When she walked into the clinic, her face showed no emotion – none. Her expression wasn’t hardened or angry or irritated; it was just neutral.  Most of the time, that’s scarier than showing any other emotion. Her mannerisms were nervous, but she had the perfect poker face, a no-tell.  She had taken a home pregnancy test, but one of the lines was faint.  She wasn’t sure if she was pregnant or not.  She had missed her period, but her cycle is normally irregular, so she wasn’t sure.  She said she felt ill and couldn’t keep food down.  We all knew what that meant, but didn’t let on.  She had a decision to make.

She is probably in her mid-to-late 20’s.  She explained she was in a relationship that she described as “friends with benefits.” The guy wanted nothing to do with a child.  He was pressuring her to abort, to end the life of the child.  Her family is in another state. She’s alone.

One thing’s for sure, she knew Georgia’s law.  “Six weeks,” she kept repeating. “I need to decide if I keep ‘it’ or go out of state. I just need to know for sure.” 

 Based on her last cycle, she was over 7 weeks along.  She took the medical grade pregnancy test.  Confirmed – pregnant. 

All options were presented to her.  All of them.  Keeping the baby and aborting weighed equally in her mind.  50/50. 

Then came the ultrasound.  We all watched the screens as the nurse took different images of the baby in her womb.  We chit-chatted during those quiet periods when the nurse was working to capture images.  Coming to a clinic alone, full of unknowns, I just can’t imagine.  Breaking those silences with conversation, we hoped, were a comfort to her. Then, the screen turned on and we could all see her little baby.  She saw the yolk sac, the baby, the heartbeat speed, the blood flow points.  The technology has come a long, long way!

Still, she was stoic. 

We left her to compose herself and then we all reconvened.  We started talking about what she was thinking. Several minutes later and after some conversation, her entire countenance began to change.  She appeared to glow, to radiate, to exude joy. It was transformational.  She looked like an entirely different person!  She was physically transformed.  She had a huge smile on her face.  She happily chose life.  She hugged everyone on her way out.  She felt loved, not alone, and supported. She left the clinic happy and equipped with tools and resources for herself, her pregnancy and for her baby for years to come. She’ll make a great mom.

Today, I witnessed an abortion-minded woman choose life!

Thank God for the Heartbeat Bill! 

However…

As I pondered the magnificent outcome of this beautiful experience, I couldn’t help but wonder how many women miss this opportunity.  How many miss seeing their babies during the first weeks of life.  How transformational that experience is and they don’t even know what they’re missing.  Not to mention the staggering generational impact of abortion, especially in the Black community.

We think we know there are about 40% fewer abortions in Georgia when comparing the same time periods of January – June in 2022 and 2023.  We think Georgians are choosing

 life more often.  But we don’t know for sure. 

• We don’t know how many women have gone out-of-state for an abortion.
• We don’t know how many women have ordered abortion pills online (illegally.)
• We don’t know how many women have ingested the deadly pills at home. 

Without any medical supervision.

Without having an ultrasound first to ensure there are no physical abnormalities such as ectopic pregnancy.

Without follow-up with a physician to make sure there are no fetal body parts remaining inside her body. 

We don’t know how many women had to go to the emergency room, hospital or urgent care because of infection or bleeding.

We. Don’t. Know.

We deserve – no– we have the right to know these stats - at minimum -  so We The People can make the best informed decisions for public health and social welfare without unintended consequences. 

What we do know is that thousands of babies are still losing their lives every month in Georgia. 

What is very clear to me is that we have a lot of work to do in Georgia.  We’ve made legislative strides in Georgia thanks to the decades-long pro-life movement. It’s time to pivot and we need your help!

 In the coming months, we will be rolling out GLA’s new strategy to build a rock-solid culture of life in Georgia so that

no matter which way the political winds blow, abortion will be unthinkable.  These big, audacious goals will save lives and restore human dignity.  The work begins now.

Won’t you join us? 

For every life,

Claire Bartlett

Executive Director