The Invisible Woman

 I’ve done it before, but never all by myself. Today was a first.

Most people drove by without casting a glance in my direction, or if they did see me, they acted as if I was invisible. I wasn’t. But I wasn’t jumping up and down or shouting either. I was easy to miss with my sign and rosary beads in my gloved hands. 

I sat back from the sidewalk so as not to impede foot traffic. One man jogged by, and several older women strolled by. Many others simply rushed past. One young woman stood nearby as she waited for the metro bus. Still, I remained invisible. One lady smiled as she walked her dogs out for a day in the sunshine after four gray, rainy days. She saw me until she saw my sign, Pray To End Abortion.

Six cars entered or exited the driveway to my left, leading to the professional center that houses two businesses. One is Planned Parenthood. I sat a couple of feet from the entrance. A young woman flipped me off as she drove in a bit too fast. As she gestured, the underframe of her car banged hard on the entrance incline. The loud clang and ensuing jostle echoed my visibility. Another young woman drove by and gave me a thumbs down. She saw me, too.

Perhaps I was more visible to younger women, the generation that has marinated in the lie that abortion is simply a woman’s right to control her own body. I fear for this group of women, my daughters’ generation and younger. In my generation, there was a sense that extinguishing an unborn life might be wrong. Abortion was certainly not something to “tweet” about or mention in casual conversation.

If you’ve read this far, perhaps you are thinking: I am just one person, what can I do? I want to tell you that you can do a whole lot. You can pray the Rosary and the Divine Mercy Chaplet, spiritual weapons that make a difference in the battle between good and evil. You can move mountains.

You can be visible. You can pray. You can join your local 40daysforlife campaign.

Can a woman forget her nursing child, or show no compassion for the child of her womb? Even these may forget, yet I will not forget you. (Is: 49:15, NRSVCE)