“This Baby Sure Wants to Live!” An Abortion Pill Reversal Story

Immediately upon taking the first abortion pill, the young woman was horrified. What had she done? Her boyfriend saw the sign with the website for abortion pill reversal that our sidewalk ministry, Cities4Life, always displays as post abortive women leave Charlotte’s busiest abortion center. The distraught couple researched the reversal online, and called the Abortion Pill Reversal hotline the following day, who contacted our nurse at midnight.

The next day, Courtney, the nurse, contacted me. She needed a sidewalk counselor to come aboard the Monroe HELP Pregnancy Center RV to counsel the woman. Monroe HELP partners with us on the sidewalk of the abortion center. Courtney, following the abortion reversal protocol pioneered by Charlotte physician, Dr. Matthew Harrison, would do an ultrasound to determine if the baby had survived the first abortion pill. If the baby was still alive, Courtney would then begin the progesterone treatment immediately. The treatment protocol is most effective if done in the first 48 hours following the abortion pill, with approximately a 55% success rate. Babies who have undergone treatment successfully are born healthy and perfectly normal. This baby was already at 48 hours from his mom’s ingestion of the first pill.

Time was short.

I joyfully agreed to meet Courtney on the RV parked outside the abortion center that morning.  Through hours of back and forth texts and calls, the woman said she would have to meet us at Monroe HELP Crisis Pregnancy Center, instead of on the RV, a few hours later. We grabbed lunch, and headed out to the center, almost an hour away. We were anxious knowing every passing minute was a ticking time bomb for the baby.

When we arrived at the Monroe center, the woman notified us she could not get off work till that evening. Courtney reminded her that every hour that passed by decreased the baby’s chance of survival. The Monroe HELP sonographer, Kelly now joined us, and suggested maybe we could bring the mobile ultrasound unit to the woman!

“Do it!!!!’ I begged.

Calls were made, details worked out, and “Have HELP, will travel” made its maiden voyage. We arrived at the patient’s work place, and set up our unit. Unfortunately, due to unforeseen technical difficulties with the ultrasound machine, we could not do the ultrasound. Courtney contacted the doctor and made a wise decision: start the protocol medicine immediately, and scan the woman in the morning back at Monroe HELP Center.

It was now night time. We had pursued this woman all day!

I was up all night, thinking of how to best comfort but still speak with God’s truth in the morning, should the baby be dead. I prayed for hours that the baby would be alive, against all hope. Courtney had a similar evening. She did not think it was likely the baby would be alive. So much time had passed before getting the medicine to the woman, though we had spent an entire day giving it our very best effort.

In the EARLY morning Sunday, Courtney and I met at HELP Pregnancy Center. The woman arrived. I think we all were holding our breath as Courtney started the ultrasound scan. We all stared in breathless silence at the ultrasound screen as the picture of the sac and the baby materialized on the screen. Even I, untrained in sonography, saw the beating heart pulsating in the little baby’s chest. I wanted to scream with joy, but Courtney the nurse had to make all medical declarations first. 

“There is the baby’s heart...as you can see... beating,” said Courtney. 

“Praise God!!!’ I cried.

“It’s alive?” the woman asked, tears in her eyes, “Oh my. This baby sure wants to live!”

All babies do. 

We shared the truth and hope of the Gospel, while the woman listened eagerly, adding insightful comments. She said she thought maybe she would like to commit her life to Jesus. She wanted to discuss it with her boyfriend first. My prayer is that the reprieve and miracle that God granted her will work in her heart to salvation and bring the young couple to the source of all help and all hope.

I laughed each time I thought of our scramble to gather all the parts of the mobile ultrasound unit, and the reversal medicine,  and then drive yet another hour to bring it to the mother. It made me even more grateful for God, and how relentlessly He pursues us. We could not save ourselves but He travelled all the way from Heaven, sacrificing His life that we might be delivered from death.

Courtney and I had spent a total number of about twelve hours in pursuit of this mother. I had logged over a hundred miles. Neither of us had thought we would be seeing a live baby Sunday morning. I am not sure I was happier when I saw my own babies’ beating hearts. Praise God for His mercy and grace.

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Zephaniah 3:17 

The Lord your God is in your midst, a mighty one who will save; he will rejoice over you with gladness; he will quiet you by his love; he will exult over you with loud singing.

Revelation 21:3 

  

And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man. He will dwell with them, and they will be his people, and God himself will be with them as their God.