It defies logic. It simply boggles the mind.
Tens of thousands – perhaps even millions – of women and men who would never even think about visiting a “no-kill” animal shelter are the same people who support abortion – the killing of unborn babies.
Regardless of where anyone stands on abortion – for decades the source of an emotional, divisive battleground – the following fact is irrefutable. Even Planned Parenthood, the leading provider of abortions in the country, admits that it’s true.
Abortion stops a beating heart.
Kathleen Bravo and Abby Johnson have a real problem with this. Their courageous actions have resulted in greater national attention for the pro-life movement, as well as critical help for those in need. Along with countless others who are fighting for unborn children, they have continued to gain momentum – and they’re not about to slow down.
Bravo, founder and CEO of Obria Medical Clinics, will be honored at Generation Life! an evening celebrating the clinic’s 35th anniversary, on July 26, at the Compass Bible Church in Aliso Viejo. Johnson, the author of “Unplanned,” the story of her transition from a Planned Parenthood clinic director to a vocal pro-life advocate, will speak at the event.
Established by Bravo in 1981, and originally named Birth Choice Health Clinics, Obria Medical Clinics furnish medical consultations, pregnancy tests, STD and HIV/AIDS testing, ultrasounds and much more. Fully committed to the pro-life movement, Obria provides essential information about all aspects of abortion, along with encouragement, comfort, options and hope for moms-to-be.
As a young woman, Bravo found herself pregnant and alone. The events that followed eventually led to her decision to create Obria by using her experience in the for-profit business sector.
Obria is based on a franchise model. Pregnancy-resource centers that agree to operate as Obria-affiliated clinics retain their own donors, nonprofit status and autonomy, provided they offer no abortion referral or contraception.
“Eighty-five percent of our girls – once they go through our process of counseling and support, once they see the ultrasound and hear the baby’s heartbeat – they go through with the pregnancy,” Bravo told the National Catholic Register.
No patient is ever turned away due to a lack of funds, unlike Planned Parenthood, which charges fees for its services.
Johnson spent eight years with Planned Parenthood, eventually becoming a clinic director. That all changed in 2009, when, after assisting in an abortion, she walked out and immediately joined the Coalition for Life. Her riveting story is told in “Unplanned,” an Amazon.com Retailer’s Choice Award winner in 2012.
“The day I walked out [of Planned Parenthood], I felt very nervous, but I also felt like a huge burden was being released from my soul,” Johnson says. … “I could feel the relationship I’d once had with God being restored. I was terrified of facing what I had been a part of.”
Johnson and Eaton have worked together before.
“When I first left Planned Parenthood, I had several people say to me, ‘You have got to meet Kathleen Eaton. You two are so much alike.’ … Kathleen has become a dear friend and is a mentor to me as I continue along this path.”
The free event will take place at Compass Bible Church, 140 Columbia, in Aliso Viejo. Doors will open at 6:30 p.m. Visit obria.org/event/obrias-35th-anniversary to register online.