GREATER COLUMBUS RIGHT TO LIFE

Two weeks ago, information suggesting that Founder’s abortion clinic was closing first surfaced with news that the building had sold, and the last remaining licensed physician was retiring. Last week, a historically reliable source indicated that the clinic’s last day would be June 30th. Yesterday, a small group of our volunteers gathered to pray, observing that no patients entered or exited the building. Last evening, I encountered an employee of LabCorp who indicated that there would not be any more pickups at this location. Today, an employee of Founder’s confirmed that the clinic has closed permanently and that all patients would be referred to another location.

Thus, after 47 years in operation, 30 of them at 1243 E Broad Street, Ohio’s first abortion clinic is out of business. This closure is both a real and a symbolic victory for the unborn children of our community and the pro-life advocates who have been steadfast in their efforts to bring prayer, witness, and real help to the sidewalks outside of Founder’s.

Before we celebrate this wonderful news, we should pause for a few moments to remember the unborn children who have died at Founder’s and those who mourn them. While we cannot know the numbers, a reasonable calculated from available reports suggests that between 75,000 and 100,000 abortions were committed at the current location and perhaps as many as 25,000 to 50,000 (or more) at previous locations.

Each person, including the unborn, is of infinite value, and any effort to quantify a loss of this magnitude will fall short. At the same time, we– to one degree or another – have become so complacent and numb to the reality of abortion that perhaps we need to contemplate that number a little more. Let it rest on your heart for a moment that in one building, in one town, in one state, 75,000 to 100,000 unborn babies were intentionally brought for the purpose of causing their death. We have much to mourn, much to remember, and much to change.

I have struggled to find the words to mark this occasion – one that bring such disparate emotions. I am still a bit speechless, but I have found inspiration in the words of two men whose pro-life legacy shines brightly today. Twenty-five years ago, Pope St. John Paul II, addressing an audience primarily of women who had undergone abortions, said, “Certainly what happened was and remains terribly wrong. But do not give in to discouragement and do not lose hope. (EV, 99).” Ten years prior to that, former President Ronald Reagan wrote a eulogy for the fetal remains of 16,433 aborted babies that were found in an abandoned waste drum in Los Angeles, CA. After an intense legal battle, the babies were given humane burial. In his eulogy, Reagan wrote, “From these innocent dead, let us take increased devotion to the cause of restoring the rights of the unborn.”

In our time and in our context, I can give no more fitting eulogy than what has already been written:
What happened here was and remains terribly wrong, but do not give in to discouragement and do not lose hope. From these innocent dead, let us take devotion to the cause of restoring the rights of the unborn. Amen.

Founder’s is Closed: Thanks be to God.

This did not happen by accident or good fortune; it happened because we are doing good work in Ohio. Read more about our crazy, naive, and impossible plan to close Founders. 

A final note: If we estimate as many as 150,000 abortions were committed at Founders, we know that means there are countless men and women who are mourning the loss of a child lost to abortion. For all who struggle, especially those who received abortions at Founder's, there are many places that you can access free and confidential post abortion support. Find many of them on our website. 

Prayer works, and we are seeing it in our community.

Recently, I shared that one of the largest drops in the number of abortions that our region has seen in recent years was the year that we brought the 40 Days for Life campaign to Columbus.  That year, we saw a drop in the number of abortions performed here by more than 20%, a rate that far outpaced any other community in the state or the state as a whole.

We’ve also heard from women who saw someone quietly praying at the clinic and either turned away from her abortion or, if she went through with the procedure anyway, remembered the holiness of the person praying and has shared that it was the thought of that prayer that brought into a post-abortion recovery or healing program, or even back to her faith.  We also hear from leaders like Abby Johnson that the abortion industry has said that when people are out praying the no-show rate for abortion procedures rises to 75%.

We also see again and again the influence that those out praying have on clinic workers and directors, many of whom leave the industry and find the courage to speak up about what is really going on inside.

Prayer can unite people of different faiths, give solace to the ill, provide strength to the struggling, and bring joy and hope to those who seek a growing relationship with God.   

To the skeptic, these can be explained away as are anecdotal or coincidental or even superstitious.  To those who have faith, however, we are confident that they are the tools by which God brings about great changes here on earth and in our hearts.  So we steadfastly pray – even when we do not see or even feel the effect of our prayers.  We still know that they are efficacious.

Why am I mentioning this?  Because prayer has brought about another change in the community.  About a year ago, a group of us sat together and talked about the idea of moving 40 Days for Life’s fall vigil to Founder’s – Ohio’s oldest abortion clinic.  Our sidewalk counselors had been focusing on the clinic for nearly a year, and we were sensing the effectiveness.  Our thought was that bringing the power of intensive prayer to Founder’s could start to shift the culture of the community and the spiritual environment.  So we invited our 40 Days team to come pray with us at Founder’s.

Admittedly, reactions from our volunteers were all over the place.  A few people felt uncomfortable with the new environment.  Others reported that seeing women go in just for the purpose of abortion created a new sense of urgency.  Still others appreciated the opportunity to pray at a new clinic and joined the ranks of our sidewalk counselor team.   Meanwhile, with the additional prayer support, our sidewalk counselors saw more and more women turn away. 

Since then, we’ve seen changes at the clinic.  In the weeks following the 40 Days for Life, Founder’s had a few things happen. Among them, the clinic changed is procedures to stop doing abortions after the fifteenth week. It was also sued. The clinic changed its procedures rather drastically.  Until December of 2013, Founder’s performed abortions up to 20 weeks gestation.  The below photograph captures an image from their website as of December 2013.  As you can see, abortions under 12 weeks cost $400 (plus the cost of additional serviced such as sedation and pain pills). The price point increases for every week of gestation (for surgical procedures) until the 20th week, at which point they refer a woman to another clinic out of state.

A few weeks later, the Founder’s website changed.  

The Clinic has stopped doing abortions after 15 weeks gestation, at least at this time.

What does this mean?  Well, it is hard to say.  Statewide, about fifteen percent of all abortions happen after thirteen weeks gestation (the data is not available for those happening strictly after 15 weeks).  Other clinics – here in Columbus and throughout the state continue to do them until the point of viability (Ohio law generally prohibits abortions after viability - the point when a baby can survive outside the womb).  To some minds this will be a victory – one fewer clinic doing abortions after 15 weeks gestation.  Others will concede that point, but recognize that the baby 14 weeks old is just as important as the baby 17 weeks old.  Still others will suggest that we should not celebrate at all until every baby at every age is safe from abortion.

We at Greater Columbus Right to Life will keep working until every baby is safe, but until then we will celebrate every life saved.  Make no mistake, however: the fact that Ohio's oldest abortion clinic has voluntarily chosen to reduce its scope of activities is a sign that the culture is starting to shift in our community.  This was not a change brought about by legislation or regulation.  It was the "choice" of the clinic.  We will continue to share the truth – that no woman should feel that abortion is her best or only choice.  We will continue to pray that this is just the first step to seeing Founder’s close entirely because there is neither need nor provider.

Today, however, we are grateful to all of those who join us in praying for the light of Christ to shine down at Founder’s clinic.  We are grateful to see this small sign that it is not simply business at usual.  You can call it coincidence, you can call it anecdotal, and you can call it insubstantial.  We are calling it providential.  Prayer works.  We just need to keep working together and keep praying together.  

God Bless!
PS - There are ten days left of 40 Days for Life.  You could make a real difference by joining us to pray!

Today was my first time praying in front of an abortion clinic as part of 40 Days for Life.

Everything about the hour was surprising. When I walked up to the front of the building, I couldn’t believe the sign. Complete HealthCare for Women. Abortion is Healthcare? Unbelievable. And beneath those words were the doctors names and the the words: M.D.

I was brokenhearted. I am sure those men and women went to medical school to learn how to save lives. What happened in our society that good intentions could go so wrong?

I prayed fervently for about 20 minutes for the doctors to have a change of heart, to wake up to the fact that every Life Matters, to realize that their God-given gifts could be used for good. I prayed for them to receive God’s grace and for them to know that with true contrition, all sins are forgiven.

I began walking up and down the sidewalk praying the Rosary for the mamas and babies who would enter the clinic. I asked God to take all my selfishness from me for the next 20 minutes so I could give every ounce of my being to prayer.

I think it is really hard to pray with your whole heart and mind -- distractions lurk and muddle. It was cold, rainy and dark in a not-so-nice area on Cleveland Ave., Columbus. The cars, trucks and buses whizzing by were loud and my mind began to race. I prayed that the people in the cars might pray along with me. Please Lord, use my witness to awaken somebody driving by. Hail Mary full of grace ...

Then I noticed something odd. The windows on the abortion clinic weren’t normal. There was no glass; the windows were completely covered with what looked like white wood. Oddly and beautifully, each window had a center frame in the shape of the Cross. HOPE. By your Cross and Resurrection Lord You have set us free, You are the Savior of the world.

I continued praying the Sorrowful Mysteries of the Rosary. It was 8 a.m. and cars began pulling into the parking lot of the abortion clinic. Panic. Are mothers or workers walking into the abortion clinic? I couldn’t tell and I prayed harder. Please, please, please Lord let me be of some use to you this day ...

At the last Sorrowful mystery of the Rosary, Christ dying on the Cross, I grew peaceful with the reminder that He died and rose for us and He is with each of us right now. He created us, He knows us and loves us more than we know. Lord, I know in my heart that You will somehow bring good out of this evil.

I left the abortion clinic praising God for this experience. I am grateful to my friends at Greater Columbus Right to Life (GCRTL), Pregnancy Decision Health Center (PDHC) and St. Joseph Catholic Church in Plain City for their encouragement in this prayer ministry. I will be back to pray again. This is just the beginning. Nothing is stronger than prayer, nothing. Won’t you join me?

 ~ Lori Crock
Child of God, active Catholic, wife and mom, small business owner