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FRONTLINERS MEET TO LEARN STRATEGY

Seasoned and novice sidewalk counselors hoping to sharpen their baby-saving skills met at the Knights of Columbus Rock Creek Council Hall in Bethesda August 27.

Sidewalk counselors Dick Retta and Janet Baker, speaking from their own experience on the front lines and on advice from experts like Msgr. Philip Reilly and Karen Black, offered “do’s” and “don’ts” designed to increase “turn-arounds.”

At ten sites in the greater Washington area (two of which have closed), the 15 to 20 counselors involved have reported about 350 “saves” in the past 4 ½ years, said Retta.

Most of the women going in for an abortion will just ignore you, he said.  “But some are on the fence:  those are the ones we want to try to get to.”

Dick comes to abortion mills prepared with anti-abortion flyers, phone numbers and addresses of nearby crisis pregnancy centers and the Gabriel Project, adoption information, a fetus model and even pairs of baby booties.

Focus on the woman and her needs, not the baby, he advised:  “She has already rejected the baby.  Get her to choose life for her baby for her own sake.”

“Deathscorts” – the “escorts” working for the abortion mills – will try to prevent you from counseling.  Be patient with them, Dick recommends.  “Don’t let them make you lose your cool.  They would love to see you get violent!”

Avoid being intimidating, he cautioned.  “Don’t run after the woman.  Don’t block her path - approach her from the side.  Never touch anyone.”

And never interrupt another counselor who is talking to a woman.

“That counselor is bonding with the woman!  Don’t destroy the counselor’s train of thought.”

There is usually very little time to talk to a woman as she approaches the abortion mill, sometimes only seconds, said Retta, so don’t waste time asking questions like “Are you pregnant?” or “Are you going to have an abortion?”

Instead, say something positive like, “We have help for you if you’re pregnant.”

You should be in a prayerful mode – be praying, not talking to other counselors.

“No ‘in your face’ religion, but you can bring up religion at the right time,” he advised.

Janet Baker had praise for the “prayer warriors” who pray the rosary in front of abortion mills.

“Intercessory prayer is the backbone of what we do,” she said.  “The rosary is the intercessory prayer par excellence.”

Janet said that she has seen, at least three times, abortion-minded couples drive up, see the prayer warriors, and drive away.

Like the prayer warriors, sidewalk counselors, as part of the Church Militant, should arm themselves spiritually:  go to daily Mass if possible and to Confession at least once a month.

“Fast and offer sacrifice,” she advised.  “But I strongly suggest you don’t fast the day you go to the mill, because you will need all the energy you have there.”

Your regular reading should include good periodicals, as well as encyclicals such as Humanae Vitae and Evangelium Vitae – but be able to argue the abortion issue from the philosophical and scientific viewpoint with people who aren’t religious, said Baker.

Janet asked prayer warriors to help the sidewalk counselors by not looking down while they pray but keeping their eyes up.

“I have had situations where I have been attacked,” she explained.  “If you see a counselor being surrounded by deathscorts, walk over.  Sometimes your presence will curtail any trouble.”

She cautioned sidewalk counselors to know where the property lines are.  “Deathscorts love to tell you, ‘You’re on our property, get off!’”

Other tips to sidewalk counselors:

Dress sensibly, with sturdy shoes, not sandals or clogs:  “We’re not out to make fashion statements!”

In the winter, wear many layers.  Protect your head and extremities, or you will risk hypothermia.  Consider hand and toe warmers.

In the summer, bring water, insect repellant, sunscreen.  Wear light, loose-fitting clothes.

Don’t wear hats or clothing that is overtly pro-life or religious.  The deathscorts will warn women against you – don’t help them by easily identifying yourself.

Don’t wear sunglasses; you need to be able to establish eye contact with the woman.

Never go alone.  Don’t be out of eyeshot with one another.

Don’t speak to the deathscorts in anger.  If you are angry, just walk away and zip your lip.

Camcorders help keep order, said Janet.

“A couple of years ago, I filmed the escorts shoving Dick,” she recalled.  

“We took the video to the police.  They came out and read the riot act to the escorts.”

While, obviously, we owe a Christian duty to be charitable to the escorts, as a rule, Baker does not interact with them, she said.  

“We need to focus on prayer and the women.”

The August 27 meeting was sponsored by the Capitol Area Pro-Life Coalition, formed last year by the Falls Church, Virginia-based pro-life group, Life Guard.