My Journey to The Back Porch
*This post contains a description of an abortion that could be upsetting to some readers.
Micah 6:8
He has shown you, O man, what is good;
And what does the Lord require of you
But to do justly,
To love mercy,
And to walk humbly with your God?
John 14:27
Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.
I've never asked the question “What has being prolife done for me?” We are often asked questions like that about the ideas, organizations, and movements we spend our passions and lives pursing and supporting. Why did we choose it?
But really, "The Pro-Life movement picks you." This is a phrase I heard about a year ago listening to a podcast by Mark Krutchen. Prolife subjects and works can be difficult for people to discuss and even more difficult and stressful to adequately defend. However, the Lord knows what He’s doing and even though this path can be demanding and intimidating each of us has been picked specifically for this purpose. Some of us can commit our professional lives to defending and creating a culture of life, while those with other callings use our way of being and volunteer our free time furthering this cause. Whatever your story, He picked all of us. And it is a privilege to be able to go into battle to save of lives of these babies that are being killed every day.
My own journey started 45 years ago when I was working as a nurse in the Opthomology OR in a Vancouver hospital. At the end of my shift we got a case from Labour and Delivery — a failed saline induction. This was 1976. It had never occurred to me that this was a possible response to children who were unwanted by their parents. The other OR nurses in the room fled to the hallway saying they couldn’t watch the surgery. I knew I had to watch so that I could know without a doubt what they did to babies they failed to abort. To my horror I watched a little purple leg being pulled out of the only home he knew. Then another leg, one arm and then another arm. Each purple and each coming out separately. Next was the torso and finally the head came out and it snapped in the forceps.
I quit my job shortly after that and found work in another hospital as a casual nurse.
I have thought of that baby often. He would be a year older than our oldest son. By now he would be an adult, 44 years of age, likely with a family of his own. His life, had it been allowed to continue, would have contained endless possibilities for love, joy, friendship, schooling, a job, a family.
After five children and many grandchildren, the Lord began to move me to volunteer for The Back Porch and ALIES. It took two years of prodding by the Holy Spirit.
One Sunday I heard a short speech in our church about supporting The Back Porch. What struck me most strongly was the speaker’s genuine tears for the babies they were working to protect and preserve. I had done all the training to be a volunteer, I was involved with youth for many years, was an executive director of a crisis line, and a nurse. Most importantly I am a child of the Lord, free and forgiven.
I had been picked.
I listened to another podcast this week and one of the speakers said, “ All things that are not natural to nature will fail because God made all things in nature to prosper.“ Abortions fail at every level. Physically, mentally and spiritually. God created all of us to prosper.
I am part of a ongoing struggle, a battle, a war, both physically and spiritually, with the end goal of stopping the killing of babies by abortion. Trusting the Lord, that everything is in His hands and will be done in His time, is an important part of this journey He's picked me for.