Ruth Institute Blog

ORLANDO, FL, April 25, 2005 (LifeSiteNews.com) – Angele, a single mother in her thirties with two children, thought that abortion was the answer to her circumstances. At almost 23 weeks gestation, she entered the EPOC Clinic in Orlando, Florida. Little did she realize that the next day she would give birth to a live, perfectly healthy boy whom she named Rowan. Cradling Rowan’s moving body, her screams for help were ignored by abortion clinic workers while her son took his last breath.

The clinic is known for late-term abortions and its well-known founder, Dr. James Pendergraft. A few years ago he served time in a federal prison regarding an alleged scheme to extort the city of Ocala, Florida by means of his other abortion clinic in that city.

On April 1, Angele was given Valium and laminaria were inserted in her cervix to begin dilation. She was told to return the following day. On April 2, Angele took prescribed medicine to induce labor. Cramping and crying, she went to the clinic and knocked repeatedly on the door. Eventually someone came and directed her to a room that had dried blood on the wall. She was given a blanket that was still wet. She began to bleed and go into labor. Despite her cries, no one assisted her. After one hard push, the baby was born, fully intact and definitely alive. Angele said, “His right leg moved. He curled up a bit, like he was cold; I screamed but no one came.” She pleaded for the clinic workers to call 911 but they did not.

Angele caressed and comforted her son by rubbing his back, tummy and chest. “I stroked his precious little head and kept telling him I loved him and we would be okay,” she said. Still no one came to help. Eventually Angele, holding the baby still attached to the umbilical cord, ran to get her cell phone. Help did not arrive in time. Rowan took his last breath. “After a few minutes I realized for certain that he was gone. I picked up my son. I held him to my chest. I rocked him and prayed. I could not stop crying,” said Angele. “I felt so bad. I felt so helpless. I had been so wrong to come here … I wanted to fix and change everything once I saw Rowan’s precious little face and body. All we needed was someone to get us to safety,” Angele said.

Mathew D. Staver, President and General Counsel of Liberty Counsel, which represents Angele, told LifeSiteNews.com “Angele’s baby Rowan’s birth and death unmasked the tragic abortion and infanticide that occurs every day in America. Most victims are nameless and we never hear about them. We need to replace the abortion rhetoric with a culture of life.”

Staver recalls: “When I visited baby Rowan at the funeral home and saw his precious little body, fully formed with blond eyelashes and growing fingernails, I wondered, ‘How can we continue to kill our children and hide behind the rubric of choice?’” He added, “Rowan’s short life will not be in vain if his story can give life and hope to mothers who believe their only choice is abortion. We must protect our precious, innocent children. We must extend a healing hand to mothers like Angele.”

Found here.