By Gabrielle Stafford
I absolutely loved working on the frontlines of the prolife movement and sidewalk counseling. I had the privilege to work on the frontlines for a little over three years, and it truly was and is so fulfilling, and an honor to be a voice for the voiceless and offer real help, support and resources to women and their families. Being a pro-life worker is both very fulfilling, and challenging. It comes with struggles and really hard days as well – emotionally, physically, and spiritually.
The emotional side
Sidewalk counseling is very emotionally draining. It’s so incredibly sad and hard to see women going into abortion facilities for any reason, but especially to kill their child. It’s especially heart-wrenching to see the women who actually tell you that they know that abortion is going to kill their child and they don’t care.
In my experience fighting on the frontlines, I would dare say that the biggest struggle is wanting to stop women and help them see what abortion really is and the pain it causes, but knowing that you can’t, but rather keep praying and simply offer resources and have conversations for as long as the client is willing to talk. It can be hard to accept, but God truly is the only one that can change hearts and minds. It’s a struggle, but continually praying helps keep one grounded, with the mission and end goal in mind.
It can be discouraging when speaking with a client who appears to be so close to leaving the abortion facility, but ends up going in. And it can be especially heart breaking when someone seems close to leaving or very contemplative, but either an escort or some other pro-abortion individual comes and intercepts.
For those who are unaware, abortion facilities have what are called escorts as volunteers who stand in front of the abortion facility and wave/escort clients inside. In my experience sidewalk counseling, escorts can be very aggressive and some are more mild. I have seen escorts that simply wave clients in, and I have seen other escorts stand in the middle of the driveway in an effort to intercept and speak with a client driving in before I do and avert any chance of me offering free resources or talking about options other than killing their child.
I have seen escorts play music and sing really loud or yell to interrupt any conversation I might be having with a client. Escorts often will yell over us to the client that we’re protestors and not to stop. They usually never talk to us as sidewalk counselors because from our understanding the abortion facility tells them not to, so some escorts will engage in conversation with each other when there are multiple of them present, or sometimes look right at us with a blank or annoyed facial expression.
The physical threats
There are times of physical encounters. I had not heard of many at the organization that I worked with, however I personally have been physically pushed by an escort in an effort to halt an encounter I was having with a client. I’m still not really sure if they were intentionally trying to push me out of the way, or simply trying to walk past me to get to the client and interrupt the conversation, but either way, I have definitely experienced physically being moved and have heard of others having physical encounters of some sort, which needed to be addressed with the local police and the executive director at the organization I worked with. Incidents, like being pushed, are why sidewalk counselors always had a ground camera and a vest camera so that footage was available to watch and listen to if needed. And there were certainly multiple times that we needed to look at footage because of a particular encounter.
When I was working as a sidewalk counselor, some of my co-workers experienced being shoved, something thrown at them, and most of us at some point experienced being up close and personal with an escort during times when we would block an escort by standing in front of them while the other person we’re sidewalk counseling with is talking with the client, in hopes that they would at least allow us to speak with the client instead of them walking around us to quickly stop the interaction before we could really get any words in or give any literature out.
The spiritual battle
It is very draining having to battle with the enemy on the frontlines. It’s not about the pro-abortionists that dance and sing and openly celebrate the killing of children and work to intercept conversations that would encourage life instead of death, but it’s the spirit of Satan himself. Which is why sidewalk counselors and all advocates for life need to be prayed up. Continual prayer before, during and after. For the women and their families, abortion workers, those that sit in political seats working to “protect women’s rights to abort,” and for more people to value life and for hearts and minds to be changed.
Advocates for life, whether sidewalk counseling or any other avenues and roles in the prolife movement, are able to effectively fight against being emotionally drained and the frustrations of physical encounters by spending time with God, standing on truth no matter what, and constant prayer. Keeping our eyes on the mission and long term goal rather than getting caught up in people’s threats or taking anything personal.
Push back from people and legal threats
Pro-life workers tend to experience a lot of push back, whether you’re working as a sidewalk advocate, fighting in the movement on a more political or local government level or even pregnancy resources centers.
In the United States, after Roe vs Wade was overturned, I remember hearing about pregnancy centers that were sadly vandalized by radical abortion supporters.
In my experience in the fight, I have had abortion workers, individuals simply passing by and clients or family and friends of clients in a given vehicle while sidewalk counseling, give verbal push back.
Here are some of the things I have heard said:
“Stop shaming women.”
“You can’t really help women.”
“You’re just a protester.”
“It’s the woman’s choice.”
“You don’t even care about mothers.”
In most cases, these are just things being shouted so they have no interest in a conversation, but as a pro-lifer, whether actively working against abortion or providing resources, we all want to have conversations with anyone willing to talk. Whether educating a fellow pro-lifer about the resources available to offer women, or a pro-abortionist who passionately advocates for “a right to an abortion” or whatever their thought process might be.
I have certainly experienced threats as well, while counseling. Threats to call the police, and one incident in particular, a threat that they would call the police because they thought that I violated HIPAA which was incorrect. I’ve been accused of lying and that I blocked someone’s car, which was also a lie. All the threats I have personally experienced have been empty and nothing really happened.
How should we deal with all these challenges?
Prayer and trust in Christ.
Stamina, motivation and encouragement to keep fighting against abortion is found in Christ. And I would also say, the times when a mother bravely chooses life, whether she is parenting her child or she chooses the adoption route, those are times that are in themselves an encouragement and are very motivating. It’s alway inspiring to hear the true stories of those who were either almost aborted or mothers who were faced with the choice to abort, and how they chose life instead.
Working in the prolife movement in any capacity, whether counseling, in the political realm, or even just a prayer volunteer that is able to speak to various people while at the abortion facility, is hard. It’s heartbreaking, requires dedication, takes us keeping our eyes on Christ, becoming educated, and pushing forward.
Yes, it’s emotionally draining and can be a struggle, but so worth it in the end when God allows for a life to be saved and a mother to be supported, assisted and given hope, from pregnancy onward.
