ABORTION PLANS GIVE WAY TO NEW LIFE
Ruth, a native of Ghana, West Africa, credits the Life Center of Long Island with saving not only her life, but also the lives of her triplets. It was on a trip home to visit her grandparents in 1997, when she was 24, that Ruth became pregnant. Shortly after returning to the U.S., she discovered the life-changing news after going to a medical clinic in New York.

"They told me I was sick but they didn't know that I could be pregnant," Ruth recalled recently. "Then I got really sick and was sent for a sonogram. That's when I found out I was having triplets.

"I had planned to go to nursing school. But now I knew my life was going to change. My boyfriend was in Ghana. I couldn't tell my parents because in Ghana you have to be married before you are pregnant. I was so depressed because I had no one to talk to. I thought of killing myself.

"I was crying at the clinic. I said I wanted to do the abortion. They sent me to a social worker. When I was talking to the social worker, a nurse came with a phone number. She said, 'Before you make a decision, call this number."

Today, Ruth and her triplets are healthy as a result of that compassionate act. The phone number was for Life Center of Long Island, a crisis pregnancy center that provides free counseling, pregnancy tests, vocational training, baby clothes and medical referrals to women in Ruth's situation.

"The social worker called the number for me and was told to bring me over right away," Ruth continued. "A lady took me into a room and talked to me, because I didn't know what to do."

A video about a baby's development from conception to birth changed Ruth's mind about having an abortion. "The video really touched me," she said. "I never even knew what my baby looks like in the womb. I saw my 3-month old baby in the womb. I found out if I do the abortion, I'm going to kill that baby. I said I'd go home and think about it."

Although Ruth believed her pregnancy would end her plans to go to nursing school, counselors at the Life Center reassured her she could
pursue a nursing degree when the children were older. Ruth decided to choose life. Her three children -- Keith, Kimberly and Kevin -- were born three months premature. Volunteers from the pregnancy center helped care for the children, provided Ruth with a year's supply of diapers and accompanied her to doctor's visits. When the babies were 10 months old, Ruth's boyfriend asked to see them. She and her children traveled to Ghana for a three-week stay.

"When I was ready to leave, my boyfriend proposed to me," Ruth said. "He wanted me to live in Ghana. We got married."

Her story doesn't end there. While in Ghana, Ruth met another woman facing a crisis pregnancy. She donated baby clothes and encouraged the woman to choose life. "After I helped her through everything, I decided to open up a Life Center in Ghana," she said.

Today, Ruth and her husband are the proud parents of the 4-year-old triplets and another daughter, named Amy. Although her life took an unexpected turn, Ruth is extremely grateful for the support she received from the Life Center of Long Island. "I know they helped save my life and my babies' lives," she stated.

Ruth has postponed her plans to attend nursing school, but she is happy about her choice. "This is not what I really wanted to do with my life," she admits. "But I know why God put me here. I have these precious children. I am enjoying what I am doing now. I am really doing good."

The Life Center in Ghana has been in operation for three years. It provides free pregnancy tests, vocational training, baby clothes, and abstinence education. In that time, more than 400 women and children have been saved, Ruth reports. "God has plans for everybody. If I had aborted these babies, I could have died trying to save my plans for nursing school."

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