Tracey DeCicco, President, AMU & APU Students for Life

Her name is Lisa*, and she was alone. (* Name changed to protect privacy)

She did not have family, friends, or coworkers.

She did have a secret, but one she wasn’t happy to have.

She was fairly certain she was pregnant. The father was already gone.

When you think you’re pregnant and you’re alone, what do you do?  What can you do? Lisa made an appointment at the local crisis pregnancy center.

At her appointment, a kind volunteer at the center confirmed Lisa’s pregnancy and asked her some questions to get to know her better. The volunteer learned that Lisa had no support people in her life, nor did she have a job. She also discovered that Lisa had become interested in witchcraft. The volunteer also asked Lisa about her plans for the baby. Lisa responded immediately that this baby “wasn’t going to make it.” She was not interested in the center’s programs or offers of support, saying they were not needed.

Undaunted, the center’s staff and volunteers continued to reach out to Lisa. They called or texted regularly, checking to see how Lisa was doing and offering their help. Each time, she either would not acknowledge that she was pregnant or would state again that the baby would not survive the pregnancy.

One call, made about 8 months after Lisa first came to the center, was completely different. When a center staff member asked Lisa if she needed anything, she responded (to the surprised delight of the volunteer), “Well, I guess I need everything – I’m having a baby in two weeks!”

The center staff and volunteers leapt into action. They gathered the supplies they had from the center’s Baby Boutique for Lisa, and they posted a request on social media asking for donations for her from the public.  Within 24 hours of the post, the center was overwhelmed with donations of diapers, wipes, clothes, and larger items. People living in Lisa’s apartment complex, realizing her situation, volunteered to help with childcare. Other neighbors invited her to church, and she began attending regularly. Lisa’s son was born, healthy and thriving, and his mom is participating in the programs at the center that will teach her the parenting skills she now desperately wants and will enable her to earn more supplies for her child. The center staff is also working with her to find a job so she can support herself and her son. 

Lisa is no longer alone. She has a son, friends, and the people at the center who will work with her to give her and her baby a fantastic start to life.

When the other side says pro-life advocates don’t care about women or the baby after birth, don’t believe them. Just ask Lisa.