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Heartbeat of Miami
- 07/21/07
- 12
Around here we know John Ensor as the author of a couple of books I’ve reviewed: The Great Work of the Gospel and Doing Things Right in Matters of the Heart. But there’s more to him than his books. Last year he took the position of Executive Director of the Urban Initiative Program of Heartbeat International. He is now leading an initiative in Miami, Florida called Heartbeat of Miami, working in an area that has no fewer than 37 abortion clinics. Previously he served for fourteen years as President of A Woman’s Concern Pregnancy Health Centers.
Heartbeat of Miami recently opened their first Pregnancy Help Medical Clinic in Hialeah. Tragically, just days after opening the clinic, thieves broke in and stole the new $35,000 ultrasound machine that had been loaned to them by a partnering clinic. Ultrasound machines are, for obvious reasons, on the front lines of the battle against abortion because once women see a living child inside of them they are much less likely to destroy that life. Their latest newsletter shows a staff member standing joyfully beside the new equipment on July 9, and then shows an ominous photograph of a broken window on July 13.
The newsletter says, “Police are treating it as a targeted attack. Someone/group wants to stop us. They may also have had a plan to fence the machine, but most likely they came here because they heard what we were doing and targeted us. Nothing was taken except the machine.”
You can read about the crime in this newsletter or look at an article in the local news that has a summary of the story. Do pray for John and his staff members and for the important work they are doing in the Miami area and beyond.
I am a follower of Jesus Christ, a husband to Aileen and a father to three young children. I worship and serve as a pastor at 
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Comments (12)
I’m curious about the reasoning for the ultrasound theft. Can we produce any quantifiable data that suggest once a woman sees her unborn child, she is less likely to have an abortion? If that’s the case, it’s a fact that I wasn’t really aware of.
great pt. i think that even if there is no study to definitively “prove” the pt about ultrasounds turning women off to abortion, i know from personal experience that some women do change their mind when they see their baby.
i think studies can show whatever the pollster intended to prove, so they arent that valuable. besides, if an ultrasound were to change the mind of one person, that would be good enough for me.
peter
great pt. i think that even if there is no study to definitively “prove” the pt about ultrasounds turning women off to abortion, i know from personal experience that some women do change their mind when they see their baby.
i think studies can show whatever the pollster intended to prove, so they arent that valuable. besides, if an ultrasound were to change the mind of one person, that would be good enough for me.
peter
Did any of you catch Focus on the Family this past week? This very issue was discussed. In using the new 3-D ultrasounds, it was estimated that 45,000 children were born rather than aborted. The director of one clinic stated that of all of the women who had seen their child using the 3-D ultrasound, only a handful went on to have an abortion.
Is this anecdotal evidence? Of course it is. However, I will assume that those on the front lines know what they are talking about when they state that the 3-D ultrasound machine isone of their greatest tools in helping women to change their minds about having an abortion.
Rob
I had an ultrasound, and still had an abortion. The people giving me the ultrasound called it a mass of tissue… Which seemed to nullify the vague view of a heartbeat. Today’s MRI images are not so vague… And God-willing, they are leaving an indelible impression of a life growing in the womb… A miracle to behold.
Oops… I meant ultrasound images, not MRI.
It is tragic that someone would steal such a thing. I remember the first time I saw my twin boys in an ultrasound. There was no question in my mind that they were human life. (by the way I like your blog and added it to mine as a link)
This is a raging battle. It reminds me of the great song called The Blessing by John Waller and the great verse it comes from…
This day You set life You set death right before us, This dayEvery blessing and curse is a choice nowAnd we will choose to be a blessing for life
As a soon to be new dad, this ministry is one I am really thankful for.
I don’t have any hard data to support this, but check with people who work in clinics and they’ll assure you it’s true, I’m sure.
The ultra sounds take a blank imagination and fills it with reality. Like if you were not present at the birth of a child and recieved a photo.Who needs data I have seen my child -grand child it thrills the mind and soul.It is also why they no longer have public hanging or executions in reverse.And why war is auto-considered Bad when actually it is neither good or bad with out truth or law considering the moral or justice and purpose.(self defense,survival,or conquest.)
This sad story makes me wonder how this crime would be treated under the so called “hate crimes” legislation (if it were found that the perpetrators stole the machine because of their opposition to pro-life causes). I wonder if the proponants of such laws have considered that it might not only be their causes that would be affected.
About women seeing the realities of abortion: how often do you see Hollywood portraying a woman having an abortion in a movie or on a TV show? Even they are savvy enough to know that if women (and men) were to “experience” the brutal reality of an abortion vicariously through the media, support for the so called “pro-choice” position would dwindle.
The theft of the device has been a part of a larger problem. I call it the theft of medical equipment. The amount of medical equipment that has been stolen in overwhelming. The other problem is that the State of Florida has been in the forefront of this problem.
Over a 18 month period 1997 to 1998 about $3 millions dollars worth of medical equipment was stolen from hospitals and other medical facilities.
The items most targeted are and were endoscopes, ultrasound machines or their probes, defibrillators. There have been a number of people arrested for stealing these devices. It’s still an ongoing problem that has not been written about in law enforcement circles.
As a former police officer and detective with a federal agency, I have been collecting data in regards to this problem. I have spoken to law enforcement agencies around the country to give them an overview of the problem.
If you are interested in are interested in any further information please contact me.