I was tasked with the job of calling all of the known clinics and hospitals in the area that perform abortions. The purpose of making the calls was to find out updated information on the types of services each clinic had to offer. In order to find this information I was asked to pose as a potential patient for these clinics. As I sat down I reached for a notepad, scribbled out my alias and picked how many weeks I would tell them I was pregnant. And so the daunting task began. After my first two phone calls I began to settle into my character. Posing as a frightened and naive teen I was able to acquire the answers I needed. My prerogative was to find out if the clinic performed abortions, how late into the pregnancy could a surgery take place and if they did not perform abortions to ask for referrals to other places that do.
Through my research I was able to discover that there are at least fourteen clinics that provide the abortion pill or surgical abortions. Six of the fourteen perform abortions at twenty-two weeks into the pregnancy. To my pleasant surprise, however, five of the clinics on my list to call were no longer in operation.
As the phone calls went on I began to hear a similar pattern in how the nurses or secretaries would speak to me. While never rude there was a lack of care in the tone of their voices. There were only a few times when I heard a tone of concern or urgency, each time had to do with the cost of the abortion. The women on the phone advised me to have my abortion as quickly as possible purely based on the fact that it would be cheaper for me. There was no mention of the side effects nor care for me, only that the sooner I got it over with the less of a hit it would be on my wallet.
I call this to your attention not to bash the men and women that work at abortion clinics or call them uncompassionate and selfish. Based on Romans 3:23, all humans can be selfish and pretty messed up. What I am calling your attention to, however, is the need for prayer. The political climate in America would lead us to believe that the institution of abortion may never be obliterated. Based on my interactions with these clinics throughout Broward County it is my prayer that men and women like you and me would make it a habit to lift these girls and families up in prayer. I pray that we would pray specifically that girls be shown the compassion and understanding they need in order to make an informed decision, and that they would find a medical center like Hope Women’s Centers, who don’t profit off of any decision a patient makes.
– Victoria, Hope Women’s Centers Intern
We are dedicated to our mission of encouraging and equipping women to make informed decisions regarding unplanned pregnancies. We have served our patients in Broward County since 1987.
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