“Dial 911, that is a crime occurring,” they were told, according to Pojman. “No one can be coerced, it may be an assault.”
“We stayed on public property, we didn’t trespass,” McClung told CNA. “We called police and were peacefully praying.”
When police arrived, the counselors told the police they were available to help. When the girl and her mother came out, the sidewalk counselor emphasized to the young woman that it was her decision not to have an abortion. She gave the girl her name and phone number.
While the teen’s mother did take her to Planned Parenthood a few days after the incident, she again decided not to abort, McClung reported. A local maternity home has offered to help the young woman.
“That girl is extremely courageous, because she had to go against her parents’ wishes, which should not be taken lightly,” Pojman continued. “But in extreme situations where parents (are) forcing abortion on a minor who clearly does not want it, it is time to step in to intervene, to work with the parents if possible but also to involve police and courts.”
Pojman said the incident sparked the realization that many in the Austin pro-life community lacked a process for how to help coerced women.
“Be familiar with the law,” he suggested. “Have attorneys available to take these cases.”
“No person, whether adult or a minor, should be in anyway coerced into having a procedure she doesn’t want, especially an abortion.”
McClung recommended materials from the Center Against Forced Abortion (CAFA), a project of the San Antonio-based Justice Foundation.
“We had spoken about it before and we had a protocol in place but this was the first time in practice.”
Allan Parker, president of the Justice Foundation, said the Austin case shows the need for attorneys willing to help women being coerced to have abortions.
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Coerced abortion is “extremely frequent” in America, Parker claimed.
“I have spoken with hundreds of pregnancy resource centers. They say it is a very frequent problem.
CAFA has produced a “Dear Parent” letter which often suffices to stop parents from coercing their daughter to have an abortion by noting the illegal nature of their intended action.
“Most parents think they can make the decision because they’re the parent. They don’t realize that it’s illegal.”
“The best thing for pro-life clinic demonstrators to remember is to tell the young woman: ‘No one can legally force you to have an abortion. Period.’
“If the girl herself will continue to tell that to the abortionists, most abortionists will not perform an abortion, though some have.”