Pro-Life History: London Pro-Lifers & the Closure of A Marie Stopes Abortuary 1994

A little of London's Pro-Life history, and the closure of a London m*r*e stopes abortuary to encourage you as we continue to hope and pray that more abortion "clinics" in London will close. Join us in prayer here

Sunday Telegraph 27th February 1994: "STOPES SHUTS ABORTION CLINIC"

“After 10 years in the front line of the fight between abortionists and pro-life campaigners, the Marie Stopes clinic in Cricklewood, London closes today”.

 

What joy those headlines were to us pro-lifers in 1994!

On Saturday the 26^th February 1994 a small group of regular prayerful protestors who prayed at the Marie Stopes site in Cricklewood arrived to be greeted by a Sunday Telegraph reporter who asked us how we felt about the closure of this facility that same weekend. We did not believe her and we tried not to engage in conversation as this reporter had been particularly difficult with us on previous occasions and had not reported our activities fairly. We tried to get on with the job of praying and counselling but no one was entering the so called clinic. We started to realize that maybe she was telling us the truth and that this place was actually closing. One of our group a Polish lady by the name of Anna gave the reporter a few lines for her article and we carried on praying. Nearly twenty years on and Anna is still praying weekly at Ealing. God bless her efforts.

I started praying at Cricklewood in January 1992. These vigils were organized by PLAN (Pro life Action Network which was later renamed Helpers of God’s Precious Infants) out of our HQ which was the home of faithful prolifers, the Toolan Family and Tamsin Geach ( now Sr. Tamsin OP) They worked hard keeping vigils going at Cricklewood and Buckhurst Hill. It was a time of serious confrontation with the police and regular arrests. This was a very frightening and difficult period. In the early years at Cricklewood, vigils had been kept by wonderful people working mostly alone. It would be difficult to name them all but three I must mention who gave so much for the prolife movement. One was Vincent Grimer who placed a Miraculous Medal in the guttering at this site. He entered religious life and sadly died very young. The second was Maurice Lewis who often spent all night alone in prayer outside Marie Stopes. He also died young in Canada following many harsh imprisonments for his pro-life work both in Britain and Canada, often being kept in solitary confinement. I am sure they have been blessed for all their prayers and good works. The third was Ted Atkinson who was arrested at least 3 times at Cricklewood and has served 17 prison sentences for pro-life activities.

It was common place in the 80’s/early 90’s for there to be regular arrests at the weekly prayer vigil for no reason other than the rosary being prayed and posters displayed that offended the staff who worked there. Many people were arrested in a brutal manner and there were numerous court cases. One such case we all found very amusing was where the prosecution witnesses failed to turn up so the case was thrown out of court to the relief of the defendants. Our prayers were answered.

During this difficult time we pro-lifers were supported and guided by Fr. James Morrow, who gave his whole being to the unborn. I remember several occasions when Fr. bought a mini bus down from Scotland full of faithful Scots to help our vigil at Cricklewood. They drove all through the night to get to London for 7.30am. I remember thinking that they would never be able to stand for so long in the cold after such a journey with no sleep. How wrong I was, they showed us how to do it. What an inspiration they were. Fr. Morrow died on the 18^th September 2010. It was a privilege to have known such a man.  Please intercede for us, dear Fr. Morrow, as we pray for you. After our vigil ended we would all go to Holy Mass together and then end up at the local greasy spoon for a much deserved breakfast.

The year before Cricklewood closed we were supported by a group of prolifers who had travelled from the USA to help us. Also 3 Russians came to tell us the repercussions on a nation that has an abortion mentality. One of the Americans was treated very badly and was deported. Our activities were hitting the news headlines daily. Abortion was getting the coverage that was needed to highlight this tragedy. 

We were elated when we realized that Cricklewood had closed and deep down we wanted to say we have done our bit, we will have a rest and not return to an abortuary for a while but we knew this was no way to react after being given such a gift. What was our journey from the Home Counties into London when so many had travelled so far and suffered so much? The following week a Saturday vigil started at Ealing which continues to this day. So many people played a part in the closure of Cricklewood, it was an international effort, but not least of all were people who did not even know where Cricklewood was who prayed for its closure.

There were so many times that we felt our prayers were not being heard and it is only in retrospect that we can now see the fruits of them. When Tamsin Geach announced that she was to enter the convent we felt that our London pro-life activities would fall apart but we were looked after as Theresa Milligan ( an American prolifer who is now Theresa Madden) rode in to save the day. She kept the work going until she was to return to her family in the USA. It was during a retreat at Braemar with Fr. Morrow that Theresa told us she would be leaving us to go home. Again we could not see a future without a leader. On the train journey home from Scotland we were feeling very low and several of us put the O’Doherty family under pressure to take up the baton. Rose and Mick said they did not have the skills to communicate with us or arrange our activities. We convinced them they could and that they had to, otherwise London would come to a halt. No pressure!!!! They said they would hold things together till someone with the skills could be found. They are still doing a magnificent job. Not only did they take over, but with the spiritual help of the Franciscan Friars of the Renewal and Monsignor Reilly the activities have just grown and grown.

It seemed to me that prolife work became less stressful with the arrival in England of the Franciscans who had a serenity that we needed. Their very presence gave people confidence to come and pray with us. The numbers started to grow. It was at Ealing that it was becoming evident that there was something very important missing in our work and a young woman who was praying there called Clare knew exactly what it was. We would stop and counsel women going into the facility and if we got them to change direction it was down to us to take them away and follow them up with whatever was needed to change their minds. This proved difficult as it was not always practical to take a girl home or spend hours supporting her. It was at this point that Clare started the Good Counsel Network. I do not have the words to describe what she and her co-workers have achieved and we will not know in this life how many babies are alive today due to their work. We all know that what has been accomplished could have only happened through the Grace of God who has worked through so many people doing so many different activities. We are now blessed, thank God with 40 Days for Life; our prayers are continually being answered.

 

Mary Fincham, Helpers of God's Precious Infants

 

Please donate to support the work of the Good Counsel Network 

 

Mother Leaps Out of Abortion Centre Window to Choose Life!

Earlier this week one of our Counsellors was standing outside a London abortion centre and spoke to a woman who said she was being forced to abort by those accompanying her to the "clinic". Concerned but unsure what to do, the Counsellor began to pray and asked others to pray for the woman.

Experience has shown that sometimes, though people say they are being forced to abort, they do not always welcome any intervention by us.

She then came out and spoke to the Counsellor again, stressing once more that she was being forced to end her pregnancy. The people with her came out and started threatening the Counsellor and also insisting that the woman must abort. She returned into the abortion centre and then began ringing our Centre frantically. At this point we called the Police. The Police arrived and went inside to speak to the woman and those accompanying her. By now we had begun to spread the word to our prayer supporters and asked for prayers for the woman. While the Police were inside the abortion centre, the woman leapt out of the ground floor window and cleared 3 fences to escape! She later contacted our Centre where she received some support and help.

It turned out that 'Ana' had taken the first abortion pill and then had gone back for the second one, under huge pressure from well-meaning family members, who thought the abortion was for the best.
But her doubts were enough to make her very unwilling to go through with it and instead she stood with them outside the abortuary saying "I want to keep my baby." with them insisting she abort. Eventually she was bullied back into the abortuary. When our Counsellor called the Police, her companions were distracted by having to answer their questions and it gave Ana a chance to escape.

Since then we have helped her to obtain appropriate medical care from a Consultant and she has chosen to let her baby live.

Please pray for this young woman and her child. Due to her circumstances, she may still be at risk of losing the baby. But for now we are also rejoicing that Mother AND baby are both alive and well!

UPDATE** Because of the uniqueness of this whole situation, we have received many offers of prayer for this woman and it has had a huge, huge impact on her. Not only have those who were trying to force her to abort changed their minds but they are now positively supporting and helping her and doing what they can to help improve the baby's chances of survival. Ana believes that this change of heart is solely due to prayer and so do we, so please keep up the prayers and spread the word, as it is still very early days for this baby!

On a side note, we are completely broke at the moment and for the most of the "40 Days for Life" campaign, our staff have had to put up with wages coming weeks late, which is more than tough when you are on a low wage and are doing very frontline work!!

Please help us to raise money to reach out to and support Mothers with Counselling, Advice, Financial help, Practical Support, Mother and Baby Goods, Housing and Friendship.
During the 40 Days for Life Campaign, the pro-abortion group 40 Days of Choice has launched a "Pi** off a Picket" Campaign (sorry!) which has raised £508 for the pro-abortion group "Education" for "Choice". We are also running a fundraising campaign, Our Lady's Pocket Fund to raise £5,000. Please support this campaign and show that Pro-Lifers Give Double during 40 Days for Life. (For other ways to donate)

"Nearly Every Day A Woman Chooses Life" Deepen Your Faith & Work for A Pro-Life Future on Good Counsel's Intern Programme

We are recruiting again for our Intern programme.

The Intern Programme has been a great blessing for us. The Volunteers on the programme take part in a great deal of front-line pro-life work in a peaceful and prayerful Catholic atmosphere. It can be very hard work but it also has been both extremely fruitful in terms of the numbers of babies saved and extremely fruitful in the lives of those involved in the programme. Some Interns have gone on to work with the Good Counsel Network. Others want to take the skills they have learnt back to their own countries or towns.

Interns volunteer full-time with us and have the opportunity to learn:

How to start and run a successful Crisis Pregnancy Centre
How to start and run a Vigil at an abortion centre
How to run a 40 Days Campaign
How to advise and support pregnant women in crisis
How to remain faithful to the Catholic Church's teachings in all aspects of your pro-life work

Internships are offered for 2-6 month periods. Interns live in London and receive a subsistence allowance, travel expenses and free accommodation.

If you are interested, please get in touch at info@goodcounselnetwork.com and if possible send us your CV. Also see the internship page on our website.

 Interns Socialising 

Intern Slavomir Serving at Exposition

Here are some testimonies from our past Interns

Intern Experience: Martyn McGettigan

More Intern Socialising

I now know that doing nothing will never be an option again.
The most daunting thing, as a new intern, is obviously the front-line work at the clinics themselves. This is especially true if, like me, you hadn't done anything of the sort before. Many hours are spent outside the clinics, sometimes in very unfavourable weather, and, on top of that, you have to stay alert and be
ready to offer help to any women who might come along. Actually speaking to complete strangers about such serious matters is the most daunting part of it all. It's amazing, though, how quickly it becomes easier and you are given training and advice by experienced pavement counsellors before you start. There are quiet times, too, when you can pray and prepare yourself. I found that, provided you keep focussed on why you're there, it isn't too difficult just to do your part as well as you can and allow God to do the rest. On training days at the office you get to learn all about the work that Good Counsel does, the history and current situation of the pro-life movement and much more besides. You have the opportunity to be involved in many aspects of what the Good Counsel Network does. While I was there the Lenten "40 Days for Life" Campaign took place and it was a great privilege to be involved in and help organise it. One thing which I certainly got from the experience was a much greater awareness of how various aspects of Church teaching fit together. During my internship I saw first-hand exactly how the breakdown of the traditional family, the culture of contraception, secular materialism and abortion are all connected. I believe it has done me a lot of good to see this and I now know that doing nothing about the issue will never be an option again. There are many more things I could write about, such as the people I met and made friends with or the advantages of working in an office that has it's own chapel with daily Mass and Adoration but, if I did, this would become too long. I will finish by saying: The Good Counsel Internship is the best thing I have done and I'd strongly recommend applying for it.

Intern Experience: Jessica Almeida

I have been amazed to find that nearly every day a woman outside an abortion clinic turns and chooses to take up our offer of help instead of going in for an abortion.
Moving from the countryside to busy London was a shock to the system, especially the daily commute.
The work with the Good Counsel itself is fascinating and very different to the work I am used to doing as a junior doctor in a hospital. In hospital, I had seen first-
hand how little information is given to women seeking abortion – how little consideration is given to the reasons that a woman seeks abortion, the development of the baby and what other possible solutions there are in her situation. In no way was a woman making an informed choice.
The Good Counsel take a loving but truthful approach to pregnant women. Explaining the development of the baby, what abortion is and what the risks are. The reality is far from the easy way out that many people think. Plenty of time is given to understanding the woman’s situation and women receive dedicated practical support that offers a real option to continue with the pregnancy in her situation.
Standing outside an abortion clinic praying and offering this help, you can see the hope in the eyes of the women. It is only when hope is lost that in desperation and fear women end up at private abortion clinics. I have been amazed to find that nearly every day a woman outside an abortion clinic turns and chooses to take up our offer of help instead of going in for an abortion.
Seeing the mothers and babies that have been helped, when they visit the centre for on-going support or even to help others themselves, is a wonderful confirmation of the value and success of this work.

London Abortion Service in Bedford Square to close this June - Updated Version

The British Pregnancy Advisory Service (BPAS) are closing down their Abortion Service in Bedford Square at the end of June.

 

Vigil led by Bishop Alan Hopes at Bedford Square.

 



 

Some of the pro-abortion protesters at the Vigil.

It was at this Bedford Square Abortion Centre that "40 Days for Life" held prayer vigils twice a year over the last three years, and where they held an evening Vigil attended by Bishop Alan Hopes, which was protested in a rather aggressive fashion by Bloomsbury Pro-Choice.

This BPAS Centre has had a vigil - following the Helpers of God's Precious Infants approach -outside it for the best part of 13 years at least. I first remember it being manned by Christine and Lucy, and then after Christine left London, Lucy, Sarah and Matthew. The amazing Lucy travelling down week after week, year after year, from Oxford to keep that vigil going. Lucy remembers joining the vigil in about 2001 and says when she came there were some Catholic students, Lisa, Edoardo and Clem, living locally who were already running a vigil there.

Later on Josephine Quintavalle organised a service of Remembrance for the children who had died at Bedford Square, where - if memory serves me correctly - participants wore black and stood silently, praying for the lost children.

In December 2005, impressed by the commitment of the Saturday vigil participants and their on-going struggle to offer women alternatives, we ran a 9 day novena of prayer at the same abortion centre, ending on the Feast of Our Lady of Guadelupe, 12th December. As well as providing a constant prayerful presence while the abortion Centre was open, we offered alternatives to women entering.

Prayer volunteers at the 9 Day Novena at Bedford Square,

including Fr George Roth FMI and Fr Stephen Langridge

 



One young woman, a lapsed Catholic, was entering BPAS during this Novena of prayer, on the Feast of the Immaculate Conception, 8th December, when Fr Martin Edwards arrived there. She stopped and spoke to a volunteer from the Helpers of God's Precious Infants, who brought her to speak to Fr. Edwards. Just after that, Bishop Longley arrived, he was attending the Novena on behalf of Cardinal Cormac Murphy-O'Connor.

 

The young woman then came and spoke to him. She said "I asked God for a sign if He wanted me to keep my baby, but I told Him it had better be a big one, or I won't be sure!". We assured her that Bishop's don't go to abortion clinics everyday, and she accepted this as her sign from God. She decided to keep the baby, which she did, with offers of help from us. She later came back and offered help to other mums who come to our Centre.

During that Novena of prayer, 21 priests attended the Vigil at BPAS Bedford Square.
On one of the days, Aracely, a Mexican volunteer, dressed as Our Lady of Guadelupe and acted out her story for a group of children who attended the "Children's Advent Witness to Life" which was held on a Sunday, while BPAS was closed.

 

Aracely dressed as Our Lady of Guadelupe

On the final Sunday of the Vigil, Fr George Roth came in procession to BPAS, with the Blessed Sacrament, and gave Benediction to all present on the wide pavement in front of BPAS.

Fr Alexander Sherbrooke spoke at the closing Mass about the two parishes he has served in as a parish priest having an abortion centre in them. He offered the Mass in thanksgiving for the closure of the abortion centre - this was a gesture of faith from us all that God would close it down.

Since then a Saturday Vigil has continued at BPAS, several "40 Days for Life" campaigns have been held there, and Good Counsel has also started a regular weekly Vigil there on Tuesdays and Wednesdays, which we have asked the Holy Family Sisters of the Needy to run. It has been a great blessing to have religious sisters in their habits bearing witness to life there.

 

Sr Chinedum of the HFSN offering support at the vigil - Sr attended regularly for years, in all weather, many times completely alone in the early days, tolerating repeated physical and verbal harassment while assisting scores of women to find real alternatives to abortion.

On the 28th May and again on the 2nd July (Feast of the Immaculate Heart of Mary) 2011 Daniel Blackman organised a Prayer Vigil which included a Consecration to the Immaculate Heart of Mary. Participants gathered in Bedford Square to offer prayers of consecration and reparation to the Immaculate Heart of Mary, praying especially for unborn children, their parents, and abortion employees. They also had various readings, hymns, and other devotions.

 

One of the early "40 Days for Life" Campaigns in Bedford Square.

During the last 40 Days Vigil, The Catholic Chesterton Society promoted a campaign of prayer for the closure of an Abortion Centre in England and Wales during the September-November 2012 "40 Days for  Life" Campaign. You can download their prayercards here.

We are still financially supporting a number of women who have turned around from this particular Abortion Centre as well as others around London. We have recently had to pay quite a large amount of money for repairs to a flat where one of the Mothers and her children live. Please support our on-going work by donating here .

Not far from Bedford Square outside Marie Stopes Abortion Centre, 108 Whitfield Street, W1T 5EA we have a daily vigil 8am-5pm Monday to Friday, please come and join us in prayer.

We also have a prayer vigil outside the Marie Stopes Abortion Centre 87 Mattock Lane, Ealing, W5 5BJ 8am to 12 Noon, Monday to Friday. Again you are welcome to join us there. This is the abortion centre which had at least 5 ambulances come during the last 40 Days for Life Campaign there and it also has a plaque of St Michael the Archangel on its wall, as a result of it's Christian history.

For contact details for either vigil see our website.

Why is BPAS closing the abortion "service"? They say they are amalgamating it with that of their Stratford branch. There is no word about dropping client numbers, or falling profits. I cannot pretend to know the reasons why the are choosing to stop abortions in Bedford Square.

I would imagine from my own experience with women, that they will lose a number of "clients" by this move. Abortion Centres have said in the past that as many as a third of their "clients" don't show up already. Women considering abortion often change their mind from moment to moment, and for some of them, the further they have to travel, the less likely they are to get there.

But whatever the human reasons for their move, I do also believe that the prayers, fasting, sacrificial giving of time and effort, have helped in removing this terrible industry from Bedford Square.
The fact that abortions will no longer go on at this site is a blessing. Praise be to the Sacred Heart of Jesus that this will be the last June that abortion will happen there.

Let's thank God, pray for those who aborted their children there, pray for the staff and the management and then move on in prayer to the next abortion site.

 

 

Clare McCullough

On Lies and Live Action Videos

Lila Rose of Live Action

 



Live Action's recent undercover videos have brought out a number of Catholic commentators saying that undercover interviews are basically "lies" which are always morally wrong.
I have a problem with this argument. It is that there are numerous situations where the Church has allowed, and even rewarded the type of behaviour they accuse live action of, and worse. And yet, we know the Church does not accept and reward sin. Somee  examples of this, just off the top of my head:
During the Second World War the Catholic Church, with the sanction of the Pope, made false passports and baptism certificates for hundreds (at least) of Jews. This was going many times further than Live Action have gone here! Further, Mgr Hugh O'Flaherty - whose family have commented recently that the Pope was kept fully informed about his work - arranged for a Nazi warehouse/factory to be raided and the clothes and boots thrown into the garden of the Irish Embassy to be used for clothing allied refugee POW's (stealing is not lying it's true, but it is stealing never the less!). Meanwhile in a vatican hospital, a doctor invented a fake fatal illness and taught Jewish prisoners a specific type of cough, thereby convincing Nazi's never to enter the ward and saving large numbers of Jews.
Meanwhile back in the old country, Frank Duff, founder of the Legion of Mary, persuaded a group of prostitutes to go on a weekend retreat. At the end of it, they wanted to leave their profession and he managed to obtain a house for them to go to on the Monday. However, with no furniture he was stuck. So he went round to the SVP's house and stole all theirs. The members of the SVP later laughed themselves silly about it and gave him some money as a donation on top! - Still, he didn't know in advance that they would do so. (Mr Duff, who is currently "Venerable" also wrote about a visit he made to England while working for Michael Collins, where he and those with him travelled incognito - i.e. they all used false names).
During the Elizabethan persecution of Catholic Priests, Fr John Gerard gives an account in his diary of how he would deny knowing people who had hidden him or had him say Mass in their homes etc., to protect them.
In Mexico, Blessed Miguel Pro appeared dressed as every kind of worker and even as a Policeman in his efforts to administer to his flock while evading capture. On one occassion when being pursued he caught hold of the arm of a young woman and asked her to pretend they were a couple (i.e. act out a lie).
Fr Gereon Goldmann pretended to be a member of the SS (well technically he still was as the paperwork to dismiss him was never done I think) and also held a priest at gunpoint to be able to take the Blessed Sacrament from the tabernacle to give it to the dying Germans and Italians nearby (the priest did not want to assist the dying Germans).
All of these things are things that would be morally wrong in normal circumstances and they involve many lies.
Finally, didn't even the Archangel Raphael appear under a "false" name and persona, as Azariah the kinsman of Tobit, in the book of Tobit? And reveal neither who he was or what he had come for until the end of that book?
Not giving the whole truth to someone, using a false name, pretending to be something you are not; describing all these things as always out and out lies - and always morally wrong regardless of the reason, the circumstances, - this would mean for the Church that numerous saints, martyrs and blesseds, as well as Popes and theologians have been guilty of living in and teaching sin. That's a bit problematic, no?
And in fact, I don't believe that any of the instances mentioned above was morally wrong.
Whether of not Live Action's work is fruitful or not I cannot say. It may take time to be successful. They may need to perform many more "stings" before PP can no longer keep up the front. Certainly groups like PP will be worried and may even be more careful about keeping within the law as a result. Maybe they will bear no fruit at all. however, as has been pointed out, that is a different issue from whether or not they are morally wrong.

Clare McCullough

Ambulance Arrives at Abortion Centre London

Safe, Legal Abortion?

Above: Marie Stopes Ealing - ambulance is called for client in the first week of 40 Days for Life, 13-22nd February 2013.

Ambulance Marie Stopes Ealing 28th February 2013

Paramedics and Ambulance attend Marie Stopes Ealing 1st March 2013

Ambulance Marie Stopes Ealing 9th March 2013 

Paramedics and Ambulance Marie Stopes Ealing 14th March 2013

Abortion Providers are always striving to portray Pro-lifers as liars, especially when we talk about the risks of abortion. marie stopes, that bastion of honesty and integrity, take it upon themselves to take our leaflets from girls as they enter their centres. And BPAS can be seen here on Twitter attacking that same leaflet.

Yet as the above pictures of ambulances show, abortion is far from the safe, simple procedure with no after-affects that these groups pretend it is. Since BPAS and marie stopes deny almost every complication of abortion, it is hard to believe that the women who were taken away in these ambulances were forewarned that this was a possible outcome.

Our volunteers have helped sick and faint girls to their feet outside the abortion centre when they are vomiting or weak and sick on leaving on several occassions.

So as we reach the final two days of the 40 Days for Life Campaign, we are aware of well over 20 women who have kept their babies, just from the vigils at Whitfield St and Ealing, not including those from the Bedford Square campaign.

We still pray there please come and join us in prayer; http://www.goodcounselnet.co.uk/Abortion--Clinic--Vigils.html

Please donate to Good Counsel so that we can continue to help the Mothers, who change their minds on the very doorstep of this abortuary.

As always, we have ensured that any women entering the abortion centre were NOT captured in any of the pictures taken.

Please note: These photos belong to the Good Counsel Network you may reproduce them on condition that you include a link to this original blogpost.

Clare McCullough

On Heavenly Fathers, Holy Fathers and Good Fathers

 

Above:Holy Fathers...and Fathers

I have blogged twice (Irish Catholicism, A Blessing and A Firm Anchor and A Father who Taught me How to Protect the Weak and the Innocent) about my father, Stanley McCarrick, on the anniversaries of his death, which was 17th March 2010. This year, I was thinking about his approaching anniversary and I got to wondering what his view of Pope Benedict's resignation and Pope Francis' election would be. He would have been just as excited as I was to watch the announcement, "Habemus Papem" and to wait to see the new Pope. And like most of us he would have struggled with the loss of the beloved Pope Benedict, and taking in this new Pope who we hardly know yet. He had a profound filial devotion to the Holy Father which he passed on to all his children. And while I can't say I "love" the person of the new Pope yet, for I hardly know who he is, I love the shoes he is filling and the role he has been elected to. And I love the Church that elected him profoundly, so for now I am going to look at everything he does with an open mind and a respectful eye, while praying that he will be a greater and holier man than I can imagine!

I remember my father, when I was (much!) younger, reading a book by Cardinal Ratzinger and I said to him “Who is Cardinal Ratzinger?” he looked over the top of the book at me and said “A carbon copy of the Pope!”. I knew this was the highest of praise from my dad. And though in many ways the then Cardinal Ratzinger was not a carbon copy of Pope John Paul II, his sentiment was true. They held the same beliefs, taught the same truths and most of all Cardinal Ratzinger as head of the CDF was the steel support on which the Holy Father John Paul II could lean throughout his papacy.

I thank my father for this great love of the Holy Father, which undoubtedly kept me in the Church, when my beliefs, practise of the faith, lack of understanding of the teachings of the Church, off the wall lifestyle etc tempted me away from it. And I thank God for the joy of a great father on earth, several great and saintly Holy Fathers over the last 40 years (all of the deceased ones having causes for beatification and one beatified already) - such beautiful reflections of the Heavenly Fatherhood of God Himself.

Please pray for the repose of my father’s soul. Here’s an extract from one of his letters to the press about the Pope and the Church and the freedom of the individual:

Sometimes one wonders if the Pope is just some secluded old man in a big house somewhere in the confines of the city of Rome. Whenever his words come through to us, and often they don't, we are deluged with objections and letters in the papers showing just how far he is removed from the world we live in.

It is hard to knuckle down and recall that Jesus Christ came on earth to show us the way to live our lives in order to achieve that everlasting life with Him to which He, in His incomprehensible love for us, invites us.

Easily we forget that He didn't desert us when He returned to the Father. He left us Peter and the apostles, and their successors, the Pope and the Bishops, guided by the Holy Spirit, to ensure that His guidance was kept clear and true before us. Can we visualize the Church without that centre of guidance?

Jesus didn't invade everyone's privacy. Neither does the Pope. But our most secret actions are open to God, Who cannot be deceived. What the Pope and Christ's Church invite us to do is what He wants. We are in no way forced to so behave. The priest and the bishop have no power over us. Even God does not compel us to answer His call, which is given voice down the centuries by the Church, inspired by the Holy Spirit. The choice is finally ours. We choose our way of life, with its everlasting consequences.

 

Clare McCullough

Another story from 40 Days for Life

Below is the brief account by one of our counsellors of a recent turnaround at 40 Days for Life. It illustrates well that it is God, and not us, that is behind every change of heart that takes place at these abortuaries:


"A girl arrived at Marie Stopes while I was on duty outside. I tried to offer her a leaflet but she ignored me and walked straight in, looking very unhappy. About two hours later, she came back out. I offered her a rosary and she ignored me again, so I said 'God bless you.' 

Suddenly, she stopped. She turned around and said 'God bless you, too. Actually, I will take a rosary. I'm having a baby! No, wait, I'll take two, I'm having twins!' At which point she grinned and walked off."


Remember, though, that we can't even offer rosaries if we don't have volunteers at the vigils. Sign up here. Also, don't forget to donate to all our life-saving work. Thank you!

Fr Morty O' Shea - Needs your prayers for his health

Fr Morty O Shea (right) with Fr Davies blessing a Memorial to Aborted Children

 

A stalwart of the UK Pro-Life movement, Fr Morty O Shea SOLT is suffering advanced bone cancer and was expected to be undergoing an operation today. Fr O' Shea, who spent about 12 or so years in the UK, was a curate in Hythe and then for several years in Brockley, in Soutwark Diocese before becoming a parish priest in the Diocese of Menevia for a few years.
He is a great friend of the pro-life movement and we have been asked to pray a novena to Blessed John Paul II for his recovery.
Here is a link to an article of his "Dedication of Memorial to Aborted Children"

My Experiences at 40 Days for Life

I am one of the Good Counsel Network's street counsellors. Below, I will share some of my recent experiences at our current 40 Days for Life campaign.

We are now a little past halfway through what must be London's most successful 40 Days for Life so far. We have been blessed with so many turnarounds (14 and counting just at the two sites we are running, and there have also been many at Bedford Square!). Of those fourteen I have only been directly involved, to the best of my knowledge, in one.

The lady in question (as she later told us) had come to the abortuary looking for some sort of sign to confirm the feeling she already had that what she was considering doing was wrong. In fact, I had only got about halfway through the things I normally tell women when she asked me if she could come into our centre! On the way there, in the taxi, we talked about her family and the children she was already raising. She was also very interested in the pictures of babies at different stages of pregnancy in the leaflets we provide (she wanted to see what her baby looked like at that point). She already looked so much happier than she had when I first met her, only a matter of minutes ago!

It can be dispiriting, standing outside abortuaries and trying to offer help but not getting anywhere. But when a turnaround comes along all that changes. I still remember what good spirits I was in for the rest of that day.

When standing outside the abortuaries, we don't only engage with the women going in and coming out. Sometimes we receive abuse, of course, from passers-by, but at other times we receive encouragement, thanks and the promise of prayers.

Then there are those who approach us, not entirely in agreement with what we're doing, but willing to engage in a serious discussion of the issues. I remember one lady who approached me and seemed to think I looked a little too young and male to be doing what I was doing! She also suggested that we should focus instead on the immorality in our culture that leads to abortion, and that once women had reached this stage we were too late. I told her that I agreed that our culture needed to undergo a radical change, and that that was very important work, but that it was also absolutely essential that someone be there for these women now. I also told her about all the turnarounds that we had helped and she left, I think, with a much higher opinion of us and what we were doing.

On another occasion, a man walked past talking loudly about how much he hated the abortuary and how he had lost a daughter there. I spoke to him for a little while and offered him the details of post-abortion counselling that we always carry with us, as well as a rosary, which he gratefully accepted.

Through the work that is being done at 40 Days for Life, God is changing people's lives every day and I feel humbled and grateful to be part of it. Please pray for all involved (especially the people I have mentioned in this post) and consider coming to our prayer vigils and donating to our work. Thank you.

Praying for the Closure of the Ealing Abortuary



 Photos show: marie stopes Ealing, signboard above the plaque of St Michael the Archangel. And a clearer image of the plaque alone.

Like many London abortuaries (Buckhurst Hill, Brixton and Twickenham to name a few) and others worldwide, the building which houses Ealing abortuary has a profoundly Christian and Pro-Life history. This is indicated for the casual bypasser by the image of Christ and St Michael the Archangel which the building bears on the front wall, just under the marie stopes sign. Please join us in prayer for the end of abortion and specifically for the closing of the Ealing abortuary and read on here to learn about the history of this place.

Please join in praying daily for the closure of the Ealing abortuary:

1 Our Father, 3 Hail Marys and the prayer to St Michael, -

Holy Michael the Archangel, defend us in the day of battle, be our safeguard against the wickedness and snares of the devil. May God rebuke him, we humbly pray and do thou, O prince of the heavenly host, by the power of God thrust down to hell Satan, and all the wicked spirits who wander through the world seeking the ruin of souls, Amen.

Please email us if you would us to post you a copy of a prayer-card with the prayers and photos; info@goodcounselnetwork.com

As well as saying the prayers above for this abortion centre to close, please come and pray there with us. See: http://www.goodcounselnet.co.uk/Abortion--Clinic--Vigils.html

Please donate to Good Counsel so that we can continue to help the Mothers, who change their minds on the very doorstep of this abortion centre.

History of St Michael's house Ealing, now marie stopes abortuary

By Anette
 If you want to reprint this article please contact: iprayforlife@gmail.com

 

What would you say if someone told you that in the heart of London there is a Marie Stopes abortion clinic in the former Chapel House?
How would you feel knowing that thousands of babies have died so far in the house where not so long ago a woman described as a saint lived and ran a Christian Home of Spiritual Healing?
How would you feel, you Christian, knowing that the place Jesus choose for healing was turned into a mass destruction facility?
Are you not appalled yet by that sacrilege?
Would you finally do something?

This is a shocking and fascinating story about a real house, a real person and a real battle between good and evil. The present-form house – named ‘Morley’ – was built in 1902 for Mr Herbert Grice from the designs of Mr William A. Pite F.R.I.B.A. It was constructed just next to Walpole Family’s Old Chapel (map from 1894 ) that still stands today at 86 Mattock Lane is a Grade II listed building dating to early 19th century. Later Morley House (today’s Marie Stopes abortion clinic) became a part of the Chapel House complex.

The Ealing Newspaper on May 16, 1930 described it as “Chapel House, Mattock Lane, Ealing, the Anglo-Catholic hostel under the patronage of the Guild of St. Raphael, which is conducted by Miss Dorothy Kerin. Miss Kerin claims to have been miraculously cured of a mortal illness in 1912, an account of which is recorded in her book “The Living Touch” and she started the hostel last October in thanksgiving for her recovery.”

Who was that wonderful woman who undertook such a noble venture? Stevens Heckscher, Oblate OSB, PhD describes her as “a most extraordinary figure in the Christian world of the twentieth century. In the ancient church, she would have been ranked among the greatest saints. In her own Anglican tradition, during her lifetime she was considered a pioneer in the recovery of the healing ministry, and a gifted, charismatic healer.”

DOROTHY KERIN: God’s miracle. She was born on 28th of November 1889, in Greater London. At the age of 22 this fragile, Anglo-Catholic girl, following years of illness principally from tubercular peritonitis, diabetes and its complications, and after two weeks in a state of near coma and after eight minutes of clinical death, she was apparently miraculously and instantaneously raised to life. She reported powerful experience, in which (she said) she met Jesus Christ, who gave her a commission, to return to this world and perform an important work for Him. In this vision she was brought back to life ‘to heal the sick, comfort the sorrowing and give faith to the faithless’.

She called the day of 1912, when she was brought back to life, as a “Beautiful Day” and described it in these words: “On Sunday morning, February fourth at nine o’clock, I received the Blessed Sacrament, and as the priest came towards my bed with the chalice. I saw a wonderful golden light radiating from it, which enveloped the priest. I had never seen it before, though all through my illness I had made my communion every month. It was a beautiful experience and the Divine Presence was a reality. When the service was over, everything around me seemed to grow dim and misty and I could see nothing clearly. In the evening I asked my little sister to sing ‘Abide with me’, as all was then so dark. She did not know it well enough to sing, but as she sat by my bed with my hand in hers we heard it sound from beginning to end most beautifully. My sister heard it as distinctly as I did and said ‘Oh, how wonderful’. We are certain it must have been the Holy Angels who sang it, for there was no one singing in the house or outside. When the singing had ceased, I seemed to drift into space. I was no longer conscious of my body, but my soul was overflowing with love and joy, and a transcendent feeling of supreme happiness, impossible to describe in ordinary language. I passed on and on, and as I went, the way grew brighter and brighter, until I saw in front of me a wonderful altar, formed by angels. There were six at the back, and in the front one more beautiful than the rest holding a chalice, which he brought to me and from which he gave me to drink. Then they disappeared, and as they went, they seemed to be chanting words which I could not understand. I passed on again, and soon I heard a great flocking sound, and saw coming from every direction white robed figures, some of them were carrying lilies, while some had haloes. Their movements made lovely music, and they all looked as though they were coming and going with some definite purpose. No words of mine can exaggerate the exquisite beauty of the scene. As I looked I saw One coming towards me; I thought He was coming for me, and I held out my hands towards Him, but he smiled and said: ‘No, Dorothy, you are not coming yet.’ Again I passed on, and this time I seemed to go a much greater distance, until I could go no further, when I heard a voice say, ‘Dorothy’ three times. I answered ‘Yes, I am listening, who is it?’ Then a great light came all around me, and an angel took my hand and said, ‘Dorothy, your sufferings are over, get up and walk.’

The Evening News published an account of the healing on 20th February 1912 and The Daily Chronicle published a further article on 21st February 1912, and journalists arrived in numbers. The further vision took place on Sunday, March 11th 1912: ‘I was awakened out of sleep by the voice saying, ‘Dorothy’ I sat up and saw at the foot of my bed wonderful light, out of which came the face of a beautiful woman holding a lily. She came very near to me and said ‘Dorothy, you are quite well now. God has brought you back to use you for a great and privileged work. In your prayers and faith many sick shall you heal. Comfort the sorrowing and give faith to the faithless. many rebuffs you will have, but remember you are thrice blest: His grace is sufficient for thee, He will never leave thee. After making the sign of the cross over me with her lily, the figure disappeared, and when I woke in the morning, the room was still full of the scent of lilies.’

The events of her subsequent life, and the mission that she so devotedly performed, strongly support the veracity of that account, which she put in writing at least twice (in her books: The Living Touch and Fulfilling: A Sequel to The Living Touch ) and to which she often referred in informal conversation and in public talks given in many locations. Her constant motto was: “Where God guides, God provides”. She also stresses the need for implicit obedience. ‘Through the long years of my life, through the grace of God, I have come to know that obedience is the golden key which unlocks the door to every spiritual experience, and I humbly believe it is the most important thing in the life of all Christians . . . and we shall find that when we have learned to obey in small things, the Lord will ask more intimate and costly obedience from us, and we shall delight in the glory of obedience which is better than sacrifice.’ In his funeral sermon, Right Reverend Cuthbert Bardsley, Bishop of Coventry said of Dorothy: “Hers was a rare spirit. People like Dorothy Kerin are not born every day. She seemed at times – indeed, I think frequently – to be a Light, burning with an inner glow, diffusing a strange radiance of peace and charity. Dorothy was one of those people – and they are rare – who combine a mystical knowledge of God with a strong down-to-earth out-going service to humanity. She was – and I use the word with some trepidation – a holy woman. A person of very deep spirituality, who moved through this world as a burning, shining Light.” Dorothy Kerin was supported in her work by the Archbishop of Canterbury, the Orthodox Archbishop of Corinth, the Bishop of London, the Bishop of Coventry and many others. By 1957 her work became internationally known – she travelled to Sweden, Switzerland, France, USA and Ireland. On February 18th 1962 there was a service of Thanksgiving at St. Martin-in-the-Fields to commemorate the Golden Jubilee of her recovery and in October a big Thanksgiving service in St. Paul’s Cathedral. She died in Burrswood on 26th of January 1963. A Memorial Service took place at St Martin-in-the-Fields, London and the address was given by the Bishop of Coventry.

DOROTHY KERIN: God’s miracle worker – Chapel House, Ealing (1929-1948) In 1929 more and more people were coming for Dorothy’s help and the need for a Centre for them started to be pressing. She rented St. Raphael’s, a ten-roomed house at Ealing, and opened it as a Home of Spiritual Healing. Dedicated by Bishop Boutflower, the tiny chapel at the top of the house could only hold five or six people and it was soon apparent that the promises were quite inadequate to cope with all those who wished to be ministered to. She used to walk her dog in nearby Walpole Park every evening, and it was on one of these outings that she saw a somewhat derelict but lovely old house for sale. It was originally on the estate of Sir Horace Walpole and his family, and the oldest part of it had been their private chapel, hence its name, ‘Chapel House’. The mansion itself was then a museum and the grounds a public park. Dorothy and Bruno walked around the outside of Chapel House and peeped in at the windows. She heard a voice say, ‘Buy it for Me’ and was convinced that this house was meant for her work. In her book “Fulfilling: A Sequel to The Living Touch” she wrote about the house: “I was sure that if Chapel House was God’s will (as I most devoutly believed it to be) then He would provide.” Dorothy has always ‘seen’ the gracious house on the other side of the Chapel House as belonging (now Marie Stopes abortion clinic), and in 1937 , this too was bought. Her sister writes : “She moved into St. Michael’s with our mother, planning to run it for patients who needed no nursing”.

The Ministry of Healing prospered and grew in the most phenomenal way. In those early days at Chapel House, the Healing Service used to be held once a week. The chaplain led a short service of preparation and the Veni Creator was sung by the kneeling congregation. Those wishing to be ministered to then went quietly up the altar and knelt as at Holy Communion. Dorothy laid her hands on each head in turn, and in her sweet voice whispered: “In the name of God most High, and through his infinite love and power, may release from all sickness be given thee. In the name of the Holy Spirit, may new life quicken thy mortal body and mayest thou be made whole and kept entire, to the glory of our Savior Jesus Christ. Amen.” Many people were healed, but even when physical healing did not take place, the sufferers benefited in the sense that tranquility took the place of fear and anxiety. As Dorothy always stressed, physical healing is not the only kind of comfort our Lord can give. Though Dorothy never claimed to be a healer, she undoubtedly possessed a healing gift. She said repeatedly that she was an instrument only, a bit of pipe through which our Lord could work. Her Little Way of Prayer was found after her death and it says: “Let us, by an act of the will, place ourselves in the presence of Our Divine Lord, and with an act of faith ask that He will empty us of self, and all desire save that His most Blessed Will may be done, and that it may illuminate our heart and minds. We can then gather together ourselves, and all those for whom our prayers have been asked, and hold all silently up to Him, making no special request – neither asking nor beseeching – but just resting with them, in Him, desiring nothing but that Our Lord may be glorified in all.”

Dorothy Kerin loved Chapel House dearly but needed to leave it in 1948 when she moved to Burrswood – a mansion in the Kent countryside, quite run down from being requisitioned by the military during the war. She set about developing it as a Christian home of healing. “St. Michael’s was bought by a doctor for a Maternity Home (now an abortion clinic), and a friend offered to buy St. Gabriel’s and run it for the elderly patients. (…) The purchase was arranged, but before contracts could be exchanged, the Middlesex County Council stepped in with an offer for the whole property. When Dorothy refused this owing to its small amount, they countered with a threat of a Compulsory Purchase order. After many complications Dorothy finally agreed to sell to the Council on the condition that they made a quick settlement.” Marie Stopes International bought St. Michael’s house in 1993. What would DOROTHY KERIN think about her beloved St Michael’s House (Chapel House) being turned into an abortion clinic?! Dorothy Kerin loved children. "Dogs and children could do no wrong in her sight (…) she was literally festooned with children” said her sister Evelyn. “In the midst of turmoil of war and coping with the running of this large house full of sick people under extremely adverse conditions, when one felt that she could carry no more, my sister entered into one of the most momentous undertakings of her life. She legally adopted first one baby girl, and then eight other orphaned babies. She had always been devoted to children, but this seemed a large project even for Dorothy Kerin. She had been told by our Lord, she said, to take nine infants and nurse them for Him.” “She was praying in the Chapel (Chapel House, Ealing) one night, troubled by a very difficult problem. She became aware of the presence of Our Lord. He placed an infant in her arms, saying ‘Nurse this child for Me.’ Clasping the baby to her, she felt its weight was so heavy that she could scarcely hold it. The vision passed, and she realized this was something God held for the future. (…) Babies that Our Lord had revealed were soon to come to her. In looking objectively at the adoption of these children, two major factors of her complete integrity stand out firm and clear. The first is her poverty at the time. In her own words, speaking of those early days in Ealing:’ There were financial and other difficulties, and though God was pouring His blessing upon us, we were not left in any doubt as to the pover of evil. We were beset with every kind of difficulty and frustration at times, and learnt that it was not easy, or alas, attractive to do some of the hard things we were called upon to face to do. But always once had the assurance that ‘My Grace is sufficient’.” All her 9 children but one (Anne) are still alive.

DOROTHY KERIN: final Healing Home – Burrswood (1948 – today) In Burrswood Dorothy established a Christian healing hospital. She believed that professional nursing care was important, given that a 100% immediate miraculous recovery rate just doesn’t happen, and none would claim it. Dorothy recognized that healing comes in many ways, and many need good, loving medical care as well as prayer – without in any way losing the cutting edge of faith. In her letter to the Burrswood Fellowship, 1954, Dorothy wrote, ‘Surely the most exciting and wonderful adventure in life is when we put our hand into God’s hand and trust Him utterly, for indeed His ways are not our ways, and His ways are best.’ Dorothy Kerin died in 1963. The Dorothy Kerin Trust was registered and operates today with the following mission: 1) to deliver high quality interdisciplinary care to patients with a range of conditions through the marriage of medicine and Christian ministry, 2) to promote the knowledge and provision of such care by encouragement, example, action and support, 3) to extend Christian hospitality to all who come to Burrswood, 4) to teach, preach and heal in the name of Jesus Christ, 5) to act as a resource to others wishing to develop the Christian healing ministry. The following are the honourable patrons: His Grace the Archbishop of Canterbury, Dr Rowan Williams; General Lord Dannatt GCB CBE MC; Professor the Lord McColl CBE; Baroness Emerton DBE DL; Vicountess Brentford OBE; Bishop John Perry. She was a precursor of healing ministry strongly believing that “in seeking to heal the body we must treat body and soul together”. 20 years after her death a new post of Archbishops’ Adviser on the Christian Healing Ministry was created in the Church of England. In 2000 the Church of England issued its first report in 40 years on the ministry of healing. Also in the Catholic Church, Cardinal Ratzinger, the prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith (now Pope Benedict XVI) in 2000 issued an “Instruction on prayers for healing”. At present, Archbishop of Canterbury, Dr Rowan Williams is a Patron of Burrswood, and the work of Burrswood is strongly supported by the Church of England; as it is by the many healthcare professionals who refer their patients to it.

DOROTHY KERIN and prayer vigils outside her Chapel House It’s Saturday morning. Every week, a group of faithful Helpers of God’s Precious Infants prays outside the Marie Stopes Ealing abortion clinic, 87 Mattock Lane. Every week those committed people offer help to women in despair and pray to God for His mercy and help to end abortion. And every week they look at the relief of Archangel Michael embedded on the front wall of the house, just under the Marie Stopes, 87 Mattock Lane logo. And they are mesmerized and wonder: does anyone remember what was in that house before? The passers-by seem to know nothing … Throughout her whole life, Dorothy Kerin, the servant of the Crucified, asked no questions and formed no argument – her response was entire obedience and love: “By the bruising of my whole life, strengthen me with simplicity for every wounded soul, and let my prayers be as balm for the wounds of Thy children, that they may be healed.” I am certain she would be happy seeing us there – obedient and prayerful as she used to say: ‘Nothing equals the abandonment of the will to Our Lord. Nothing is more intimate to a person than his or her will, tastes, likes. To love and to look for those things in Our Lord is to find what is most profound in Him, His Heart, and it is to meet Him in a most sure and profitable way. Most sure because nothing should be able to shake us at any moment from that true communion that God gives us in his action on us through everything, every person, every event. Most profitable, equally – because everything in our life becomes material for supernatural growth, and because a thousand unpleasant realities are transfigured at the touch of God’s always very loving hand.

WHAT DO THEY THINK ABOUT THE SITUATION? Bishop Alan Hopes, Auxiliary Bishop of Wesminster said in the article published in “Wesmister Record May 2012″ and based on the above story: “The fact that Chapel House was founded as a house of prayer and healing, and is now home to an abortion provider is a tragic betrayal of the life and mission of Dorothy Kerin” Dr Gareth Tuckwell, Chief Executive – Burrswood Dr Tuckwell was appointed CEO at Burrswood from September 2007. He was Clinical Director of Hospice in the Weald 2003-2007 and Regional Director of Macmillan Cancer Support from 2000 to 2003. He has been a Trustee of Macmillan Cancer Support since 2003. Qualifying in Medicine in 1971 and gaining MRCGP in 1977, he also obtained a Diploma in Palliative Medicine from the University of Wales in 1992. “Thank you for drawing our attention to this deeply sad situation…how a place of healing and the restoration of life has become a place where life is destroyed. I have never been to Mattock Lane and did not realise the house still stands. I know the local authority bought it in 1948. Dorothy was a channel of the love of God and those who received from her found Jesus Christ at their point of need. I cannot imagine how sad she would be about this use of her God-given home; I believe she would have shown the love of God to those involved and prayed fervently for healing in this situation. We will place this need for prayer on the altar in the Church of Christ the Healer here, lifting this situation to God day by day.” Dr Stevens Heckscher – Obl OSB, author of “Dorothy Kerin: Sign and Significance”

"Dorothy once said to a friend, as they looked at a fragile flower while they were walking through the Burrswood garden, “I love all growing things, don’t you?” That tells us everything. I suggest that there is no coincidence in the location of this house on her site. As Dorothy taught, the powers of evil focus their attacks most intensely where God’s work is most powerfully being done. Or, in this case, where it has been done. The dark forces are seeking revenge for all the defeats they suffered earlier at this Home. Thus the enemy is forced to show his hand. That is my opinion."

You can read the full article here http://iprayforlife.wordpress.com/tag/chief-executive-burrswood/ 

As well as saying the prayers above for this abortion centre to close, please come and pray there with us. See: http://www.goodcounselnet.co.uk/Abortion--Clinic--Vigils.html

Please donate to Good Counsel so that we can continue to help the Mothers, who change their minds on the very doorstep of this abortion.

When Pro-Choice Means No Choice 16

Nadia was met at one BPAS abortuary, while being sent to another because her pregnancy was at the wrong stage for the first one she attended. She told the pavement counsellor that as a young muslim woman she would be kicked out of her family and would have no support from anyone, including her child's father.
BPAS offered: abortion'Pro-choicers' offered : to defend her right to abortion

Pro-lifers offered: moral support, friendship, support to get rehoused immediately and help to claim what she was entitled to.

Outcome: Nadia chose life for her baby. She was re-housed and got settled with a lot of friends to help her settle in. Her family did in time come around and support her, and in fact became very involved in her son's life.

Donate to support this Pro-Life work here