordinator Jacob Nels.

Here are some of the topics we cover in this episode:

• Understanding the mindset of a lot of the people who show up at abortion facilities;
• Learning important facts about the abortion facility, like when they do abortions;
• The primary things Jacob says while sidewalk counseling;
• The very careful way Jacob invites people to view a graphic abortion image;
• Two reasons why Jacob offers to buy meals for the people he talks to;
• What Jacob says when his main “pitch” falls on deaf ears, that he would never say at the beginning of the conversation.

Download Audio MP3 | 00:43:04

Related Links:

• Jacob Nels: Why We Need Male Sidewalk Counselors
• Timothy Brahm: Abortion Images: A Case for Disagreement without Division
• Timothy Brahm: Learning to Allow Space for the Thinking Pause

If you’re interested in using ERI’s outreach brochure for your own sidewalk counseling and/or other outreaches, email Josh directly about that

The post “FREE PODCAST: The Primary Things Jacob Says While Sidewalk Counseling” originally appeared at the Equal Rights Institute blog.

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