There are few joys in this life greater than looking into the eyes of a baby that you know was once marked for death and instead is full of life, surrounded by the love of the same parents who came to you planning to abort him. Our team experienced just that last week.
Ingrid and Eduardo first came to Assurance last year. After reflecting back on that time, Ingrid shared, “It was very difficult… I felt like I was on a roller coaster. I did not feel able to continue the pregnancy. I got very emotional. In that moment, I did not want to have the baby. I started to look for abortion clinics.”
But in her search, Ingrid also found Assurance. Through an interpreter at her initial visit, Ingrid indicated that “having a baby would be impossible.” She was determined to abort. Even so, she was grateful for the ultrasound Michele performed. “I listened to the baby’s heartbeat. It was a beautiful moment. The baby moved a lot!” She shared that Keturah, who discussed her options with her, had “a kind heart and inspired me to consider things I hadn’t understood before.”
Eduardo also met with Assurance staff members, first Aaron and then Luke. From the beginning, he articulated a hope that she would have the baby but also a desire to support what Ingrid wanted. Staff noted his deep care and concern for her. He remembers, “I always tried to give her support in everything, but this was a little difficult for me.”
But even after the services and support she received at Assurance, Ingrid shared, “I felt that no, I couldn’t. I decided that I was going to have an abortion. We made the appointment. We paid a portion of the money to perform the abortion.” Claire Muchow, a bilingual volunteer in our clinic, continued checking in with Ingrid. “But I had already made my decision. I was not going to keep him. I went to the clinic to have the abortion. There were many women having an abortion, many. I was nervous the whole time, and I felt awful. But, in that moment, I thought that was the best decision.”
Staff joined Claire in continuing to pray that while Ingrid had seemingly firm plans to abort, she would instead choose life. As Ingrid recalled that time, she said, “Since the day of the ultrasound, every day, I had the image in my mind of the baby moving. The day of the abortion, I decided I was not going to do it…that I was going to keep the baby.” Ingrid walked out of the abortion clinic. She called and spoke with Claire because she wanted to discuss the “next steps and to see her baby again”. Claire arranged a time when she could meet with Ingrid in our clinic and we could do another ultrasound.
Upon their return to our clinic, Ingrid and Eduardo met with Claire to talk through how to access important next steps in care for the pregnancy and receive a second ultrasound performed by Candie. The couple expressed such gratitude for the support they received from Assurance that we asked if they would be willing to share their story in a video (assuranceforlife.org/client-video). At the time of the interview, they were eagerly anticipating Ingrid’s due date early this year. Eduardo shared, “I’m sure that she will be a good mother. I will accept him with open arms. The life, for me, is very important. Like a gift from God.”
Last week, Claire, Ingrid, and Eduardo met again in our clinic, but this time it was so that we could meet their son, whose name means “gift from God.” He is, in fact, exactly that.
