Preparing for Sidewalk Counseling

August 13, 2004

Spiritual Preparation

Overcoming fear is the biggest challenge to people starting out in sidewalk counseling. After awhile you’ll wonder why you were afraid when you first started, especially when you come to understand how desperately these mothers need your help. If you are afraid the best thing to do is to admit it and ask God’s help to conquer it. People who are afraid and don’t admit it make themselves believe that only God can change the minds of mothers seeking abortion, that Christians must stand idly by like helpless mutes, and that bad advice is the only advice that is ever heeded.

It is far better to be too aggressive in approaching these mothers than to be timid. Once fear is conquered an approach which is too aggressive can always be trimmed back.

Physical and Material Preparation

When you counsel you should have with you:

1. Change for telephone calls or a cell phone.
2. Pen and paper to write down telephone numbers and addresses.
3. Pro-life literature
4. A camera is useful to take pictures in case a woman is hurt inside the mill and an ambulance comes to take her away.
5. Cab fare or other means of transportation to take her to the crisis pregnancy center.
6. A video camera for your own protection.

You should dress to look like a person that strangers would want to talk to. Get enough sleep the night before. Sidewalk counseling is physically and mentally demanding. You will need all your strength.

What You Should Know

To counsel effectively you must have knowledge. The more knowledge you have the better you will be able to communicate with the mother and deal with her problem. This short space does not permit going into detail about all that would be useful to know. Your local pro-life group is a likely source of information.

Facts about the developing baby
You should know how the baby develops, when his heart begins to beat, 18 days after conception, and when the nervous system allows the baby to feel pain.

The abortion procedures
You should know how the killing is done for each of the abortion procedures, D&C, suction machine, salting out or partial birth. To be able to tell the mother in a compelling way how these procedures are done is a powerful way to get and keep her attention. People are curious. They want to know what will happen to them once they get inside the mill. Make the most of this curiosity by having the knowledge to satisfy it.

Harm to the woman from the abortion procedures
Post Abortion Syndrome is the name given to mental symptoms that often develop after abortion. These include guilt, loss of self esteem, hallucinations, bad dreams, anxiety, anniversary reaction, frigidity. A perforated uterus is a common result of abortion. Breast cancer is more likely to develop in women who have abortions compared to those who carry their babies to term. The weakening of the cervix caused by the abortion makes miscarriages in the future more likely. Women have died as a result of abortion complications.

The laminaria
Laminaria are sticks of seaweed that are inserted into the cervix of a woman the day before her scheduled abortion. The purpose of these “sticks” is to pick up moisture from the woman’s body and dilate the cervix. This enlarging of the cervical opening makes it easier for the abortionist to get his cutting instruments into the womb and slice up the baby.

The important thing to remember is that these “sticks” can be removed without any harm to the woman or her baby. She can then continue her pregnancy to term. Abortion mill personnel like to lie about this and tell her that she must go through with the killing because it is too late for her to change her mind. This is a lie! It is NOT too late. If you can convince a woman to have her baby and she’s had these “sticks” inserted, take her to the emergency ward of your nearest hospital and have them extracted.

Your environment
You should plan in advance where you will take the mother for quiet conversation and counseling. You should know the location of taxi stands, parking lots, bus stops and subway entrances, both to anticipate clients coming to the abortion mill and for transportation to the crisis pregnancy center.

The abortion mill
The more you know about the abortion mill the more effective will be your counseling. You should know about the kinds of abortions they perform, the women they have killed or maimed and the malpractice suits against the mill and the doctors who work there.

The Crisis Pregnancy Center
If there is a crisis pregnancy center in your area be sure to visit it and make friends with the staff. Find out what services they offer to women in crisis pregnancies and when these services are available. If there is none in your area then you will have to follow up on your own. This can be quite difficult.