Article courtesy of 40 Days for Life blog:

I'm often told that abortion facilities use ultrasound to let the abortionist know how far along the pregnancy is -- it apparently makes a difference in how the abortion will be performed.

But the images are for staff only -- not the mother of the child whose life is at risk. So please keep that in mind.

As a 40 Days for Life prayer vigil was under way, a young woman walked towards the Planned Parenthood facility in Sarasota, Florida with two friends. She accepted some information about abortion from a sidewalk counselor -- but she may have just taken it so the counselor would leave her alone.

As she entered the abortion center, she handed the packet to a Planned Parenthood staffer -- who quickly tossed it in the trash.

About 45 minutes later, however, the woman and her friends came back out. "They made the mistake of letting her see the ultrasound picture," said one of the friends, "and she couldn't go through with it."

The group then asked if they could have another information package. "She wasn't planning on keeping the child," the friend explained, "so now she needs someone to help her." That's exactly what happened next. The counselor told them of several nearby
pregnancy resource centers that could offer assistance for this mother and her baby.

"As they left," said Jeanne in Sarasota, "they seemed pleased. No direct action by any one of our sidewalk counselors helped save this baby. But the potential effect of the prayers of several people on the sidewalk can't be dismissed."

The truth -- and in this case it was an ultrasound picture that was worth much more than a thousand words -- cannot be denied.

An unborn baby is a human being. Just because you and I can't see him or her does not mean he or she does not exist.