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Volunteer sidewalk counselor Jen Dunnett stands outside the Planned Parenthood Clinic on Madison’s east side waiting to talk to women and men who may be going inside and inform them about abortion and contraception. (Catholic Herald photo/Kevin Wondrash) |
MADISON — Every Friday afternoon, Jen Dunnett stands on the sidewalk outside the Planned Parenthood Clinic in Madison talking to those who will listen, and those who won’t.
On one recent Friday, someone listened.
Dunnett is a volunteer sidewalk counselor with Vigil for Life, an organization whose members pray, fast, and peacefully witness for an end to abortion in the Madison area.
She hands out informational brochures on abortion and birth control, informs people about free services offered at the nearby Women’s Care Center of Madison (WCCM), and talks with women and men about to go inside the Planned Parenthood Clinic.
The women who listened to her were about to go inside the clinic, but after talking with Dunnett about the side effects of having an abortion, they went across the street to the WCCM.
“Thanks be to God,” said Dunnett, shortly after the “turnaway.” She added, “We still need to pray.”
It’s called a “turnaway” because there is no guarantee the mother will not go through with the abortion, but the process was slowed down on that day.
Defining the role
Sidewalk counselors are called the “last line of defense for abortion or contraception-bound men and women.”
Just ahead of the annual 40 Days for Life vigil, Vigil for Life held a training session to help those who want to take on this important role.
40 Days for Life runs until Sunday, Nov. 3, and is a focused pro-life campaign with a vision to access God’s power through prayer, fasting, and peaceful vigil to end abortion.
Volunteers will be praying for an end to abortion for 40 days, 24 hours a day. Many of these hours will also have a sidewalk counselor on hand.
About a dozen men and women gathered at the Bishop O’Connor Center in Madison to hear from an experienced group about sidewalk counseling, abortion, contraception, and how to help women who have lost a child due to abortion.
Vigil for Life board member and past president Laura Karlen spoke about the foundations of sidewalk counseling. She said the goal of the sidewalk counselor is to “be God’s willing instrument.”
She added the work is a divine calling. While it is tempting to believe babies are saved and souls are healed through the efforts of sidewalk counselors, it’s God’s mission. Sidewalk counselors merely make themselves available to join Him.
The sidewalk counselor’s role is to interact with the people going into Planned Parenthood. Their role is separate from the protestor or the “prayer warrior,” someone who peacefully prays near abortion sites for an end to abortion.
The ultimate goal of the sidewalk counselor is to bring souls to Christ and convert hearts. The practical goal Vigil for Life has for its counselors is to help potential victims make the healthy choice of not aborting or contracepting. The counselor also tries to slow the process down for the potential victim and encourage them to listen and think about alternatives.
The sidewalk counselor’s personal goal is to grow in his or her own holiness. This can be done by avoiding anger and bringing sanctity, love, and holiness to the abortion site.
The realistic goal of the sidewalk counselor is to love each victim in need — mother, pre-born child, father, abortion worker, or passer-by. The sidewalk counselor needs to make sure no one passes by without trying to serve them personally.
How to sidewalk counsel
Dunnett then spoke to the newcomers on how one can effectively sidewalk counsel. One method emphasizes outreach, counseling a woman as a concerned friend.
Dunnett encouraged the future counselors to introduce themselves and make eye-contact right away to establish a relationship.
She said it’s important to offer the women help as 82 percent of post-abortive women say they would have chosen life if just one person had offered them help.
Another method involves sharing information, such as what’s contained in the previously-mentioned brochures Dunnett has on hand.
Because the window of time may be very small, the sidewalk counselor has to be organized and plan ahead. Literature on abortion and birth control is available from Pro-Life Wisconsin and, for those who want to use their smartphones, sites such as CrisisPregnancies.org have information available for mobile devices for quick use.
Whichever method a counselor uses, Dunnett said it’s important to “be alert” and “avoid distractions.” The sidewalk counselors are usually several feet away from the protestors and the prayer warriors.
Post-abortion counseling
Another part of being a sidewalk counselor is helping women who have lost a child due to an abortion.
Lisa Sommers from Rachel’s Vineyard spoke on how to counsel these women. Rachel’s Vineyard offers weekend retreats for women who need to heal after an abortion.
Sommers said the most important thing a counselor can do for these women is just to listen once they come out of the clinic. She said there is “nothing to argue . . . nothing to convince . . . be Christ to them.”
She said the counselors “don’t have to be an expert” and that there are “no silver bullets” for healing and ending abortion. All a sidewalk counselor can do is God’s will and be His instrument.
The panel later demonstrated some possible scenarios sidewalk counselors may face and how to deal with them. These included talking with a woman who “can’t afford” or is “too busy” to have a child, a woman who completely ignores the counselor, a man waiting outside the clinic, someone coming to the clinic for birth control, and a woman who just lost her child due to an abortion.
The potential counselors were told not to get discouraged, even with lives at stake.
The goal of the sidewalk counselor is not to pile up the number of “saves,” but to interact with a mother and child in need of love.
For more information on sidewalk counseling and Vigil for Life, as well as information about how to be a part of this year’s 40 Days for Life, visit vigilforlife.org