Marilyn Carroll and Carmen Vasquez are two of my pro-life heroes. These courageous, loving women have fought to save the lives of preborn children from abortion for over 30 years. I first met Marilyn and Carmen over ten years ago when I stood with them outside the Summit Medical abortion mill in Bridgeport, CT. I heard rumors about these bold lifesaving ladies and I wanted to witness their work firsthand.
I quickly realized that what I heard was absolutely true. I was blown away by the fearlessness they had when confronting women choosing abortion. These ladies define what it means to be faithful sidewalk counselors. They are warriors and Summit Medical Center in Bridgeport was their battleground for decades. As women came for abortions, Marilyn and Carmen called out to them to choose life. Many women listened to their passionate pleas and decided to cancel or walk out of their abortion appointments. Through this amazing outreach Marilyn, Carmen and their pro-life team helped to rescue over 2,397 preborn babies from death. In addition Marilyn and Carmen have lead over 422 women to receive Jesus as their personal Lord and Savior. The work they’ve done in saving lives has made an immeasurable impact that will carry on for generations to come.
Just this past year I stood again with Marilyn and Carmen at a special service celebrating the closing of Summit Medical Center in Bridgeport. The service was a memorial to the countless babies that have been killed by abortion as well as a time of thanksgiving for the closing of the abortion mill. During the memorial service I was deeply moved to hear testimonies from mothers who choose life. They spoke of the ways in which Carmen and Marilyn provided them with mentorship and practical resources to care for themselves and their children. Marilyn and Carmen have worked not only to save babies lives from abortion but they’ve also developed lasting relationships with their mothers and fathers.
Marilyn and Carmen are a part of a pro-life ministry lead by Reverend Rusty Thomas named Operation Save America. The website for their organization shares this stirring description,
“Operation Save America unashamedly takes up the cause of preborn children in the name of Jesus Christ. We employ only biblical principles. The Bible is our foundation; the Cross of Christ is our strategy; the repentance of the Church of Jesus Christ is our ultimate goal. As the Church changes its heart toward unborn children, God Himself will hear from heaven, forgive our sin, and bring healing to our land. We believe that Jesus Christ is the only answer to the abortion holocaust. It is upon our active repentance in the streets of our cities that the Gospel is visibly lived out. We become to the church, to our city, and to our nation living parables which rightly represent God’s heart toward His helpless children.”
On September 21-25th Operation Save America will be having a regional event in New Haven, Connecticut. Thankfully, Marilyn, Carmen and the Operation Save America team in CT have not ceased their life saving work. After the Summit Medical Center in Bridgeport shut down they moved their outreach to another abortion mill. They are now outside the Planned Parenthood in New Haven, CT multiple times a week.
This important regional event will have a number of activities including; ministering at the New Haven Planned Parenthood, local high school outreach, evangelizing at the New Haven green, campus ministry at Yale University, nightly rallies for praise and worship and more. Lunch will be provided daily and there are dynamic Operation Save America speakers scheduled nightly. Marilyn and her husband Danny and Carmen and her husband Al are some of the most committed pro-lifers in this nation. This event will be a time to learn from the very best. Anyone with a passion to end abortion, save preborn lives and minister to women and families in need should attend.
For more information contact: Danny and Marilyn Carroll at 203-444-8047 or by email at marilynprolife@aol.com
