Monday, March 7, 2011

A Story From the Abortion Mill by Fr. Don Hying

~A Guest Post~

Late last Saturday morning, a group of us went to pray at the abortuary on Farwell Avenue. Usually, I go earlier in the day when pregnant women are entering the building and the pro-abortion escorts are stationed in front to keep the clients from talking to us. At 11 AM, the escorts were gone because all of the women were already inside. One by one, the women came out, walking slowly, looking dazed, holding a brown bag, gingerly entering their boyfriend’s car and driving away. It was heartbreaking, like watching a steady stream of casualties returning from some gruesome and hidden front, where the invisible violence could only be read on the bodies of the survivors.

After praying a rosary and a Chaplet of Divine Mercy, we were thinking about leaving when suddenly a woman who has worked at the abortion mill for years in some form of management came driving up in her Jaguar, dashed inside and emerged moments later. As she passed me, I spoke in a quiet and calm voice, “Stop killing people here!” She turned on me in a visceral and hysterical rage, shouting about priests abusing little boys, calling me “pathetic”, enraged by my promise to pray for her and finally giving me the finger as she drove away.

What impressed me about such a brief and disturbing incident was the startling fact that the woman never denied that she was indeed helping to kill people or that what I said was in any way false. Unable to articulate any cogent or logical response to my quiet demand, she responded with hysteria, obscenity and ad hominem assaults. The immediate reaction of rage and hate, shorn of any logic or sense, led me to see how weakened the abortionist position has become. With the women’s care center across the street, growing numbers of people who identify themselves as pro-life and new legislative momentum the folks at Affiliated see the power of their pro-death stance weakening.


With the 40 Days For Life starting this Ash Wednesday, now is the time for us to give public witness to our belief in the sanctity of nascent life. The abortionists want their deeds to go unseen, unnoticed and unchallenged. By our public prayer and presence, we shine the light of God on a very dark place.

5 comments:

  1. I'll be praying along with 40 days for life. I think one of the first steps of someone realizing they are doing wrong is this violent opposition to the good, without any rationality. I'm not sure why that is, but it seems to be the case. Certainly I believe that the encounter above left the woman shaken and in the depths of her heart she won't be able to ignore the priest's words.

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  2. Thank you, dear Father! As we heard Abby Johnson speak at our San Francisco Walk for Life, "It's time to get uncomfortable for LIFE." Our local area is hosting our 1st Annual 40-days campaign and we are looking forward to getting out there in force with prayer. Thank you for leading your flock in places where it IS uncomfortable to be for the average lay person. Your example is not in vain. God Bless you!

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  3. Thank you, Father, for the work you do for the pro-life cause! It seems to me that when a person (the lady in your story) reacts with such antipathy it is probably because your words hit home and bothered her spirit. Though she resisted them at the time I have no doubt she will remember them because you spoke the truth and truth has a way of reaching deeply into people.

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  4. Dear Father, your prayers and witness are what will change the hearts of those who perpetuate abortion. On the other hand, accusing the woman who works at the abortion mill of "killing people" will not change her heart, but only put her on the defensive. With your words, you undermined everything she believes in, and accused her of committing a crime that she does not believe she's committing, so her response is not really that surprising.

    In my opinion, the only way to end abortion is to change hearts. Prayer will do that. But whether direct confrontation will do that, I have serious doubts, because, as you saw, it causes people to become more entrenched in their positions.

    God bless you and your work.

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  5. I was there that morning with Father Don and a group of four seminarians and one deacon. It was so inspiring for me to be there praying with our clergy. We even celebrated one of the seminarian's birthday that morning! Thanks be to God for our priests, seminarians and religious. Where would we be without them? Through their hands passes the Holy Eucharist.

    The woman in question, Maureen, has been a deathscort at this and many other abortion mills in the Milwaukee area for over 20 years. She knows exactly what's going on inside those walls. Father Don knows her history as well and I am glad he said it, as I lacked the courage to engage her. One day she will realize the truth that he had spoken to her and it will set her free. He also told her that he will pray for her, a spiritual act of mercy. God's love and mercy is unfathomable. He wants all of his children to come back to Him - all of them.

    Our message on the sidewalks of Farwell Avenue is always one of compassion. Occasionally, we will run into people whose hearts have been hardened. The truth is our last chance for those babies - and as we know, the truth is sometimes hard to see or hear. We are there to help. We are there to be the voice for those who cannot speak for themselves - the innocent babies.

    I look forward to praying with you all. Prayer reaches out to where we cannot be.

    Through Christ,

    Dan Miller
    www.40daysforlife.com/milwaukee
    414-236-0688

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