Heartbeat Press - January 2026 Edition

 

Call the Midwife - Steady Hands in the Midst of the Pain and Beauty of Birth 

    Christmas specials are a hallmark (pun intended) of the holiday season and come from many places. Americans fondly remember the puppet-starring Rankin Bass TV movies that graced their screens from the 1960s-80s; Japan (famous for its anime) often includes at least one Christmas/New Year's themed episode in applicable series; and a wealth of ongoing series from England often build major plot developments around their prearranged Christmas specials. In fact, England may warrant some type of award for how much effort it puts into promoting Christmas via its established series and characters. Dedicated holiday episodes are so common that every well-known series not only has them every year, but they are also allowed extra runtime and take up the majority of TV programming until January. Perhaps there's something innately comforting or endearing about seeing Downton Abby characters trim a tree or about following Dr. Who as he works through a Christmas-Carolesque adventure. Whatever the case, England loves Christmas and so do its fictional characters. 

    One British series that has always adhered to this standard is the BBC's Call the Midwife. Running from 2012 to the present day, every one of the show's fourteen seasons has had a Christmas special that joyously features crisp snow, shiny gifts, soft vintage Christmas lights on a proud spruce, and a predictable but nonetheless heartwarming holiday message of hope, love, and togetherness. But beyond Christmas, this series is quietly remarkable and carries a profound Pro-Life message with many different facets. 

    Based on a book of the same name and set in a 1950s East End London that is still trying to pull itself back together after World War II, the series follows a group of midwives and nuns who devote their time to the people of Poplar, specifically the many expectant mothers who continue having children even amidst post-war revitalization efforts. The nurses, including Helen George's Trixie, Charlotte Richie's Barbara, and Judy Parfitt's Sister Monica Joan, Encounter everything from standard births, to undiagnosed triplets (delivered in the middle of a blackout), to tragedies worsened by patient interpersonal problems, all while coping with their own life circumstances. And yet, throughout every episode, each character reminds ever-dedicated to her profession and what it means to be a midwife. The depth of this has been demonstrated in multiple episodes, particularly one where nurses Trixie and Crane leap in to deliver a baby in squalid conditions without a second thought and another where the newly-minted Sister Frances must overcome her fear of working alone to deliver a compound-presenting baby. 

    Extremely Pro-Life from the get-go as a series that highlights the dignity of babies and the strength of their mothers, Call the Midwife refines that leaning in ways that go beyond a basic appreciation for life. It demonstrates the intense beauty of women supporting women, not through trite "My Body My Choice" arguments but, rather, via encouragement of ability, willingness to endure pain and fear for a child's sake, and the characters acting as strong arms for the mothers to cling to in the most intense and defining moments of their lives. In that respect, the birth scenes (which the series portrays as realistically as possible) aren't pretty, but they are undeniably beautiful. Blood and sweat predate overwhelming joy and Call the Midwife's characters are there to usher in every moment of that passage. 

    Call the Midwife also highlights its Pro-Life heartbeat in other ways besides depictions of pregnancy and birth. A series of episodes sees the midwives aiding the family of a little girl born with underdeveloped arms as a result of thalidomide. As the show's seasons progress into the 1960s, fathers are routinely brought into the drama of birth and asked to support their wives on a level that goes deeper than ever before. And Reggie, a recurring character after season six, has Down Syndrome but never lets it hold him back. In fact, Daniel Laurie's character brings so much joy to the series that characters and audiences alike are quickly infected with his upbeat attitude. All these plot points demonstrate that life is beautiful in all circumstances, a sentiment the show heartily and personally believes. Amazingly, Call the Midwife has also addressed the issue of abortion in a surprisingly realistic and somber way. While sometimes painted as a tragedy that "had to happen," the main characters are always aghast when it occurs and mourn the undeserved death rather than agreeing with the "necessity" of the act. In a time when pregnancy resource centers didn't exist, Call the Midwife's characters are beginning to ask themselves if something of the like should be available for unplanned pregnancies. 

    Call the Midwife is a show about pregnancy, birth, and the servant hands of those who minister to mothers and babies alike. But, besides that, it is also a beautiful picture of just how vital love and support are at every stage and circumstance of life. It gives a healthy demonstration of what going all-in to help others can look like and, more importantly, points out that even a little effort (backed up by gritted determination) can make a world of difference. In times of crisis (or even simple shakiness), steady hands are often needed; those who have them are the makers of miracles, big or small. 

Photo Credit: PBS.org

Still Snow

Still, utterly still

A moment held in time, mute

Broken by a sigh

Photo Credit: Pinterest - Maelys Chay's Cosy Cabin in Snow

A Chinese Restaurant

A Chinese restaurant

On Christmas Eve - warmth hangs still

Sustaining a world. 

Photo Credit: Pinterest - Inside Archive

Heartbeat Press - December 2025 Edition

A Christmas Birth - The Extraordinary Story of Unextraordinary People 

    For the past two years, Heartbeat Press' December edition has centered around the Christmas Story and the amazing Pro-Life message it holds - for mothers, fathers, and the greater population. We've discussed the example of Mary (as a profound example of what God-given peace looks like in the face of unwelcome surprises) and we've delved into the mind of Joseph (the reluctant father-turned-defender of a child who wasn't his, proving that love doesn't begin with blood). In both newsletters, we pointed out that the Christmas Story is, above all else, a tale of hope and joy and one that should be a yearly reminder that unexpected babies, no matter their circumstances, are worthy of life and love. But in this, our third exploration of the most Pro-Life holiday, Heartbeat Press wants to highlight another point, one that had little to no page space in previous years but that is still vitally important to remember. Namely, that a key reason that the Christmas Story is so spectacular and still inspires unrequited kindness to this day is the fact that Mary and Joseph were completely ordinary people - unimportant by their own rights but made capable of doing a great thing through the Lord. 

    Centuries removed from the time and place and offset by the holiday bacchanal that often bathes the nativity family in holy light sporting golden halos, most people tend to forget that Mary and Joseph were two very average people who, prior to the birth of Jesus, were not remarkable for their day, had no plans of grandeur, and were not expected to rise beyond the expectations of "success" that 4 B.C. Israel had for them. Compounding this (at the time of the Christmas Story), they were refugees and a disgraced couple (pregnant out of wedlock/accepting of a ruined woman) at whom no one cared to look twice. They arrived in Bethlehem ragged and dirty. Joseph was in the throes of panic trying to find a place for his wife to stay in an unwelcoming city. Mary was suffering through all the pains of labor and the anxiety of the uncertain. They were anything but the pristine picture of holy fortitude that we think of today. 

    And yet, even in their terrible situation, God was with Mary and Joseph. Not only watching over them from above but present in their very midst (in Mary's womb), feeling every shaky breath, rapid heartbeat, and falling tear, and glowing with pride for the couple He had chosen to be His parents on earth because they were trusting in Him, doing everything they could to bring their baby into the world safe, warm, and loved, despite their circumstances. Through dirt and sweat and blood, Mary and Joseph held onto each other. Everything was uncertain except God's goodness and their willingness to lean on that enabled this insignificant couple from nowhere to begin the most profound story of love every written. They didn't know it at the time, but their pain had a great purpose that was made far more beautiful by the emptiness (rather than polished holiday splendor) that they brought to it. 

    While missing the virginal conception aspect, writing this piece showed me that the story of Mary and Joseph (the Christmas Story) is not dissimilar to the condition of many couples that walk through the doors of pregnancy resource centers every single day. Just like Mary, the mothers may feel overwhelmed or afraid. Just like Joseph, the fathers may be lost for their next steps or questioning what they can possibly do. It the throes of "the worst moment of their lives," these couples are in emotional turmoil, they may be missing even the most basic necessities, and they feel utterly alone and unseen. They are looking for a lifeline of any sort...which the volunteers at pregnancy resource centers are uniquely placed to offer wholeheartedly. 

    This holiday season, please remember the ministry in which you have been placed and the God-given worth of  every person who walks through your doors. Despite their appearance, situation, similarity to you (of not), they are God's children, and deeply loved ones at that. They are utterly deserving of love and support, as much as you can offer, given in genuine care. They're no different than the couple we now revere as the parents of Christ, so why do "unknowns" deserve any less attention?

    At the same time, the interaction that you can have with these couples is a beautiful opportunity that God has asked you to take up. In ministering to the person visiting a pregnancy resource center, perhaps God has called upon you to display those other qualities from Mary and Joseph that Heartbeat Press has discussed in previous years. Perhaps you are meant to be that person's anchoring peace in the storm of their circumstances. Perhaps you are meant to be a strong arm to cling to. Maybe God has placed this person in your path to show you a picture of yourself in His eyes and the overwhelming, all-encompassing love that spills out as a result. Mary and Joseph were tow unextraordinary people, but God still allowed them to do an extraordinary thing. "May that be truly said of us...," that we followed God's lead when He calls us in every circumstance. One never knows what little thing will change the world, for even just one person. 

Resources: The Nativity Story, The Best Christmas Pageant Ever (1983) 

Photo Credit: Pinterest 

Applesauce

My mother made applesauce,

With fruit fresh from the tree.

Crisp and biting the smell conjured up,

The season's makeup in a moment.

Golden leaves 

and ghostly branches,

The old river 

and Thanksgiving Day.

Moth balled sweaters, 

Hot chocolate foam.

Bright white full moons and 

the cozy shuttering of windows.

...

Warm gloves,

Dried root cellar vegetables,

Window frost,

...

A breezy afternoon full of colors 

and the rain.

The apples filled the kitchen with a warm whispering steam,

And my nose itched from spices and soap.

Those were the happiest days,

Applesauce days...

...mid Autumn. 

Photo Credit: Jean Smith - Pinterest

Heartbeat Press - November 2025 Edition

Heart and Soul Work - The Story of Haywood Robinson and Noreen Johnson, Part 2   

    Previously on Heartbeat Press... After a whirlwind career as one of only two abortionists in a small Texas town, Dr. Haywood Robinson found conviction and saving faith after a soul-stirring experience, and felt that he could no longer commit abortions. Shortly after that, Dr. Robinson found a new calling within the Pro-Life movement with 40 Days for Life and has gone on to speak for life and pray outside of abortion clinics (including the very facility in which he used to practice). However, Dr. Robinson's wife, Dr. Noreen Johnson, did not share her husband's profound conversion and, while he found rebirth and forgiveness, she continued to actively support abortions, seeing them as empowering for women and a necessary service that she was proud to provide. But Dr. Johnson's heart might not have been as cold as many accused it of being, and a little spark of her husband's new purpose for life may just have found a place to grow in Dr. Johnson's own heart.
    Born in the Caribbean country of Trinidad in 1951, Noreen Johnson first found a passion for medicine while dissecting frogs in school. She loved the precision of the work and found that she had the skilled hands of a surgeon. Following this passion as she grew up, Johnson enrolled in medical school as soon as she could, immigrating to the United States in order to train at Howard University, and very quickly earned a place as a senior resident at Martin Luther King Jr. Hospital. She loved her work and, as an added bonus, met Dr. Robinson at the same time, with the pair marrying soon afterwards. However, this fruitful time in Dr. Johnson's life also had a dark side, though she didn't see it as such at the time. As part of her standard medical training, Dr. Johnson was casually introduced to abortion and the possibility of moonlighting at abortion clinics once proficient in the procedure. Jumping at the opportunity to make money and use her dexterity skills, Dr. Johnson highlighted later that this initial and seemingly small decision was the first step towards a desensitization that caused her to see babies and mothers as mere transactions instead of beautiful creations of God.
    Moving to Texas to set up a practice with her husband, Dr. Johnson estimated that, over the course of her career, she committed over one thousand abortion (including one carried out on her own sister) and that, as time went on, each one became more and more removed from any sense of guilt or hesitation because her clients were so thoroughly dehumanized in her eyes that they became nothing more than work to check off quickly. She also noted that most of the abortions that she committed in Texas where done secretively. Even though abortions were legal across the United States at the time, Dr. Johnson was concerned for her reputation and did not want to be known as "the town abortionist." So much so that, when a patient she hadn't personally referred for the procedure showed up in her office one day, she determined to quit doing abortions altogether. Not for the sake of innocent babies or because of a moral conviction, but simply because her spotless character was on the verge of being muddied.
    Even after giving up active abortion practice, Dr. Johnson still considered the procedure an essential one that should be offered. She was not Pro-Life by any means and found it quite jarring when her husband had his own faith conversion and started leaning in that direction on the life issue. But, even as she rolled her eyes at Dr. Robinson's new passion, the Lord was working on Dr. Johnson's heart also and, while Dr. Robinson's may have been the first to change within the couple, her conversion, when it happened, was the more powerful of the two. In an interview with Live Action News' Lila Rose, Dr. Johnson recalled that the example of her husband reminded her of her own Christian upbringing and early salvation, which in turn brought the realization that she had committed abortions and a feeling of guilt over them for the first time in her life. In a moment (and with eventual counseling by Pro-Life advocates), humanity was obvious in all the children she had killed and all the women she had scarred. Her heart began to ache with the thought that "every human life is worth something in God's eyes" and the offense that the murder of just one of His children causes for the Lord.
    Joining Dr. Robinson in redemption, Dr. Johnson felt a need to atone for all the harm that the couple had caused. They went through the process of learning to rehumanize the abortion victim (child or mother), they began praying outside of abortion clinics, and they joined 40 Days for Life, where they were heavily involved for many years. But, most profoundly, part of Dr. Johnson's personal road to redemption required the visualizing of every baby who had died by her hand (giving each a name and a purpose that had then been taken away). While painful, this exercise was also freeing, as it made people out of every child and showed Dr. Johnson just how much grace the Lord had for her. So much that He could forgive every murder she had committed and still have a place in His heart to lover her fiercely forever.
    Dr. Noreen Johnson passed away in 2021, at the age of seventy, but her life's message - that anyone can find redemption and that restorative action is possible - will far outlive her. Love radically changed Dr. Johnson, which she then bestowed on others around her. That, as her heart and soul, will be how she's remembered from now on. 

Sources: Live Action News, Jones Washington Mortuary.com

Photo Credit: MCC Mid Clinic.org  

Heartbeat Press - October 2025 Edition

Bedroom Sheets and Bathroom Floors - The Home Bound Horror of the Abortion Pill 

 Picture this. It's a dark, gloomy evening in mid-October and you and a close group of friends decide to kill some time (figuratively) by renting a spooky B-grade movie to watch with popcorn and fuzzy blankets thinly veiling your eyes for the "really scary" parts. After a bit of deliberation, you settle on "The Horrible Horriableness from Planet Horrible," or "The Return of the Thing We Thought Was Dead." Particulars aren't important. What is important is the fact that the movie is cheesy and better for a laugh than for a scare. However, if the movie is doing one thing well, it's using its presumably small budget to absolute effect in the blood department. Leaving its cast dripping in the gory stuff, the film should look like a veritable Red Wedding by the time it's over in order to gain the coveted shock and awe that feeds these types of films. 

    Blood, gore, and shock and awe have been parts of the horror genre since time immemorial. Over the years, the level of fluids, drenching, and degrees that films are willing to push have changed, but one thing remains the same: audiences like a good bloody scare. Disgusting but comfortably removed from reality by a healthy dose of fiction, messy and twisted films appeal to many people on a certain level, but only for so long, as they can remain secure in the fact that looking away or leaving is always an option if the horror and gore ever gets to be too much for them. But what those individuals who can't walk away from the blood, often a horror "of their own making," which has been sold to them wholesale? 

    Highlighted numerous times by Pro-Life advocates like Abby Johnson and Lila Rose and featured in expose videos by Live Action News, the abortion pill and its side effects are perhaps the most hot-button issue within the larger Pro-Life v. Abortion debate because, more often than not, the subject skirts the edge of the "personal choice" argument, with many people pointing out the empowerment and agency that the pill claims to gift women as an alternative to being poked and prodded by a doctor. The argument for the abortion pill also stands on a certainty that women are told exactly how the abortion pill will end their pregnancies so, knowing the possibilities, "why shouldn't women be allowed to willingly take a medication that brings about a reality that they want?" But, momentarily putting aside the inescapable fact that, no matter how it's carried out, an abortion ends the promising life of an innocent child (and therefore should never be allowed), other issues exist with the abortion pill that must be brought to light. For the health and defense of women if nothing else.

    These issues include: 1. the pill being a frequent contributor to partner abuse in cases all around the world; 2. the public's opinion that chemical abortion can be used as a makeshift morning-after pill when the real option fails; and 3. the fact that Misoprostol (the second pill in the abortion regime) was originally created as a stomach ulcer medication that has only been haphazardly prescribed for abortions because of the known dangers it harbors for pregnancies. But, chief among the issues with the abortion pill is the fact that it is largely sold wholesale, without proper precautions given to the desperate women who have no idea what they are about to put themselves (and their babies) through, thus completely undermining the abortion industry's boast of concern for women. 

    Time and again, women recount stories, often buried by abortion industry anger and public ignorance, where they took the abortion pill under the assumption that it would induce a heavy period, killing a child early and humanely, only to be met with the worst pain they had ever endured and the loss of so much blood that many thought they were moments away from dying. Like a veritable horror movie, women who have taken the abortion pill report feeling like their insides were being ripped out, seeing pieces of or whole moving babies pour out of them to then be washed down a drain, being so sick that they couldn't stop throwing up violently even when there was nothing left in their stomachs, and, finally, laying blood-soaked on their beds or bathroom floors, completely rung out and agonizing over the fuzzy belief that they are the only ones to blame for their current condition (completely unaware of everything about which they were not warned). Abby Johnson experienced this very ordeal personally and now recounts it as part of her bid for Pro-Life protections. 

    However, after the traumatizing experience, many women refuse to talk about what they have gone through, deeply scared by guilt and broken trust. Sadly, these are actually the lucky victims of chemical abortion. Numerous women have died post-pill ingestion from complications including septic shock (Holly Patterson being the most well-publicized) or have been severely medically damaged, which only adds to the pain of what is nothing less than a coerced solution to an "unwanted" pregnancy, with the entire situation being completely avoidable. The bottom line? As a scenario that kills a child and horrifically scares a mother, chemical abortion is the greatest injustice of the abortion industry, and yet it is not talked about because the vast majority of people will not face the horror and gore that is right in front of them. However, this is not a situation that will just disappear if enough people look away. Rather, it has to be met head-on before it takes one more life, mother or child. To that end, who will look it in the face? 

Sources: Live Action News, Unplanned and The Walls are Talking by Abby Johnson 

Resources: The Walls are Talking by Abby Johnson, Is the Abortion Pill Safe?, Meet the Doctors Saving Babies Via Abortion Pill Reversal Treatment, the I Saw My Baby Video Series by Live Action News 

Photo Credit: Adobe Stock.com  

Ghost

I 

enjoy

existing 

as  

a 

ghost

but,

occasionally, 

I 

would 

like 

to 

meet 

someone

who

sees

spirit

Photo Credit: Pinterest 

Heartbeat Press - September 2025 Edition

Culture Shock - Meeting Your Clients Where They Are  

    The world is by no means small, and diversity, many argue, makes it go around. I am personally inclined to believe this fact and, in recent months, this thought has begun to influence my Pro-Life work, specifically my work at the pregnancy-resource center that I volunteer for, where our clientele is far from bland or one-note. To that end, how can we make the pregnancy-resource center experience the best it can possibly be for everyone who visits us? Perhaps by curating it to each individual's beautiful and unique culture. But how does one do that?

    

    Step One is the acknowledgement of difference, finding joy in the beauty of that reality, and curating the humility to recognize that we may not know how to interact with certain cultures right away (due to lack of experience or knowledge). Following this, and with an honest desire to expand Pro-life usefulness, an individual should then seek to learn proper interaction because of a genuine interest in care.

    Step Two requires educating oneself. Take the time to find a culture (perhaps one whose people frequent your own pregnancy-resource center) to research and dig into everything that there is to know about it. What are your chosen culture's customs? What are its communication do's and don'ts? Are there any taboos you should avoid at all costs or that could give you relevant knowledge if they are brought up amidst emotional distress, making your ability to comfort more grounded in knowledge? Are there short but appropriate phrases that you can learn in the culture's language? What do gender roles look like? The more you know, the easier it will be to meet your clients where they are, making their experience at your center even that much more personal and productive.

    Step Three is to ask yourself which parts of your newly-gained knowledge are most pertinent and how you can implement them. What pieces of cultural understanding can you bring to your center and how much good can come from eliminating culture shock where you're able?

    Step Four is to apply your knowledge while seeking to create a positive experience for women who may be sacred, confused, and seeking any answers at all. Showing cultural competence demonstrates that you truly care about them on a level that the abortion cabal could never reach and that you are willing to do whatever it takes to give them empathy and life-saving answers on their own terms. 

    What could happen if every pregnancy-resource center volunteer were to become an expert in just one civilization and knew how to cater to it? Would internal excellence become the norm? How loved would clients feel, knowing that they will be taken care of by culturally-competent individuals? How well would the pursuit of knowledge reflect on the Pro-Life Movement as a whole - demonstrating that its members will go leaps and bounds above regular caregiving in the pursuit of excellence? As is often said at pregnancy-resource centers, their mission goes far beyond preventing abortions and providing for everyday essentials. While they whole-heartedly pursue those things, their true usefulness lies in the care and empathy that they give to their clients, often filling the void of support that causes women to choose abortion to begin with. How much better could that support be if it were customized to the experience of the client? At the very least, cultural competence meets clients where they are and opens a much wider door of opportunity then standard one-size-fits-all interactions could ever provide. 

   At my own pregnancy-resource center, I have noticed a recent influx of Somali people walking through our doors. This has sparked a general interest in their culture (as I am a naturally curious person), but it has also had me considering how we could better accommodate this significant group that the center admittedly has very little experience with. The center has made several adjustments for the Hispanic culture (because of that group's frequent presence), but there was nothing for Somalis, and I began to wonder how it must feel...walking into a room you may already be uncomfortable in that then requires you to function without resources in your own language and to interact with volunteers who don't know your experience. It struck me that, as a center, we could do so much better and, as a challenge for my own Pro-Life convictions, I took it upon myself to implement the necessary changes (Somali language signs, observance of communication do's and don'ts, etc.). 

    Hence the idea for this edition was born, and my personal drive to be the volunteer at my center who understands the Somali culture in a life-affirming way was sparked. Change does take time and dedicated continuous effort has to be its backbone or nothing productive will stick. But, as stated before, that willingness to personalize care to the individual is one of the things that sets the Pro-Life movement apart, so joy and a willingness to learn should inform action at all times. 

Resources: World Population Review 

Photo Credit: World Bank Blogs 

Heartbeat Press - August 2025 Edition

So I Married an Abortionist - The Story of Haywood Robinson and Noreen Johnson, Part 1 

    In the 1993 absurdist comedy film So I Married an Axe Murderer, actor Mike Myers plays a man so desperate for love that he dates, proposes to, and marries a woman, actress Nancy Travis, all while being fully aware that the love of his life may be a notorious and elusive serial killer. Hijinks ensue, misunderstandings abound, and in the end things just might work out all right. But what happens when similar events play out in real life, free from quirky slapstick and the possibility that misunderstandings have underpinned the whole debacle? You get the story of doctors Haywood Robinson and Noreen Johnson, a married couple who doubled as proud dual abortionists in the state of Texas. Their history begins when Robinson met Johnson in residency and was impressed by her skill for ending life (though neither of them saw it as life at the time). 

    Recounted in their book, The Scalpel and the Soul, Robinson and Johnson's first meeting occurred outside of an operating room door in 1978, as Johnson asked which of her pupils was ready to preform a medical abortion for the first time. Unlike a scene from Grey's Anatomy, where our nominal hero Dr. Robinson declares unabashedly that he will not take life, causing Dr. Johnson to fall for him and his rugged convictions, Robinson was instead eager to please the pretty attending resident. While a little taken aback by the casual attitude surrounding the procedure and one resident's refusal to preform it, Robinson hardly thought twice about being inducted into a long line of murderous doctors, thinking instead that the act was an unimpressive checkmark on his studies. Had he thought twice, the date that Robinson got with Dr. Johnson soon afterwards would have distracted him - such was his infatuation with her. 

    Marrying shortly afterwards, the couple was excited to begin their practice, and neither felt any hesitation about providing abortions as a major service. In fact, as the only abortionists in their small Texas town, both Robinson and Johnson felt that they were filling a void of care. To them, abortions were no different than elective surgery, so much so that, when Johnson quickly became pregnant and felt that a child would interfere with her work, the couple thought nothing of asking a friend of preform the procedure. Fortunately, the doctor refused and nine months later Johnson and Robinson welcomed a baby girl. But, even in that moment of intended filicide, God was working on the couple, beginning with Dr. Robinson. 

    Shortly before the birth of his daughter, Robinson attended a concert for a Christian musician that he admired. Making light of the altar-call that occurred at the end of the event, Robinson recounts to his day that he hardly noticed standing up in the midst of it with a sudden prompting that he had something to get off his chest. He found himself praying along with his fellow concert-goers and afterwards felt incredibly light for a reason he couldn't put his finger on at the time. And, while he continued to preform abortions for a few months afterwards, addicted to the paycheck that came with the specialty (as he now admits), Dr. Robinson soon felt a prodding that he couldn't continue to end babies' lives. As this realization hit him, old memories also resurfaced. 

    Years before he had met Johnson, at the very beginning of his medical studies, Robinson had accidently gotten his girlfriend at the time pregnant and, as was seemingly expected of an ambition-driven and arrogant young man, Robinson suggested that she get an abortion, even offering to pay for it. In his mind, he was in no position to become a father and one mistake shouldn't infringe on his plans. He gave no thought to the personhood of his child and never considered what his girlfriend may have wanted. He didn't even bother to drive her to the abortion clinic, choosing instead to wait for news of "success" at his girlfriend's house. The relationship quickly fell apart afterwards, but even then Robinson didn't consider that his coercion was the major factor in its failure. However, in hindsight, Robinson finally made the connection, and, while he couldn't change what he had done and could only grieve for his lost son or daughter, he also definitely determined that his medical skills had to be used to make amends instead of causing further harm going forward. Joining 40 Days for Life and eventually becoming the group's director of medical affairs, Robinson has now marched outside of countless abortion clinics, including one he frequently worked within, and is now fully committed to the mission of life.     

    In early 2025, I had the privilege of meeting Dr. Robinson in person and, though I only heard him speak post-redemption, it is evident in every word the doctor speaks that his heart-change is complete and unwavering, and that he is passionate about championing the lives he would have previously ended for a paycheck. As is so often the case, those individuals with the worst pasts find the most powerful redemption and then cannot keep quiet about their transformation. Comparing his own arc with that of former Planned Parenthood director Abby Johnson, Dr. Robinson is every-grateful for his chance to begin again, a journey he shares with his beloved Noreen, though her conversion took a little longer. 

Sources: Wikipedia, The Scalpel and the Soul by doctors Haywood Robinson and Noreen Johnson, Spirit Radio 

Photo Credit: Stockcake.com