Twenty-seven-year-old Lisa* and her boyfriend of six years were both in agreement on not having children. But an unplanned pregnancy and a providential encounter at a 40 Days for Life vigil last fall changed everything.
“When she found out she was pregnant, she didn’t tell him at first because she felt scared and overwhelmed,” said local 40 Days for Life coordinator for Mississauga, Ontario, Izabela Dabrowski.
It wasn’t until Lisa began experiencing morning sickness that her boyfriend realized, and his initial reaction was anger, Dabrowski said.
“He reminded her that this was never their plan and said they should end the pregnancy,” she said. “Since they had both always been against having children, she initially had no issue with that decision.”
Lisa’s family and friends were surprised by the pregnancy, knowing she never wanted kids. Her friends encouraged abortion as the obvious solution, while her family remained neutral. Lisa had never attended church before, so faith was not a factor for her.
When her pregnancy was confirmed through blood work and an ultrasound, Lisa was shocked to learn she was expecting triplets.
She went to an abortion facility near her home to find out about the process and the cost.
Lisa didn’t feel ready to go through with the abortion, so she scheduled the procedure for a week later.
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On the day of her appointment, as Lisa was walking toward the abortion center, she saw a group of people praying out front. Because of bubble zone laws, they were situated across the street from the facility as near as they could be.
A young girl was standing among the group with her parents and siblings, including triplets in a stroller.
As Lisa approached the building, the little girl walked right up to her and without prompting from anyone, said to her, “Jesus loves you. Babies are loud, but great.” The little girl then pointed to her three siblings sleeping in the stroller nearby.
Lisa stopped in her tracks.
“I started talking to them,” Lisa said. “The little girl came back and said, ‘Jesus loves you. He is with you and he won’t leave you.’”
“She had no idea who I was,” Lisa said. “But her words hit me hard. I turned around and went back home.”
“That short encounter changed everything,” Lisa later told Dabrowski via text.
Lisa told her boyfriend she could not go through with the abortion. He left her, and she felt anxious and overwhelmed, but she didn’t change her mind.
After a few weeks, her boyfriend returned. They reconciled and together decided to keep the babies.
Lisa also told Dabrowski, “I’ve never been religious, but today I went to Mass for the first time and felt a strange peace.”
Since Lisa’s decision to choose life for her babies, some friends have distanced themselves, saying she will regret the decision and lose her freedom, but others have stayed and continue to support her, collecting baby supplies for her. Family dynamics have been challenging, but things are gradually improving with time.
Tweet This: “Jesus loves you. Babies are loud, but great” - little girl at an Ontario 40 Days for Life vigil to mom facing unplanned pregnancy.
Lisa says she laughs now at the irony of expecting triplets when she had insisted she would never have children. She and her boyfriend currently live with her parents and will have help once the babies arrive.
Lisa is taking things one day at a time. She is due at the end of March, and she knows help is also available from the local pro-life community.
“God is working in her life,” Dabrowski told Pregnancy Help News. “I am in awe of that and grateful to be even a small part of her story.”
From Lisa’s text to Dabrowski:
“I’ve decided to keep my babies. I don’t know what the future looks like, but I know I won’t end their lives ... Thank you for being there, for praying, for that little girl’s words. Please keep praying for me. I’m holding on to what she said: Jesus loves you. He is with you. He won’t leave you.”
*A pseudonym.
