Jan. 21, 2021

Interview with a High Risk Doctor

Interview with a High Risk Doctor

Edith worked as a doctor for several decades focusing on high-risk pregnancy situations. Now she reaches out with help and hope at local abortion centers. In this interview, Edith shares some of her background as well as helpful knowledge that will...

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Edith worked as a doctor for several decades focusing on high-risk pregnancy situations. Now she reaches out with help and hope at local abortion centers. In this interview, Edith shares some of her background as well as helpful knowledge that will equip you in dealing with high-risk mothers at the abortion center.

Transcript
WEBVTT 1 00:00:00.560 --> 00:00:06.400 I Am Yours, I am yours, I am yours and me. Lord, 2 00:00:06.960 --> 00:00:10.269 Welcome to the Gospel Center pro life podcast. This episode we're going to 3 00:00:10.310 --> 00:00:13.949 talk with the retired Doctor Edith, who used to deal with high risk mothers 4 00:00:14.029 --> 00:00:17.269 in her practice. She's going to give us some tips and wisdom will how 5 00:00:17.309 --> 00:00:23.699 to speak with high risk mothers at the abortion center. Stay tuned. I 6 00:00:24.019 --> 00:00:37.170 felt show Passish, touch your use me. Welcome to the Gospel Center pro 7 00:00:37.289 --> 00:00:41.210 life podcast. Appreciate you guys tuning in and we appreciate, as always, 8 00:00:41.689 --> 00:00:46.049 if you guys would share this podcast and even reach out to us. We'll 9 00:00:46.090 --> 00:00:50.240 share our contact info at the end of this podcast with ideas for other episodes. 10 00:00:50.880 --> 00:00:52.840 We just want to be a blessing to you guys that are listening. 11 00:00:52.880 --> 00:00:56.439 We want to encourage you to stand for life. Will encourage you to stand 12 00:00:56.479 --> 00:01:00.719 for life at the abortion centers, especially in your city. It's a difficult 13 00:01:00.759 --> 00:01:04.150 ministry, but it's a necessary ministry and lives are saved. We just came 14 00:01:04.189 --> 00:01:07.950 from the abortion center, yeah, with some pretty difficult opposition today. It 15 00:01:08.109 --> 00:01:12.230 was a rough day, yeah, and we often encounter opposition for Poe and 16 00:01:12.269 --> 00:01:18.349 pro abortion people and that's to be expected. But five babies were safe. 17 00:01:18.390 --> 00:01:22.379 Five babies to went went for an ultrasound and five five babies. I again 18 00:01:22.420 --> 00:01:26.739 when for an ultrasound on one on board our help pregnancy center mobile ultra sound, 19 00:01:26.780 --> 00:01:29.140 your net. Yeah, it was awesome. Yeah, awesome, pretty 20 00:01:29.180 --> 00:01:32.260 amazing what the Lord can do in spite of what the enemy tries to do. 21 00:01:32.459 --> 00:01:34.890 That's right. So we would encourage you guys that are listening to go 22 00:01:34.969 --> 00:01:38.129 out to be a faithful witness out there on the sidewalks. Would encourage you 23 00:01:38.129 --> 00:01:42.090 guys to go to our sidewalks for life website to get equipped and even reach 24 00:01:42.129 --> 00:01:46.810 out and we can train you guys to become a sidewalk missionary, kind of 25 00:01:46.810 --> 00:01:49.959 like what we talked about a couple of months ago, becoming a sidewalk missionary, 26 00:01:49.000 --> 00:01:53.879 a regular presence and raising up an army of people in your city to 27 00:01:53.920 --> 00:01:56.640 be out there at the abortion centers. So we encourage you guys with that. 28 00:01:56.680 --> 00:01:59.599 Again, we'll share our contact info at the end of this podcast to 29 00:02:00.359 --> 00:02:02.109 give you guys an opportunity to reach out to us. But we want to 30 00:02:02.109 --> 00:02:07.629 jump into our subject and we have on zoom, so this is a zoom 31 00:02:07.870 --> 00:02:09.509 call that we're doing. So if you hear any lag or any kind of 32 00:02:09.750 --> 00:02:14.990 weird noises, it's either zoom or is the fact that we're recording on Vicki's 33 00:02:15.030 --> 00:02:17.900 back porch. So if you hear a gnawing sound, that's a that's probably 34 00:02:17.900 --> 00:02:21.659 a squirrel chewing a nut not far from where we are. If you hear 35 00:02:21.740 --> 00:02:25.780 sirens, we're in Charlotte and crime is pretty pretty tough around these parts. 36 00:02:25.900 --> 00:02:30.409 Now. Vicki lives in a pretty good neighborhood, but we're hearing some sirens 37 00:02:30.449 --> 00:02:32.770 earlier. So if you hear some stuff you don't normally hear because we're recording 38 00:02:32.889 --> 00:02:38.530 in a abnormal location because we're having some work done on our office to expand 39 00:02:38.650 --> 00:02:42.969 things. Of God's doing a lot. But let's jump into our subject and 40 00:02:43.050 --> 00:02:46.800 let's introduce our guest. Yeah, so she edith is is one of our 41 00:02:46.879 --> 00:02:54.240 volunteers and she just has such a wonderful background that is so useful in our 42 00:02:54.360 --> 00:02:59.830 work on the sidewalk. So I'm going to introduce edith and and maybe edith, 43 00:02:59.909 --> 00:03:01.909 you could just tell us about yourself, who you are, give us 44 00:03:01.949 --> 00:03:07.990 a little of your background, your testimony and and just whatever you feel it 45 00:03:08.270 --> 00:03:12.629 in Justin way of introduction. People ought to know about you. Okay. 46 00:03:12.830 --> 00:03:15.939 Well, thank you so much for having me, Vicky and Daniel, and 47 00:03:16.139 --> 00:03:21.979 it's just to be a such a blessing to be a part of this team. 48 00:03:22.020 --> 00:03:28.050 I joined as a volunteer back in the fall and it has been an 49 00:03:28.169 --> 00:03:34.889 incredible blessing and Vicky and Daniel asked me to share with you some of my 50 00:03:35.050 --> 00:03:39.449 background and interest in the ministry, and so I'll just jump in. I 51 00:03:39.770 --> 00:03:46.439 grew up in a Christian home and as a teenager, went forward at a 52 00:03:46.479 --> 00:03:53.400 billy Graham Crusade to express publicly my faith in Jesus Christ. My faith was 53 00:03:53.560 --> 00:04:00.030 solidisipied through Bible Study and in my young adult years I felt called as a 54 00:04:00.150 --> 00:04:05.789 teenager to go into the practice of medicine and specifically to go on the foreign 55 00:04:05.830 --> 00:04:13.300 mission field. Our Church had a a mission clinic in Mexico and I made 56 00:04:13.379 --> 00:04:16.660 very specific plans to go that way. But God had other plans because as 57 00:04:16.779 --> 00:04:23.620 I finished medical school that clinic closed and I did meet my husband and medical 58 00:04:23.660 --> 00:04:29.730 school. He and I did our medical training in Ohio and then in Boston 59 00:04:29.930 --> 00:04:35.129 and then we were called to Charlotte to work in in medicine here in Charlotte 60 00:04:35.329 --> 00:04:44.160 in medical school because I was training during a time in which there was not 61 00:04:44.560 --> 00:04:48.480 abortion, was not legalized until toward the end of my medical training. There 62 00:04:48.639 --> 00:04:56.870 was not really an issue related to being pro life or pro choice, and 63 00:04:56.990 --> 00:05:00.189 though I would consider myself pro life, I did not have an issue in 64 00:05:00.310 --> 00:05:04.069 terms of getting a job or that sort of thing. So there was really 65 00:05:04.110 --> 00:05:09.660 no no issue there. Some of those things did come later in my career, 66 00:05:10.779 --> 00:05:15.420 but in my training I began to take care of high risk pregnancies because 67 00:05:15.779 --> 00:05:23.250 my specialty was in internal medicine and then subspecializing in into chronology and diabetes, 68 00:05:23.769 --> 00:05:28.889 and specifically my research and my fellowship was in diabetes. And when I came 69 00:05:28.970 --> 00:05:33.329 to Charlotte I began to develop practice in the high risk pregnancy area and worked 70 00:05:33.490 --> 00:05:41.360 in the academic area in Atrium health with caring for women with diabetes and pregnancy, 71 00:05:41.480 --> 00:05:45.319 and we took care of over a thousand women annually in that area, 72 00:05:45.839 --> 00:05:54.790 and so I began to realize that that was going to be a field in 73 00:05:54.910 --> 00:05:59.949 which God was going to use me to stand for life, because the majority 74 00:06:00.269 --> 00:06:04.459 of people I was specialist, that I was working with were much more liberal, 75 00:06:04.899 --> 00:06:09.540 more pro choice. That's not to say that there aren't specialists who are 76 00:06:09.579 --> 00:06:13.060 very prolife, but most of the people I was working with were pro choice, 77 00:06:13.540 --> 00:06:17.220 and so it was God put me there in to stand in the gap. 78 00:06:17.569 --> 00:06:24.089 Okay, and just just to mention this. So you were a physician 79 00:06:24.209 --> 00:06:30.050 that worked with high risk MOMS and certainly we have encountered as one of the 80 00:06:30.649 --> 00:06:36.160 frequently stated reasons why people are there at the abortion center to a board is 81 00:06:36.360 --> 00:06:42.319 because either the mother is high risk, sometimes a medical issue because of that 82 00:06:42.480 --> 00:06:47.910 with the baby, but quite frequently we hear that the mother will die if 83 00:06:48.750 --> 00:06:54.230 they don't kill the baby. And so you, you ended up in a 84 00:06:54.350 --> 00:07:00.629 position where you were actually than counseling women to whether that was true or not 85 00:07:00.910 --> 00:07:05.860 right, whether they their high risk situation was one that was a death sentence 86 00:07:06.180 --> 00:07:11.740 if they did not abort their child or not. Is that correct? Correct, 87 00:07:12.100 --> 00:07:15.730 and I do want to reiterate that in a high risk pregnancy you have 88 00:07:16.089 --> 00:07:21.129 those two classifications. You have the high risk mother, you have the high 89 00:07:21.129 --> 00:07:28.009 risk maternal condition and then you have a high risk condition for the baby, 90 00:07:28.290 --> 00:07:31.959 right in which there are dangers there. And the truth of the matter is 91 00:07:32.199 --> 00:07:40.439 that there are very, very rare circumstances in which a pregnancy would present itself 92 00:07:40.480 --> 00:07:44.470 as being, you know, a risk of death to the mother. So 93 00:07:44.829 --> 00:07:49.189 I think that, in terms of speaking with women, I think that something 94 00:07:49.310 --> 00:07:55.629 that could be very, very strongly stated, even by non medical person, 95 00:07:56.189 --> 00:08:00.819 to that to to the abortion minded woman, that it is a very rare 96 00:08:00.939 --> 00:08:05.980 circumstance in when which a woman's life is in danger to carry a pregnancy. 97 00:08:05.220 --> 00:08:09.620 Now, did you find that other doctors, when they would have high risk 98 00:08:09.740 --> 00:08:18.129 MOMS, would just kind of automatically recommend abortion as the easier of the options 99 00:08:18.170 --> 00:08:20.970 in front of them? I think that's the case in my in my opinion, 100 00:08:22.209 --> 00:08:28.120 that is generally the case. They usually rationalize that in those conditions in 101 00:08:28.279 --> 00:08:33.879 which women had medical conditions that would make for a very complicated pregnancy, right 102 00:08:35.440 --> 00:08:41.080 other words, it would take more work, more resources, etc. To 103 00:08:41.789 --> 00:08:50.990 to continue the pregnancy and complete the pregnancy. The option for abortion was pressed 104 00:08:50.230 --> 00:08:56.659 upon, not only presented but pressed. Oh Really? Yes, so there 105 00:08:56.779 --> 00:09:01.059 was some because they're the doctor. The woman doesn't know. So there was 106 00:09:01.139 --> 00:09:05.940 almost, I don't want to use quite the word coercion, but something close 107 00:09:07.059 --> 00:09:11.730 to that, that that was the safest route. Because I'm yes, there 108 00:09:11.850 --> 00:09:16.889 was a continuum of that, but I would say that in it. My 109 00:09:16.049 --> 00:09:22.289 experience there was everything from the high risk doctor presenting it as an option but 110 00:09:22.610 --> 00:09:28.080 being a little more forceful to present that as an option because, whether you're 111 00:09:28.080 --> 00:09:33.559 aware of it or not, any woman who comes in pregnant is presented that 112 00:09:33.600 --> 00:09:39.750 as an option these days unless the is prolife. So that that is the 113 00:09:39.029 --> 00:09:45.230 that that's a sad statement. Do you you think edith just as far as 114 00:09:45.429 --> 00:09:48.190 as almost like a winend doubt, throw it out sort of mentality for doctors? 115 00:09:48.870 --> 00:09:54.059 Do you think that is because of they're just afraid of be ensued, 116 00:09:54.539 --> 00:09:58.059 or what do you think is the root of that? I really do not 117 00:09:58.460 --> 00:10:03.980 think that suit is at the bottom of it. I've never heard one of 118 00:10:03.059 --> 00:10:09.330 the high rist doctors say they were afraid of being sued. It generally just 119 00:10:09.210 --> 00:10:18.730 in many cases where women are seemingly pressured by the HIGHRIST team to abort, 120 00:10:18.850 --> 00:10:22.559 it's because they just feel like it's going to be such a burden on the 121 00:10:22.759 --> 00:10:30.799 woman, her family, resources, etc. And the the issue for the 122 00:10:30.879 --> 00:10:37.149 poor woman is that this is just an ongoing pressure that she feels yeah to 123 00:10:37.269 --> 00:10:41.750 an extreme sometimes, and so I've even had situations where I've had to say 124 00:10:41.830 --> 00:10:46.470 to the team the patient has told you she wants to continue the pregnancy. 125 00:10:46.950 --> 00:10:52.740 She really doesn't want to hear one more offering for for termination of the pregnancy 126 00:10:52.820 --> 00:10:56.980 killing of the baby. Wow, so in your work you're actually counseling the 127 00:10:58.059 --> 00:11:01.940 women. You are a pro life doctor in a see of pro choice people, 128 00:11:03.059 --> 00:11:05.289 or, if not pro choice, kind of wanting an abortion, at 129 00:11:05.330 --> 00:11:11.009 least as what they see these here route. How would you counsel those women? 130 00:11:11.090 --> 00:11:16.370 How would you help them in highrist situations, to choose life? So 131 00:11:16.769 --> 00:11:20.159 what I usually do is, and we have a set up, most of 132 00:11:20.200 --> 00:11:28.720 these women are die have diabetes. So in my situation it's generally the woman 133 00:11:28.960 --> 00:11:33.669 has gotten pregnant in her diabetes is under poor control and she has a baby 134 00:11:33.710 --> 00:11:41.269 with a birth defect or she herself has a serious complication of diabetes. And 135 00:11:41.870 --> 00:11:46.980 interestingly enough there have been a couple of occasions where in which the highers team 136 00:11:48.019 --> 00:11:52.220 has gone in and not told me that the woman is abortion minded. She 137 00:11:52.259 --> 00:11:56.980 might have mentioned this to the purse and so I have to keep my ear 138 00:11:56.059 --> 00:12:01.379 to the ground. So I will go in and speak to them about their 139 00:12:01.450 --> 00:12:05.009 diabetes and then, if I know that there's some mention of abortion, that 140 00:12:05.129 --> 00:12:09.690 there has been some talk with counseling, with the patient. You know, 141 00:12:09.809 --> 00:12:15.330 I will try to ascertain where she is spiritually, because if she's a believer, 142 00:12:15.649 --> 00:12:20.080 we can go right to the the truth of the matter. If she's 143 00:12:20.159 --> 00:12:26.759 not a believer, then I mean it's the same, same story, except 144 00:12:26.000 --> 00:12:31.549 that, again, I guess, I have a more of an evangelistic conversation 145 00:12:31.870 --> 00:12:37.029 with her and it's similar to what we have at the abortion facility. It's 146 00:12:37.149 --> 00:12:41.029 that you know God loves her and has a plan for her and her baby 147 00:12:41.230 --> 00:12:46.500 and that this baby already has a beating heart and you know, ninety five 148 00:12:46.580 --> 00:12:48.860 percent of the cases, by the time she gets to me and that I 149 00:12:50.139 --> 00:12:52.860 can help her get through this pregnancy, that it will be difficult, it 150 00:12:52.980 --> 00:12:58.299 will be demanding, but that we will get her through it. So do 151 00:12:58.009 --> 00:13:01.330 you introduce the idea of God? Because my understanding, at least in some 152 00:13:01.529 --> 00:13:05.690 settings, as you absolutely are not allowed to do that, but we're would 153 00:13:05.690 --> 00:13:09.129 you do it anyway? Well, I would do it anyway. Okay, 154 00:13:09.649 --> 00:13:13.120 good for you. I've never been forbidden to talk about God to a patient. 155 00:13:13.440 --> 00:13:16.639 Now I've been retired for a year. I don't know whether that's change, 156 00:13:18.240 --> 00:13:22.360 but I've always had free rain to talk about my faith that with a 157 00:13:22.440 --> 00:13:26.669 patient. So you know, it's maybe like I've never asked, I've just 158 00:13:28.070 --> 00:13:31.269 I've just spoken my faith with patients. I mean that's why I went into 159 00:13:31.309 --> 00:13:35.110 medicine. So you know, that's that's awesome. And have you have you 160 00:13:35.190 --> 00:13:39.629 had a fairly good success with talking to high risk MOMS who maybe we're thinking 161 00:13:39.629 --> 00:13:46.220 abortion, changing their minds? Yes, yes, and I don't know that 162 00:13:46.419 --> 00:13:50.179 they really change their minds because I think a lot of times the pain, 163 00:13:50.419 --> 00:13:56.809 the the high rest team would go in and they were not necessarily abortion minded 164 00:13:56.970 --> 00:14:03.809 coming in and so this would be presented to them as an option. But 165 00:14:03.570 --> 00:14:07.690 then when I would go in and say look, we can, we can 166 00:14:07.809 --> 00:14:11.120 get through this together. This is not a life threatening situation. It's a 167 00:14:11.320 --> 00:14:16.840 difficult situation, it's going to be a hard situation. And the other thing 168 00:14:16.039 --> 00:14:20.960 with regard to the baby is that in most cases, with the high risk 169 00:14:22.000 --> 00:14:26.950 situations that I was involved with, is in most of those cases the the 170 00:14:28.950 --> 00:14:37.149 defects were fatal or fixable. That was sort of mine mantra and therefore we 171 00:14:37.350 --> 00:14:46.059 could let God take care of that situation for the baby as it was developing. 172 00:14:46.139 --> 00:14:48.419 I see so. So, in other words, let nature take its 173 00:14:48.500 --> 00:14:52.860 course. The baby may may die, the baby may not die, but 174 00:14:52.090 --> 00:14:56.409 but let's leave that up to God rather than being on your conscience and an 175 00:14:56.450 --> 00:15:01.649 abortion exactly. But that was there. I will tell you that that meets 176 00:15:01.009 --> 00:15:09.279 with opposition with some physicians. And why is that? Because they don't they 177 00:15:09.399 --> 00:15:13.759 think it's a poor use of resources that to allow a woman who look an 178 00:15:13.879 --> 00:15:20.879 example, if a baby is born without kidneys, then it's unlikely that that 179 00:15:20.120 --> 00:15:26.070 baby can survive. Fortunately, I have never had a situation which a physician 180 00:15:26.269 --> 00:15:31.149 refused to take care of of a baby who didn't have the kidneys, and 181 00:15:31.309 --> 00:15:37.620 those babies usually dine the third trimester. But I did have a woman, 182 00:15:37.779 --> 00:15:41.259 let me give one other more common example, whose brain development was not good. 183 00:15:43.100 --> 00:15:48.139 She wanted to give that baby the opportunity to live for as long as 184 00:15:48.340 --> 00:15:52.730 the baby God chose to give the baby life and her obstetrician refused to take 185 00:15:52.769 --> 00:15:58.409 care of her. Oh my goodness, and she was a nurse, so 186 00:15:58.009 --> 00:16:02.970 it was it was a very sad situation. So just to say that, 187 00:16:03.409 --> 00:16:08.919 unfortunately we have people in the medical community who are who are rationalizing that this 188 00:16:10.080 --> 00:16:12.559 is not a good use of resources. And I must say that I can 189 00:16:12.759 --> 00:16:18.519 help but think that that's going to ramp up further. Shure and underline that 190 00:16:18.710 --> 00:16:22.509 thought is that the baby is not a value or is of lesser value that, 191 00:16:22.669 --> 00:16:27.070 or they wouldn't make that determination. Exactly right. Yeah, well, 192 00:16:27.190 --> 00:16:32.429 as you know, edith, we encounter situations like this. Is while we're 193 00:16:32.429 --> 00:16:36.740 doing this podcast, and you already mentioned earlier. At the abortion centers we 194 00:16:36.860 --> 00:16:41.220 have conversations. Now the majority of conversations that we have in the more majority, 195 00:16:41.299 --> 00:16:44.340 vast majority, of women coming to an abortion center are not coming because 196 00:16:44.379 --> 00:16:48.450 of complications like this, but we do encounter it. So how would you, 197 00:16:48.970 --> 00:16:52.169 how would you recommend, as sidewalk counselors, your sidewall counsel yourself? 198 00:16:52.330 --> 00:16:56.370 We appreciate you volunteering in the capacity that you do, since been a blessing 199 00:16:56.450 --> 00:17:02.399 to us. But how would you recommend that we push back against some of 200 00:17:02.440 --> 00:17:07.440 the pro abortion rhetoric from the doctors, knowing that these doctors are in a 201 00:17:07.519 --> 00:17:11.359 position of authority. These women see them as an authority, and in rightly 202 00:17:11.440 --> 00:17:14.640 so. They've gone to medical school and all of that. But how do 203 00:17:14.759 --> 00:17:18.950 we how do we set things right and say this doctor is not actually the 204 00:17:18.109 --> 00:17:23.750 final say that God is the final say. How do you recommend we handle 205 00:17:23.789 --> 00:17:32.259 those conversations? I think in the general because, again what you've said is 206 00:17:32.299 --> 00:17:37.460 exactly right. You've got a counselor on the sidewalk who, unless that counselor 207 00:17:37.980 --> 00:17:42.700 would be a physician, does not carry the authority that a woman's physician would 208 00:17:42.740 --> 00:17:48.849 carry. But I think that person, a counselor on the sidewalk, can 209 00:17:48.130 --> 00:17:57.289 say to the woman with great respect that abortion for medical purposes because the life 210 00:17:57.369 --> 00:18:02.559 of the mother is in danger, are the life of the baby is in 211 00:18:02.680 --> 00:18:07.519 danger, is quite rare, particularly the life of the mother. As I 212 00:18:07.599 --> 00:18:14.109 as as I might say to you, my husband was as a cancer specialist. 213 00:18:14.309 --> 00:18:17.789 I dealt in high risk go be in there probably been only two to 214 00:18:18.069 --> 00:18:22.549 three cases in which continuing the pregnancy. So we're talking about eighty years of 215 00:18:22.670 --> 00:18:27.339 practice between the two of us. Two are three, two or three situations 216 00:18:27.539 --> 00:18:33.619 in which continuing the pregnancy there was a high risk that the mother would die. 217 00:18:33.420 --> 00:18:41.059 So I think the sidewalk counselor can say number one, that situation is 218 00:18:41.299 --> 00:18:51.809 very rare. Would you be willing to talk to another physician about what this 219 00:18:52.130 --> 00:18:59.359 what your situation is, and get a second opinion? And, as I've 220 00:18:59.480 --> 00:19:03.480 said to to you two, Jim and I would like to serve as that 221 00:19:03.759 --> 00:19:07.559 second opinion and if we don't know the answer, we know who to go 222 00:19:07.720 --> 00:19:11.950 to to get the answer. So that's what I hope that we can develop, 223 00:19:12.349 --> 00:19:17.789 because it's a difficult spot for the for the sidewalk counselor to be in. 224 00:19:18.190 --> 00:19:19.750 Yeah, it is. Let me ask you, because I we often 225 00:19:19.950 --> 00:19:23.779 do our for that, we train our councilors to offer that and frequently the 226 00:19:23.859 --> 00:19:27.980 response I will here is, well, it is my high risk doctor that 227 00:19:29.220 --> 00:19:33.380 recommended I come here. How can we counter that? Were from what you've 228 00:19:33.460 --> 00:19:37.980 just said, it sounds like there's a lot of high resk doctors out there 229 00:19:37.019 --> 00:19:42.170 who might be counseling abortion. So what would be a good way to respond 230 00:19:42.210 --> 00:19:49.250 to that statement? Well, in Charlotte, in our local community, again, 231 00:19:49.930 --> 00:19:56.440 my husband are I, with our both being physicians and in taking care 232 00:19:56.480 --> 00:20:00.079 of highers patients in the OB world, we could pick up the phone and 233 00:20:00.200 --> 00:20:04.359 call the we know all the high risk doctors in town, or we at 234 00:20:04.359 --> 00:20:08.269 least have standing with them, so we could call if that part, if 235 00:20:08.349 --> 00:20:11.430 the woman were willing to give us the name of the doctor, we could 236 00:20:11.430 --> 00:20:15.910 call them you know, we couldn't do that in another city, but I'm 237 00:20:17.109 --> 00:20:22.619 just not sure how else other than to urge them to get a second opinion 238 00:20:22.940 --> 00:20:26.619 from another high risk doctor. Right, okay, that's good. That's great. 239 00:20:27.500 --> 00:20:33.619 So so you encounter probably, like Daniel said, we really don't see 240 00:20:33.779 --> 00:20:40.170 this is not a the bulk of abortions that we see, but we do 241 00:20:40.450 --> 00:20:45.369 hear it and I'll tell you some of the things that we have heard include 242 00:20:45.450 --> 00:20:49.240 a topic pregnancy, hyper emesis, gravidium, I don't know if I'm saying 243 00:20:49.240 --> 00:20:53.319 that correct where they just can't stop throwing up, basically, or maybe the 244 00:20:53.400 --> 00:21:00.160 baby already dead. Can can you address those issues, because they I think 245 00:21:00.240 --> 00:21:04.710 those are probably the most common I think I've seen. I sometimes the MOM 246 00:21:04.829 --> 00:21:10.470 sill say they have high blood pressure. Now, is that ever a an 247 00:21:10.670 --> 00:21:15.349 issue? That is killed the baby is the only solution? Well, let 248 00:21:15.430 --> 00:21:21.220 me say that the one case in which I felt that the life of the 249 00:21:21.299 --> 00:21:26.059 mother was in danger was a woman who developed early high blood pressure of pregnancy 250 00:21:26.099 --> 00:21:34.450 superimposed upon already underlying high blood pressure in in a week in which the baby 251 00:21:34.569 --> 00:21:41.490 could not survive even in the high risk unit outside the mother and the mother 252 00:21:41.009 --> 00:21:47.089 was bleeding from the platelets. Because of that the treatment was delivery of the 253 00:21:47.200 --> 00:21:52.319 baby. So the baby was delivered. Couldn't so that is such a rare 254 00:21:52.319 --> 00:22:00.000 situation. Usually blood pressure can be controlled at talkt a topic. Pregnancies are 255 00:22:00.400 --> 00:22:06.309 usually emergency situations. So I find it very unusual that a woman would be 256 00:22:06.430 --> 00:22:11.910 sent to an abortion clinic for an ectopic pregnancy. Right, hyper EMMESSIS GRAVIDERREM 257 00:22:11.349 --> 00:22:18.299 is no indication for abortion. That's an elective abortion. As far as for 258 00:22:18.500 --> 00:22:26.779 my opinion, that's a woman who has decided that she can't deal with this 259 00:22:26.140 --> 00:22:30.849 and so, as a sidewalk counselor, I would urge her, if her 260 00:22:30.930 --> 00:22:38.369 obstetrician has recommended this, that she find another obstetrician and get help to get 261 00:22:38.529 --> 00:22:48.000 her through the hyper emesis because again, I've taken women through very difficult hyporemesis 262 00:22:48.200 --> 00:22:56.119 where there were underlying gastric issues with this, with the pregnancy superimposing itself on 263 00:22:56.240 --> 00:23:00.390 that, and we got the women through it. There's there's no indication in 264 00:23:00.549 --> 00:23:06.269 that. So again it's hard if the if the if the obstetrician has referred 265 00:23:06.390 --> 00:23:11.670 the patient for the sidewalk counselor to say that. So again that idea of 266 00:23:11.869 --> 00:23:18.099 delaying long enough, and usually hyperremesis occurs in the first trimester up to about 267 00:23:18.220 --> 00:23:22.660 fifteen weeks. Well, pregnancy abortion, as you all know, is legal 268 00:23:22.740 --> 00:23:27.529 up to twenty weeks in North Carolina, and so she can, you know, 269 00:23:27.769 --> 00:23:32.609 she can wait until we could try to find help for her so that 270 00:23:32.730 --> 00:23:37.049 she wouldn't have to abort the pregnancy. Right. And the other what was 271 00:23:37.130 --> 00:23:41.839 the other condition? That you the baby already dead is one that we do 272 00:23:41.079 --> 00:23:45.799 here. A live which to me is is so tragic, because their doctors 273 00:23:45.880 --> 00:23:52.279 send them to the abortion center for a DNC because it's less expensive than the 274 00:23:52.880 --> 00:23:57.430 hospital. And that is true, but I just can't imagine the pain, 275 00:23:57.589 --> 00:24:02.430 the emotional pain, of wanting a child that has died and then sitting in 276 00:24:02.549 --> 00:24:07.150 a room with women who are electing to to kill their child. So maybe 277 00:24:07.190 --> 00:24:11.740 you could address that. What what are some options we can recommend for those 278 00:24:11.140 --> 00:24:15.940 MOMS, assuming they're not lying. Sometimes they are lying. Well, I 279 00:24:17.099 --> 00:24:22.220 actually didn't realize that women were being referred to the abortion clinic with a dead 280 00:24:22.299 --> 00:24:29.130 baby. That that's very unusual, because my practice was made up primarily of 281 00:24:29.250 --> 00:24:33.569 of the low income women in Charlotte. I mean we took care of all 282 00:24:33.930 --> 00:24:38.400 comers. We took care of everyone. But if a woman presented to the 283 00:24:38.480 --> 00:24:44.720 emergency room or if we found in the clinic, and these are women who 284 00:24:44.759 --> 00:24:48.480 have no insurance, self pay, they aren't citizens of this country, we 285 00:24:48.680 --> 00:24:52.430 sent them to the emergency room and they would not be sent to an abortion 286 00:24:52.509 --> 00:24:57.109 clinic, they would be put in the hospital in hat undergo a DNC. 287 00:24:57.509 --> 00:25:03.630 So I I don't I'm I think they're all lying to us. Then I 288 00:25:03.549 --> 00:25:07.339 don't know, Vicky, I know that we've, I mean I've encountered a 289 00:25:07.500 --> 00:25:11.140 few situations and I know you have act, even with some follow up with 290 00:25:11.500 --> 00:25:15.819 the dead in particular, where I knew they were telling the tree they were. 291 00:25:15.059 --> 00:25:18.500 Yeah, and I think it is. That is you of cost. 292 00:25:18.900 --> 00:25:23.369 The abortion center will do a DNC for less than four hundred dollars in early 293 00:25:23.490 --> 00:25:30.009 pregnancy, and the hospital charges, I would say, four to FIVEZERO dollars. 294 00:25:30.529 --> 00:25:34.289 So I think that's the difference. And still yet, though, at 295 00:25:34.329 --> 00:25:38.759 least from my perspective, I want to still encourage them. I mean no, 296 00:25:40.240 --> 00:25:45.200 no doctor will, almost no doctor aspires to be an abortionist. That's 297 00:25:45.559 --> 00:25:49.190 and so going into an abortion clinic with a doctor who's quite likely like the 298 00:25:49.309 --> 00:25:55.670 local doctors here, Dr Ron Vermonti and Susan Alberta. They're not good doctors 299 00:25:55.710 --> 00:25:57.349 and I wouldn't, I wouldn't, put my dog in their care. So 300 00:25:57.470 --> 00:26:00.150 that's one of the things that I use as an encouragement to get them away 301 00:26:00.150 --> 00:26:03.420 from the abortion center. Well, I think that's I think that's wise. 302 00:26:03.500 --> 00:26:08.460 Counsel. Like I say, I don't have any experience with it and the 303 00:26:08.539 --> 00:26:14.660 women that that I have seen who have had that horrible experience have been sent 304 00:26:14.740 --> 00:26:18.329 to the emergency room. Now maybe in you know, another healthcare setting, 305 00:26:18.890 --> 00:26:23.369 maybe they do send them to the abortion clinic. But, as I said, 306 00:26:23.369 --> 00:26:27.369 that's that's not something that I've had an experience with. But we need 307 00:26:27.450 --> 00:26:33.880 to seek an alternative to give these women yes, ortible. I know locally, 308 00:26:33.960 --> 00:26:36.799 and Edith, maybe you can speak to this, since you have connections 309 00:26:36.839 --> 00:26:41.839 here in Charlotte. We will refer them to the low cost MED clinic. 310 00:26:41.960 --> 00:26:45.559 Is that what it is, Vicki, with the physician's Residence Clinic? Yeah, 311 00:26:45.759 --> 00:26:48.710 here in Charlotte and and and in fact, that that leads to one 312 00:26:48.750 --> 00:26:52.589 of our questions with edith, which is just really beautiful at that she has 313 00:26:52.670 --> 00:26:57.670 offered she has a vision for exactly this issue. That I think is great 314 00:26:57.829 --> 00:27:03.740 and that maybe would be possible in any city where you're seeking to promote life 315 00:27:03.740 --> 00:27:06.740 as opposed to abortion for MOMS of high res. So, but I don't 316 00:27:06.740 --> 00:27:08.819 mean jump jump into that, edith. What is that vision of what you're 317 00:27:08.819 --> 00:27:15.769 hoping to do, at least here in Charlotte, with regard to the other 318 00:27:15.009 --> 00:27:19.529 clinics? That's right, that's right. So the reason this came to my 319 00:27:19.690 --> 00:27:25.009 mind as we were, as we are, working in counseling with women at 320 00:27:25.049 --> 00:27:29.130 the abortion facilities, particularly at plan parent, who had here in Charlotte, 321 00:27:29.130 --> 00:27:33.079 a number of women, as Daniel and Vicky no, will say, well, 322 00:27:33.079 --> 00:27:37.799 I'm not going here for an abortion, and so I when I've been 323 00:27:37.880 --> 00:27:40.319 there, I've said, well, there are other places that you can go, 324 00:27:41.079 --> 00:27:45.190 and I'll mention the mentions of the residence clinic, which is where I 325 00:27:45.349 --> 00:27:51.309 worked for years with with the pregnant diabetics there, and they will say, 326 00:27:51.430 --> 00:27:53.990 which is probably true, well, I can't get an appointment for three months. 327 00:27:55.710 --> 00:28:02.700 So we we I am trying and have we're working on a list of 328 00:28:03.099 --> 00:28:08.420 other clinics where physicians work in the community, that are low cost and that 329 00:28:08.619 --> 00:28:17.329 do sliding scale. Self Pay Medicaid, those types of coverages that low income 330 00:28:17.450 --> 00:28:21.049 home people have, as well as insurance. They'll take general insurance. So 331 00:28:21.609 --> 00:28:26.170 I think what we can do is, if we have a list available to 332 00:28:26.369 --> 00:28:30.319 give these women, we can encourage them not to go into the facility at 333 00:28:30.319 --> 00:28:37.319 all and certainly if they say well, as they do say, well, 334 00:28:37.480 --> 00:28:41.200 it took me a month to get disappointment and I really need to go in 335 00:28:41.359 --> 00:28:45.349 here, I'll I say to them, when I've written down the names of 336 00:28:45.390 --> 00:28:48.470 these clinics, I've said, well, you know, really, the next 337 00:28:48.509 --> 00:28:52.150 time you need to get this refilled, why don't you make an appointment at 338 00:28:52.230 --> 00:28:57.140 this clinic and not go to a clinic where they do abortions? And because 339 00:28:57.299 --> 00:29:06.380 obviously they're establishing care at planned parenthood with these non abortive care, with the 340 00:29:06.500 --> 00:29:10.329 not abortive care, and then when they get pregnant, look where they're going 341 00:29:10.410 --> 00:29:14.049 to go. Yeah, and I just think we need to steer the pat 342 00:29:14.170 --> 00:29:19.289 the patients away from from planned parenthood for doing anything. Yeah, absolutely, 343 00:29:19.369 --> 00:29:22.970 I agree with that. Yeah, you also talked about that. You are 344 00:29:23.049 --> 00:29:30.559 hoping to find coalition of high risk doctors that are pro life that would be 345 00:29:30.640 --> 00:29:33.319 willing to consult with the women, as you have offered, for free, 346 00:29:33.559 --> 00:29:38.869 Pro Bono at least just for initial consultation to kind of steer them away from 347 00:29:40.109 --> 00:29:45.950 that crisis moment at the abortion center. Correct what what I'm hope being, 348 00:29:47.190 --> 00:29:49.829 and I have a I can't say that it's going to happen, but I'm 349 00:29:49.910 --> 00:29:57.180 praying and hoping that we can recruit a group of high risk physicians and already 350 00:29:57.259 --> 00:30:03.299 have to on board, and one of those, who doesn't live here in 351 00:30:03.420 --> 00:30:07.690 Charlotte, has a lot of connections actually across the country and he would know 352 00:30:07.890 --> 00:30:14.130 who might be willing to be, you know, maybe on call or be 353 00:30:14.289 --> 00:30:18.170 willing to, you know, take a you know a week or a month 354 00:30:18.369 --> 00:30:25.839 to to to have that call in to talk with either the counselor or talk 355 00:30:26.039 --> 00:30:30.400 with directly with the patient and then maybe help them have hook up with someone 356 00:30:30.440 --> 00:30:37.269 in their city. So that's in the very, obviously very early stages of 357 00:30:37.430 --> 00:30:40.670 development, but I'm excited to think that we might be able to do that, 358 00:30:40.750 --> 00:30:45.190 that that sounds great and that that can be something that our national missionaries 359 00:30:45.390 --> 00:30:48.430 could start working on themselves as pulling together a list like that, because that 360 00:30:48.549 --> 00:30:53.099 would be, I think, so helpful since, as you indicated, we 361 00:30:53.579 --> 00:30:57.900 as counselors are not going to have a whole lot of pull on the mom 362 00:30:59.180 --> 00:31:03.059 from a medical standpoint, but a doctor might, I might be able to 363 00:31:03.099 --> 00:31:07.369 convince them to make a choice for life. Well, I think every barrier 364 00:31:07.809 --> 00:31:12.490 we can remove from them is is just moving them a step away from the 365 00:31:14.009 --> 00:31:18.369 door of the abortion facility. That yeah, that's that one charge I would 366 00:31:18.410 --> 00:31:22.599 give. Be as well informed as you possibly can be. Be well, 367 00:31:22.680 --> 00:31:27.359 as well informed as you possibly can be about fetal development, about high risk 368 00:31:27.480 --> 00:31:30.359 pregnancies, so that you can have an answer. You know, the Bible 369 00:31:30.400 --> 00:31:33.950 tells us we should have an answer for the hope that lies within us. 370 00:31:33.950 --> 00:31:36.990 We should be ready to give an answer and we should. We should be 371 00:31:37.029 --> 00:31:40.750 ready to give a Biblical and a Gospel Answer for questions about the Lord. 372 00:31:41.069 --> 00:31:42.630 But I think also we should be ready to give as best we can and 373 00:31:42.750 --> 00:31:48.220 answer for some of these high risk situations or just even some of the lies 374 00:31:48.299 --> 00:31:52.460 that are put out there that, like you know, such and such situation 375 00:31:52.660 --> 00:31:56.539 merits and abortion. If we can answer back and even answer back with some 376 00:31:56.660 --> 00:32:00.569 resources, with some websites, with some hey, you know statistically this. 377 00:32:00.769 --> 00:32:05.849 You know. If you can answer back with some statistics. That's helpful because 378 00:32:05.890 --> 00:32:07.769 what we're up against, especially when we're dealing with a high risk mom, 379 00:32:08.009 --> 00:32:12.690 or at least a mom who's been told that she's at high risk, is 380 00:32:12.809 --> 00:32:16.640 we're up against speaking against an authority like her doctor, her obie doctor, 381 00:32:16.799 --> 00:32:21.279 right, and of course I don't think it's very helpful to directly to say 382 00:32:21.279 --> 00:32:23.000 your doctor is wrong, your doctor stupid. That's not going to be helpful 383 00:32:23.039 --> 00:32:27.200 at all because she, whether we do or not, she views that doctor 384 00:32:27.240 --> 00:32:31.069 as an authority. But if we can speak in an informed and authoritative way, 385 00:32:31.630 --> 00:32:36.309 I think that will be helpful to push back some of that kind of 386 00:32:36.390 --> 00:32:40.029 pro abortion mentality. Would you agree with that? I agree completely, and 387 00:32:40.190 --> 00:32:46.980 especially in this subset of of a of women, because a number of them 388 00:32:47.380 --> 00:32:53.460 may not have been abortion minded, but they were, they were encouraged to 389 00:32:53.539 --> 00:33:00.450 have the abortion because of these issues, maternal are baby related issues, and 390 00:33:00.730 --> 00:33:07.849 so if we can, if we can intervene and give them better information to 391 00:33:07.490 --> 00:33:14.200 make their decision on, then those are women that that may be more inclined 392 00:33:14.240 --> 00:33:17.799 to change their minds. Yeah, and so I agree completely and I agree 393 00:33:17.839 --> 00:33:23.359 with and you know, again, I want to continually inform myself. I'm 394 00:33:23.440 --> 00:33:28.750 not an obstetrician. I'm an Indo chronologist, but I want to, you 395 00:33:28.829 --> 00:33:32.630 know, continually research and I look to the people who are the high risk 396 00:33:32.829 --> 00:33:38.710 ob doctors to inform me. I think it's good for like, if I 397 00:33:38.950 --> 00:33:45.579 can find articles that have good and uptodate statistics. Daniel, your your information 398 00:33:45.619 --> 00:33:51.859 about, you know, development for the orientation for the sidewalk counselors. That's 399 00:33:51.900 --> 00:33:57.730 all very good. I would recommend that sidewalk counselors have a little notebook that 400 00:33:57.930 --> 00:34:02.529 they have those statistics written down so that they can they'll have them at their 401 00:34:02.609 --> 00:34:08.969 fingertips on the sidewalk because in the you know, you can get anxious while 402 00:34:09.000 --> 00:34:13.719 you're there and if you if you have them at your fingertips, though, 403 00:34:13.920 --> 00:34:16.960 you can you can quote them. So I think all those things are helpful. 404 00:34:17.000 --> 00:34:22.519 Yeah, yeah, absolutely, from we have that we can give to 405 00:34:22.679 --> 00:34:29.469 them with, you know, with authority based on on the science of the 406 00:34:29.590 --> 00:34:32.670 issues, the the better decision. You know, as I say, I 407 00:34:32.829 --> 00:34:37.820 think the farther we can remove them from the door. Yeah, yeah, 408 00:34:37.860 --> 00:34:45.460 absolutely so recently it's been in the past maybe six months or so that you've 409 00:34:45.539 --> 00:34:47.019 come out to the sidewalk. Is that right? Maybe a little more than 410 00:34:47.059 --> 00:34:52.059 that right now. It was in, I think September. Okay, yeah, 411 00:34:52.889 --> 00:34:54.010 so just to kind of wrap this thing up, I want people to 412 00:34:54.050 --> 00:35:00.170 get an understanding from a physician's perspective what brought you out on the sidewalk and 413 00:35:00.250 --> 00:35:04.210 then just any other encouragement that you can give to people who are thinking about 414 00:35:04.210 --> 00:35:08.159 going to the sidewalk or who are already out there. Well, I think 415 00:35:08.199 --> 00:35:19.679 that abortion is the holocaust of this country and it's the hidden Holocaust and it 416 00:35:20.159 --> 00:35:30.429 has just been such it's the stain upon our country and upon our world and 417 00:35:32.429 --> 00:35:43.860 God's maneuvered me into caring for high risk pregnancies, in promoting life and allowing 418 00:35:44.139 --> 00:35:52.130 me to do that in my career and then part time working with what was 419 00:35:52.210 --> 00:35:59.650 then pregnancy care center here, human coalition, and then I always had the 420 00:35:59.809 --> 00:36:07.000 desire to, once I retired, to continue that through working with a pro 421 00:36:07.159 --> 00:36:13.239 life organization and I learned about cities for life and love life and I felt 422 00:36:13.280 --> 00:36:16.239 like that was where God wanted me to be. I prayed about it and 423 00:36:17.159 --> 00:36:22.269 he's allowed me to be there and I pray that our church will take a 424 00:36:22.389 --> 00:36:29.789 more active role of it is the organization and the involvement there has allowed me 425 00:36:30.150 --> 00:36:36.539 a very evengel has allowed me to be more evangelistic in my daytoday life, 426 00:36:37.059 --> 00:36:40.659 because when people ask me what I'm doing in retirement, it's so wonderful to 427 00:36:40.780 --> 00:36:45.619 be able to say that I'd become involved in it. And I will say 428 00:36:45.780 --> 00:36:49.809 sometimes I get pushed back and there's not as much there's sometimes it's not so 429 00:36:50.010 --> 00:36:55.730 positive. But that's fine because again, because love life is at its base, 430 00:36:57.050 --> 00:37:01.880 a missionary organization who wants to bring mothers in their babies to a knowledge 431 00:37:02.320 --> 00:37:08.800 of the Gospel. That's just in keeping with my desire from the time I 432 00:37:09.159 --> 00:37:15.909 came to faith to be a missionary. So I would just encourage all the 433 00:37:15.070 --> 00:37:20.590 people on the sidewalk as missionaries, to be able to do that same thing. 434 00:37:20.869 --> 00:37:23.309 It's not just the three hours or four hours Dur on the sidewalk, 435 00:37:23.750 --> 00:37:29.030 it's what you can do in your table conversation with friends, Co workers, 436 00:37:30.139 --> 00:37:36.340 etc. That you can speak out and educate people about abortion and in the 437 00:37:36.420 --> 00:37:39.860 evils of it. And what what's going on on the sidewalk and what's what 438 00:37:40.139 --> 00:37:45.570 this what what God is accomplishing through love life? Yeah, Amen, Hey, 439 00:37:45.610 --> 00:37:49.570 man edith, you've been such a blast scene. We have so enjoyed 440 00:37:49.690 --> 00:37:52.610 having you out there and I've I've seen you be able to use your medical 441 00:37:52.730 --> 00:37:59.639 knowledge to really turn people at least to be thinking that maybe this is not 442 00:38:00.079 --> 00:38:02.960 what they should be considering. So we just want to thank you so much. 443 00:38:04.000 --> 00:38:07.480 Yeah, yeah, well, thank you. It's just been a huge 444 00:38:07.559 --> 00:38:13.190 blessing for me and I can't thank you enough and I thank God and I 445 00:38:13.349 --> 00:38:19.909 look forward to to learning from from both of you and from colleagues as we 446 00:38:20.510 --> 00:38:23.269 close these places down. Yeah, Amen. Well, again, we appreciate 447 00:38:23.510 --> 00:38:28.739 edith, appreciate you coming on and we appreciate those who are listening. Again, 448 00:38:28.780 --> 00:38:30.219 as we started out, we want you to share this podcast. Maybe 449 00:38:30.260 --> 00:38:35.699 it can be an encouragement to someone else. Maybe we'll get some some physicians 450 00:38:35.739 --> 00:38:38.659 that listen to this podcast and get a burden to come in line with edith 451 00:38:38.699 --> 00:38:43.489 and her husband's vision for getting some pro life doctors. Nash Le Rallied to 452 00:38:43.610 --> 00:38:45.530 be a resource for MOMS that feel like abortion is an option for them, 453 00:38:46.250 --> 00:38:50.250 and so share this podcast. Guys. The further it goes out, the 454 00:38:50.409 --> 00:38:53.409 more of those resources can be. There's connections can be made, and also 455 00:38:53.489 --> 00:38:57.360 reach out to me, Daniel at love life dot org, or reach out 456 00:38:57.360 --> 00:39:00.280 to Vicky, Vicky at Love Life Dot Org, and just give us some 457 00:39:00.400 --> 00:39:04.559 suggestions of topics we can cover. Maybe you guys have a topic you'd like 458 00:39:04.679 --> 00:39:07.239 for us to bring edith back on for that she can speak from a physician's 459 00:39:07.280 --> 00:39:12.269 perspective. I'm sure she'd be willing to come back on and share her perspective. 460 00:39:12.949 --> 00:39:15.110 But we just again want to encourage you guys to be out there on 461 00:39:15.150 --> 00:39:20.710 the sidewalks, to be a gospel presence, out there offering help and hope 462 00:39:20.710 --> 00:39:24.219 in the name of Jesus and with that will in this thing. So until 463 00:39:24.260 --> 00:39:37.260 next time, God bless give for love, give me our love, for 464 00:39:37.460 --> 00:39:50.969 gratitude. I know it will cost me my life. Nothing's too precious in 465 00:39:51.250 --> 00:39:52.250 some you