A Story From the Abortion Mill

Fr. Don Hying
Rector, St. Francis de Sales Seminary

Late last Saturday morning, a group of us went to pray at the abortuary on Farwell Avenue. Usually, I go earlier in the day when pregnant women are entering the building and the pro-abortion escorts are stationed in front to keep the clients from talking to us.

By 11 a.m., the escorts were gone because all of the women were already inside. One by one, the women came out, walking slowly, looking dazed, holding a brown bag, gingerly entering their boyfriends’ cars and driving away. It was heartbreaking, like watching a steady stream of casualties returning from some gruesome and hidden front, where the invisible violence could only be read on the bodies of the survivors.

After praying the rosary and a chaplet of Divine Mercy, we were thinking about leaving when suddenly an employee of the abortion mill emerged from the building. As she passed me, I spoke in a quiet voice, almost to myself, “Stop killing people here.”

She turned on me, in a rage, shouting and swearing at me. She called me “pathetic.” When I promised to pray for her, she only grew more enraged. As she drove away, what struck me about such a brief and disturbing incident, was the startling fact that she never denied she was, indeed, helping to kill people. She also never disputed any of what I was saying was or claimed it was, in any way, false.

Unable to articulate any cogent or logical response to my quiet plea, she responded with hysteria, obscenity and verbal assaults. The immediate reaction of rage and hate, shorn of any logic or sense – along with the presence of a women’s care center across the street, growing numbers of people who identify themselves as pro-life, and new legislative momentum – led me to see how weakened the abortionist position has become.

With 40 Days for Life starting this Ash Wednesday, now is the time for us to give public witness to our belief in the sanctity of nascent life. The abortionists want their deeds to go unseen, unnoticed and unchallenged. By our public prayer and presence, we shine the light of God on a very dark place.

Feedback on this blog

Title:

By:

BadgerCatholic

Comment:

Thank you Bishop Hying for your witness. Trolls and cranks abound on the internet. Clearly they are behind the times. The new pro-life generation which you now lead stands with you. God bless!

Title:

Pray for us

By:

John Schuh

Comment:

O holy Mother of God, that we may be made worthy of the promises of Christ.

Title:

By:

cccc

Comment:

Ryan did it ever occur 2 U that those who refuse 2 see the aborted children as human r the 1's with narrow minds? Look at U U go on and on doing just as the person working at the abortuary insisting that U are in the right.How many have u paid 4?

Title:

Unintentional stillborn death

By:

Kris

Comment:

I prayed for 20 minutes this past Saturday for the mother's who decided to kill their unborn baby. As a mother who lost a baby at 20 weeks gestation, I can tell you that it is extremelly devastating. These women will suffer--they are lied to.

Title:

Thank You, Fr Don

By:

Marie

Comment:

Sincere thanks to you, Fr Don for being a great example!

Title:

No Comparison

By:

Joel Wade

Comment:

Anne, there's no comparison b/t the taking of an innocent human life and a Gov limiting the most generous public union benefits in the US. Balancing a state budget for the benefit of the taxpyrs is no abortion. U r also able to protest the decision.

Title:

Thanks for your witness, Fr Don

By:

Dick Miller

Comment:

Not too many priests find their way to an abortion clinic, but somehow, for these many years, since I first met you over 20 years ago at the mill on Good Hope Rd, you continue to provide encouragement for those who stand up for life. Thanks, Fr Don!

Title:

By:

Fr. Sean T. O'Connell

Comment:

God bless you, Fr. Don, for your efforts to defend the dignity of human life! Together, let us all pray for the immediate closing of this abortion mill.

Title:

Adoption

By:

Julie Archibald

Comment:

One day a very young deathscort said to all of us, "Who is going to feed, clothe and educate these children?" I responded, "There are millions of childless couples who would would give anything to adopt these children, no matter their background.

Title:

What about Madison?

By:

Anne Stinson

Comment:

I haven't noticed a strong Catholic presence at any of the rallies against Walker's "abortion." Perhaps you might focus some of your energy on the women and children being brutalized by the one chosen to lead us.

Title:

(Continued)

By:

Marion (Mael Muire)

Comment:

Through the centuries Christ's followers have often been blamed, criticized, attacked - even killed - for daring to oppose wickedness and to defend the vulnerable.

It was only true to form, therefore, that Fr. Don & prolifers would be criticized.

Title:

By:

Marion (Mael Muire)

Comment:

Jesus Christ, the exemplar of the best in man in everything He said and did, was nevertheless criticized & blamed throughout his career, and was at last arrested & executed as a blasphemer.

And down to our day, evildoers love to blame the good.

Title:

Campaign for Human Dignity

By:

Amy Voss

Comment:

Please come share your support of the Campaign for Human Dignity this Lent - please see www.lumenchristiparish.org or Campaign for Human Dignity on Facebook - or just to learn more. Please share with friends and family.

Title:

Preventing another Auswitz

By:

Barry Sullivan

Comment:

One person asked what we pro-lifers have done to prevent the conditions that lead to abortion. Were Hitler and the Nazis responsible for the Holocaust or was it the Allies for not fixing the German economy in the 1930s?

Title:

Never ever!

By:

Danette Rieckhoff

Comment:

Who would stand by watching a four year old be beaten by another? Or a 2 year old about to be trampled in a stampede? An infant be attacked by a dog? When DO we stop standing up to the people behind the curtain after they have slain a child? Never.

Title:

Cultural Selfishness

By:

Marty Major

Comment:

When most people talk with someone close minded, they usually don't leave calm and reason behind. She reacted the way she did because she know Father was correct - the truth violated her sense of cultural selfishness.

Title:

Priorities.

By:

Dale Price

Comment:

This business butchers people for cash but the real evils are the protesters' presumed "inauthenticity" and "passive aggression."

Got it.

Title:

"Her side"?

By:

JoAnna

Comment:

Ryan, how is one supposed to listen to "her side" if she refuses to give it?

Robert, Pro-lifers do all we can to help women IN ADDITION to praying for them. It's not either we pray for them or we help them, it's botth/and.

Title:

My lost generation

By:

Angela

Comment:

The loss of those innocent defenseless children is heartbreaking & devastating. But also we lose- being born in 1971, I wonder how many of my generation of friends, colleagues, neighbors I will never know, be influenced by, love or be loved by...

Title:

Condescending?

By:

Anne Lawinger

Comment:

When someone is open to the grace of God, they're happy to hear you are praying for them. When they are set against God's will, they find your prayer provocative and condescending. Abortion does harm to all involved, and God does not want it.

Title:

Who is listening to the aborted babies?

By:

Joel Wade

Comment:

Ryan, I see Fr. Don as speaking up for the babies that are being killed who cannot speak for themselves. Is anyone listening to them? I think if we could, they would say the same thing that Fr. Don is saying... please stop killing us.

Title:

FSH

By:

Danette Rieckhoff

Comment:

sa*an infuses hate, not God. No prayer, public or private, especially in the name of defenseless children is hateful. Hurtful words waste time. Prayer and presence on the steps of these awful clinics are what is needed. FSH

Title:

By:

Ryan O'Rourke

Comment:

Don, by close minded I mean you were not open to listening to her side of the matter. Why would she waste a "logical response" on you. Sort of like throwing pearls before swine don't you think? What people need is to be listened to and understood.

Title:

At the foot of the cross

By:

Kerry Lawlor

Comment:

It is appropriate that we pray for all at the abortion mill. Mary could not stop the killing of her Son, Jesus on the cross but we admire her love for staying with her son. We must be in solidarity with the moms and unborn babies at the killing ctr

Title:

By:

Anne Bender

Comment:

I weep as well for all of those precious lives that have been destroyed, but I am now also weeping and praying for those who have left comments here that are both critical and mean-spirited.

Title:

By:

Fr. Donald Hying

Comment:

Why is condeming the violent destruction of fragile, precious, unique,beautiful life in the womb "narrow-minded?" I weep for the children and the women and the men whose lives are damaged or destroyed by abortion.

Title:

We offer help, Mr. Smith

By:

Dave P.

Comment:

Ever heard of pregnancy crisis centers? Ever donated clothing, formula, food, and diapers? Ever pay for a mother's and baby's medical expenses? Ever adopt? Prolifers do all that. We pray AND act.

Title:

By:

Ryan O'Rourke

Comment:

She was "Unable to articulate any cogent or logical response to my quiet plea". Wow. Did it ever occur to you that she was simply unwilling to argue with a close minded person? And your "quiet plea" was nothing but a passive agressive attack.

Title:

You're being provactive

By:

Robert Kennedy Smith

Comment:

If you really want to make a difference, work on reducing the demand side of abortion by offering women help before they show up. Telling someone you're going to pray for them is provactive and condescending; just pray them privately.

Title:

Hateful? Really?

By:

Dave Pawlak

Comment:

Why is it hateful to pray for the well-being of someone's soul? Would you call hateful those who prayed for Bernard Nathanson, Norma McCovey, and Abby Johnston, to name a few? Is it hateful to want someone to avoid hell and go to heaven?

Title:

By:

Ryan O'Rourke

Comment:

The light of God may continue to shine on the dark places of the world, but it is no thanks to actions such as yours. The reason the employee responded with rage was because she saw your desire to "pray" for her as inauthentic and hateful as I do.

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