The story of Jonathan Davidson.

Many of you have probably watched the video of the clinic workers who left Douglas Karpen’s late term

abortion clinic that eventually resulted in new legislation ending abortions after 20 weeks in the state of

Texas, but there is a fascinating backstory that started in Houston, TX years before that illustrates how

God’s perfect will permeates all of our lives. And it serves as a reminder of why it’s so important to stand

in front of abortion clinics and pray.

Source video: Three clinic workers confess: http://youtu.be/9fhyJItGPko

This is the story of Jonathan Davidson, which is one story among a countless number reflecting the

faithfulness God.

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The National Review recently published an interview with Deborah Edge who is one of the women who

confessed to the many horrors she witnessed while working with Douglas Karpen. In the interview she

stated, “In my years at this facility I had been approached by the people praying outside and I would

ignore them. Then one day in 2011 I saw a young man dressed in a suit. He had a small pendant on his

jacket that signified life. He would park his SUV on the side of the road and pray at the gates of the

facility. I thought to myself, “WOW what dedication to God.” One day, I decided to see what he would

say to me. That was the day I learned of Abby Johnson and her organization And Then There Were None.

He didn’t have her contact information on him at the time so he gave me his email and told me that he

would get it for me. He begged me to leave the industry and assured me that Abby would help me. I

remember thinking that it all sounded ridiculous. Who would want to help me? I was their enemy,

right?... I didn’t know if anyone could help me further, but I decided to call Abby. I was sure they weren’t

really interested in helping someone like me, but I didn’t have anything to lose. The first time I spoke to

her, it seemed unreal. That guy who prayed outside our clinic had actually been right.” – National

Review

Source: http://www.nationalreview.com/article/352427/leaving-abortion-texas-interview

When I read this quote I knew exactly who she was talking about – in fact I remember receiving a phone

call the day the “man in the suit” spoke to her. I didn’t know it was at Karpen’s Clinic -- or even who

Douglas Karpen was at the time. I just remember Jonathan Davidson calling me and telling me he had

talked to two clinics workers that day who had come down to chat with him. He was excited because he

felt like they were listening. As I read the interview I was reminded of the first day I met Jonathan in

front of Planned Parenthood years earlier.

He was dressed in a suit.

And that told me he wasn’t there for an abortion. I decided not to talk to him and stayed on the far

corner of the block. Another pro lifer, Mary Hanley, walked down the block and pointed to him and said,

“Steve you really need to talk to that young man.”

“The guy in the suit?”

I told her I would think about it, but I’d already decided I would not be talking to him. I had never seen

anyone show up in a suit to an abortion clinic. I thought perhaps he was a pharmaceutical sales rep or

someone else trying to solicit their business. He also didn’t look like he was in the mood to chat.

Fifteen minutes later Mary Hanley returned to the corner and said, “You really need to talk to him.”

Mary Hanley had an amazing story of her own… her husband had divorced her after revealing he had

been secretly gay their entire marriage, she had recently lost her job, and she had lost custody of her

two children. She had every reason to be sitting at home angry at God, but her response was to stand in

front of the Planned Parenthood holding a porcelain newborn baby in her arms singing praises to the

Lord. Because she was one of my main inspirations for being out there I decided to talk to him as a favor

to her. As I walked closer to him I could see that he had tears in his eyes – my assumptions about his

reasons for being there might have been wrong? I asked him why he was standing in front of the

abortion clinic and he said, “I’m here to end abortion.”

That was a surprising statement. And so I asked him, “Why do you want to end abortion?”

And then he shared with me how his relationship with his girlfriend could not be salvaged because of an

abortion. Initially I thought he was the father but then he explained that she’d had an abortion before

they ever met and that he couldn’t fix her. And so he decided that no other person should have to suffer

like that – and his solution was to show up at the headquarters of Planned Parenthood of Southeast

Texas and convince the CEO to stop providing abortions.

And then he walked straight into the abortion clinic.

A few minutes later he was escorted out by an off duty police officer working inside. And so I offered

him some pro life pamphlets and suggested that he start his quest to end abortion with a smaller goal.

He immediately began handing out leaflets to the employees of the clinic and even followed them to

their cars asking them to reconsider. This brought out the police officer who told him the parking lot was

private property.

I hadn’t done a very good job of explaining the rules.

And so for the rest of the day he stood with us. I told him I was surprised that he was here because of an

abortion that occurred before he met his girlfriend. I thought back to all of the women I had dated who

shared the pain of their prior abortions and my pathetic reaction. It never occurred to me to drive to a

clinic and try to stop that from happening to others. God had to hit me over the head with a

sledgehammer. Jonathan was different… he was sensitive to the suffering of others in a world that had

become desensitized to abortion. And he possessed one other special gift.

Jonathan had the special ingredient sometimes missing in the pro life movement: courage.

He informed he was the top financial planner in his office but that he was so unhappy with his life that

he was going to quit his job and move to Saipan. I asked about his relationship with God and he told me

that he was an atheist for most of his life and that he became a Christian in college, but that he had

turned away from Christianity and was now an agnostic. I knew that God never sent warriors who were

not his sheep. Jonathan didn’t know it at the time, but God was waiting for him on that sidewalk.

Mary Hanley was stationed there for a reason that day. And she was probably the only person who

could have talked me into reluctantly participating in God’s plan. I’ve noticed I’m often the Jonah

character in God’s unfolding storylines. ;-)

We spent years together in front of that clinic. Many of you watched the video of David Allen on the

steps of city hall before his trial – Jonathan Davidson was holding the mic while we shot the video. He

even went into the Planned Parenthood fundraiser and played the piano until they realized it was him.

My last day with him at the clinic he was stopping every car before it entered the clinic and talking to

the driver and the passenger before handing them literature. The guy next to me said, “I’d like to be like

him someday.”

And before long that gentleman was handing out literature too. Courage is contagious!

I eventually moved to Charlottesville, VA and then Dallas, TX … but I remained in touch with Jonathan

who would occasionally share his stories with me. And then one day he told me he’d become a Catholic

and I couldn’t believe my ears.

How did that happen?

Jonathan hadn’t shown any signs of becoming a Catholic in the years I stood with him, although he had

great admiration for their pro life work. We had met a young anesthesiologist, Mary Catharine Maxian,

praying in front of the clinic one day, actually she was on her knees crying. She said she was a crying

because there were no other doctors standing outside of the clinic and then a pro lifer told her, “You

should be rejoicing because you’re going to be the one to recruit the other doctors.”

And that’s exactly what she did! She started Healthcare Professionals Life.

And although he wasn’t a doctor Jonathan Davidson participated in the organization along with several

other wonderful pro lifers. The healthcare professionals would stand once a month in their scrubs and

witness to the clinic workers. One of them was a Catholic neurologist doing his residency at the Texas

Medical Center. I remember him well because my wife had invited him to participate in Healthcare

Professionals for Life… he seemed quiet and unassuming from my previous interactions with him.

All of that changed on his first day on the sidewalk. He transformed before our eyes. I remember

Jonathan Davidson being greatly impressed with this young doctor’s boldness. I had no idea that the

neurologist’s decision to participate in the pro life movement would have such a profound effect on

Jonathan.

God’s had another storyline that was unfolding unbeknownst to me. The two of them became friends

and that young neurologist began to disciple Jonathan from that day forward. And so we see the

complex tapestry of God’s will and what happens when people are obedient. Instead of showing up to

an empty sidewalk and leaving for Saipan – Jonathan was met by one of God’s faithful servants (Mary

Hanley). And instead of focusing solely on a promising medical career God used the faithfulness of an

anesthesiologist to start a pro life organization that would introduce Jonathan to another member of

God’s team who also showed up to the clinic out of obedience.

And all of those moments and those people led to Deborah Edge, a late term abortion clinic worker,

who saw man in a suit praying and thought, “Wow…what dedication to God.”

The glory is God’s dedication to Deborah Edge and to the man that God sent, and all the people that

prayed leading up to that moment. This happens every day but we don’t know the series of events that

were orchestrated by God to rescue and redeem His children. There are so many other Deborah’s who

are waiting for someone to answer God’s call and stand outside of their clinic and pray.

And there are so many Jonathan’s waiting to be fed God’s word and become His faithful servant. So

many young men and women who are thirsty for the truth.

All of these blessings occur when God’s warriors show up. Thank you for your sacrifice and your

persistence. Your hard work is paying dividends and I believe someday you’ll see the faces of all the

people who were touched by your willingness to serve God.

God has a specific plan that involves specific people – including you.

It’s a blessing to be in a pro life movement. It’s a blessing to stand beside God and watch His miracles

unfold. I hope this story will motivate you to continue in your work, especially for those who are weary,

or to start anew if you’ve been wounded and on the sidelines. Our God is famous for second chances!

And our God is victorious.

“And let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not.” – Galatians 6:9

-Steve

P.S. Since I originally wrote this I’ve stood in front of closed abortuaries. Clinics closed because of new

legislation that resulted from the video of the clinics workers. I realize now that the intent of the heart is

critical. When Jonathan showed up to “end abortion” and not “compromise with abortion” he reflected

God’s will. God doesn’t negotiate with evil – He wants to end it. And so should we!

Steven Lopez

Spiritus Films

Cell: 832.882.3825

www.spiritusfilms.com