“I met Dora at the hospital when I was there for another case. She had been admitted the night before, and from the time I first saw her – early the next day – she was constantly silent and lying in bed. 

It was visiting time and the hallway was packed with people. At one point she came up to me and asked if I had a charger for her cell phone. I gave it to her and she immediately returned to her bed. When I went to pick it up, I thought I should say a few words to encourage her, so I asked her why she was in the hospital. To my surprise, she told me she was having an abortion the next morning.  

In the few minutes I had available, I tried to understand the situation she was in. When I asked her if she was sure of her decision she told me coldly that it was enough that her boyfriend and parents were sure. Dora had been convinced by her own people that she was doing what was best for herself as she was still very young and did not have her life together. When 2 of her relatives entered the room, she looked frightened and asked if we could end our conversation. I respected her request and walked away hoping she would give herself another chance to think about “their” decision. A short time later when she was alone again, I went back inside and gave her the Hope Center information in hopes that she would at least call the next day. She thanked me profusely, and holding my hands in hers said I had made her day. We don’t know what happened the next morning and we may never know. To this day Dora has not called us, but we hope she will when she feels ready…” 

– Hope Center Employee