Before we had a buffer zone in place in Birmingham, I remember one morning standing outside the abortion centre saying my prayers, holding some leaflets of help to offer to anyone entering. On this particular day I was by myself and hadn’t been there very long when a member of staff came out to tell me angrily ‘We don’t want you here!’.
I acknowledged what she said but explained that some people using the centre had indeed been very grateful for our help and had been able to keep their much wanted baby because of the support we gave them. ‘How many?’ demanded the member of staff. I responded that I didn’t have an exact number for her and to be honest numbers didn’t really matter, if only one woman had been in need of our help then it was important we were there for her. The woman turned away muttering ‘Numbers, numbers, I need numbers . . .’
This week MSI (formerly Marie Stopes International until they changed their name to try and avoid their connection with eugenicist Marie Stopes – although ‘MSI’ wasn’t really the most effective way of disguising their past) shared a post on social media titled ‘2023 in numbers’. They proudly boasted about their 200 millionth client, how many millions of abortions they have enabled and the millions of women who have accessed ‘reproductive healthcare’ through them. This is what happens when you dehumanise people through abortion – they become just numbers.
This wasn’t the only occasion when I realised that to some it was all about numbers. When Birmingham council was first considering implementing a PSPO (Public Space Protection Order) or buffer zone around the abortion centre, I was called in to a meeting with one of the council members. The man seemed agitated and angry throughout the meeting. At one point he asked me about how many women had changed their minds after we’d offered support. I told him that I honestly didn’t know but again I was pressed for numbers as if I was withholding secret information and this whole situation was a mathematical equation to be solved.
Often when speaking with women outside the abortion centre I wouldn’t know the final outcome of our conversation, many would be having just an initial consultation, some of these would be very thankful for the help offered and warmly accept a leaflet, some would continue walking past me silently whilst others would say ‘It’s too late, why wasn’t someone here before I’d had my abortion?’. There were times though when I would very quickly get a positive response and I was able to direct the woman or couple to further support.
I distinctly recall the first time I heard that a woman I had been speaking with had decided to continue her pregnancy because of the support offered. It was via a phone call as I was walking along a quiet street – the joy I experienced was so strong that as the call ended I literally skipped along (after checking no one was watching). I have heard this positive news countless times since then from many women who were being pressured into abortion by a partner or family member, those who were isolated, struggling financially or with childcare issues as well as those who needed medical help from a professional who valued the life of both mother and child. The joy is the same every time.
Some might say what is one life saved when so many are still aborted and these figures seem to rise every year but ancient Jewish teaching states how to save one life is to have saved the world, from this perspective the focus isn’t on the 99 who are lost but on the one who is saved. Every pregnant woman, every father of a preborn child, every baby in the womb is not just a number for a tally chart but an eternal soul worth celebrating. With every single ‘Yes’ to the precious gift of life all the angels in Heaven rejoice – and although there is much work still to do let’s pause to rejoice with them!
Make sure you’ve saved the date for the annual March for Life on 7th September – every single person who attends makes a difference and there is no substitute for your presence. If you can help spread the word in your area please get in touch with your address and we can post you leaflets, posters, a short talk to be given at church and a newsletter notice. If you can be a point of contact for your area, then let us know that too so we can share your email and/or phone number on our website and people in your area can get in touch with you for help with travel details. Make sure you’ve planned your travel. All the info is here or get in touch with us for any other information.
Isabel
