Now is the Time.
Dear Friend,
On January 18, 2014, I sat in my blue Toyota in a Days Inn parking lot trying to hold back tears long enough to finish a phone call. I don’t generally frequent motel parking lots, but this motel happens to share a property line and driveway with the new Planned Parenthood in Victorville.
Although I live in Wrightwood, I visit the Costco in Victorville on a regular basis. It was on a “Costco run” that I found myself drawn to exit from the 15 freeway at Palmdale Road, rather than continuing on to the Roy Rogers Drive exit.
I was weeping by the time I reached Park Avenue and the Planned Parenthood sign came into view.
I parked in the Days Inn lot, facing the door of the Planned Parenthood with only the iron fence separating the two properties. As I sat there, a young couple drove up to Planned Parenthood and went inside the building.
I decided to make a phone call.
Planned Parenthood of Orange and San Bernardino Counties share a scheduling system, so when I dialed the phone number for Planned Parenthood of Victorville, I was answered by an operator for all the clinics. The young woman on the phone calmly scheduled me for a pregnancy test on the following day, a Sunday.
I asked if I could get an abortion the same day if my test was positive, and she answered: “You can get a medication abortion in Victorville, but surgical is done at our San Bernardino location”.
I completed the call, knowing that there would be a no-show on the book for January 19 at the Victorville location. As I stared at the clinic doors, phone in hand, I recalled the claims of Planned Parenthood representatives that there were “no plans to do abortion procedures in Victorville at this time.”
Then, I remembered an article about a woman being rushed to the hospital from the Victorville clinic shortly after it opened. At that time, no one knew if Planned Parenthood offered medication abortions or not. Even now, the website for the Victorville clinic does not list medication abortion among its services.
But I had just received confirmation that the abortion pill (RU-486) was being sold for the low, low price of $650.
True to form, Planned Parenthood continues to lie. This taxpayer-funded behemoth lies to concerned citizens in the High Desert about the services offered at the new Victorville location, claiming abortion services are not offered.
Planned Parenthood lies to women in Victorville about the nature of medication abortions, claiming they are “safe and effective” without mentioning that women have died from such abortions and major complications are not as rare as they pretend.
A preborn baby at 8 weeks gestation.
Planned Parenthood fails to tell women the truth about medication abortion: these drugs are fatal to a developing human child, not just “tissue”. Medication abortions are utilized up to 9 weeks gestation, so in many of the procedures, the baby’s heart is beating before his mother undergoes the procedure and delivers her dead baby into the toilet at home.
Planned Parenthood in Victorville is where too many girls and women from Hesperia, Phelan, Apple Valley, Pinon Hills, Adelanto and Wrightwood will go to get pregnancy tests. With a big budget and clever ad campaign, Planned Parenthood saturated the High Desert with billboards even before the clinic opened. Planned Parenthood’s name is known for women’s healthcare, so that is where local women will go for “healthcare”.
Against this giant enemy, what can we do?
On our own, we can do nothing.
But with God’s help, we can do everything.
The brave staff at pregnancy resource centers in the High Desert (Rose of Sharon, Call for Life and Moses House) continue on, reaching out and saving lives, touching women’s hearts one at a time.
Here at Stanton SoCal, our Stanton Mountain PRC is actively offering solutions to women in the San Bernardino mountains while the Stanton Mobile team is preparing to get on the road. We are working to support our friends at the other pro-life centers, working to get our Mobile operational, working hard to build a culture of life from the ground up.
I know that the Stanton Mobile vision was given for such a time as this.
The Stanton Mobile is uniquely positioned to fill the gaping hole that Planned Parenthood has created in the heart of the High Desert. We can take our life-saving, Christ-centered mobile clinic to the gates of Planned Parenthood, and we will. We will fight back against the deceit and darkness with everything we have: the power of the Holy Spirit.
At this time, we don’t have the volunteers nor the finances to park our Mobile near the Planned Parenthood in Victorville or to combat their lies with local education and outreach. We are on our way, but we have a long way to go.
The Mobile will not be operational until people in our community step forward and sacrifice their time and resources to put the Mobile on the road. Sexual integrity programs and family-building resources in the Tri-Community will not be available until local people step up.
To those who have taken the step of standing with us in faith: thank you! We are blessed by your commitment.
To those who are considering joining the Stanton team: we need you! Whatever your talents, we can use them. Whatever your budget, every gift goes a long way. Click here for more information about partnering with Stanton.
To all who read this, please continue to pray for this ministry and all the work we are doing to launch the Mobile. Some days it is difficult to continue on, but we press forward.
Though I wept that day in January, I believe one day we will all be rejoicing as Planned Parenthood closes because the people of God stood up and said, “No more lies!”
Thank you for standing with me.
For Life,
Danielle
P.S. The Stanton Mobile is currently being prepped for its exterior wrap, and the funds for the wrap have been generously donated. We are pressing forward as our resources allow, but the fact remains: more volunteers and more monthly donors must commit before we are fully operational. Please consider partnering with us today!