Pro-life advocates say ultrasound technology leads many abortion-minded parents to rethink the life of their unborn child. Seeing the unseen makes a difference.
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Contributed photo Kelly Jones McDaniel said she can’t imagine life without her daughter, Kylie Rae, pictured here being held by her older brother, Cye. |
Kelly Jones McDaniel knows that to be true. But the Raleigh-area mother of two wants people to see that Human Coalition’s Women’s Care Clinics do more than shine light on the lives of unborn babies. They make whole families visible; they welcome people into the life of a community.
When McDaniel visited Human Coalition’s Raleigh clinic (formerly called First Choice Pregnancy Solutions) for the first time in the summer of 2016, she couldn’t fathom raising another child. Although she was in a long-term relationship and had an 11-year-old son, she had little hope for a better future.
Wylie, who is now her husband, held a felony charge, she had bad credit and the family had no fixed address. Finding a goodwill landlord proved nearly impossible. “When you are homeless,” she said, “you feel invisible, like you’re not part of the community.”
Despite objections from her husband and son, McDaniel was determined to have an abortion. She thought it was her only option, until she heard heartbeats coming from more than one child in her womb.
“There were two of them, and I couldn’t do it,” she said. “I wanted to keep my babies.”
The informational ultrasound offered by Human Coalition, along with a wide range of other services, shed new light on dim circumstances.
But her change of heart didn’t alter reality. A long road still lay ahead. That’s when Human Coalition’s community network came into view.
To alleviate financial strain, supporters from local churches organized a baby shower for McDaniel.
Other supporters came together, apart from Human Coalition, to purchase a car and six months of insurance so Wylie wouldn’t have to walk miles back and forth to work. Still more people made it possible for McDaniel’s adolescent son to attend a summer camp.
That kind of community support has been ongoing, McDaniel said. It was especially important when she miscarried one of the babies.
“Their support has been healing,” said McDaniel, describing it as “the body of Christ loving on me through a time when I felt invisible and hopeless – love lifted me.”
Her daughter, Kylie Ray, was born March 1.
“I can’t imagine my life without her.” she gushed. “She’s the light of our lives.”
McDaniel said the Human Coalition community rejoices too: “It’s beautiful because I hear people pray for her, and they pray that her life is used to glorify God.”
At publication time, the family is still seeking permanent residence, but no longer feels invisible as the Human Coalition staff work alongside them to secure permanent housing. To McDaniel, that makes a difference.
“We are part of the Human Coalition community,” she said. “We know they are there for us, rooting for us to win.”
(EDITOR’S NOTE – For more information, or to volunteer or donate to Human Coalition’s Women’s Care Clinic, visit humancoalition.org/raleigh. To find out more about women's care clinics in your area, visit brnow.org/resources/sanctity-of-life.)