CHAPTER 4

The story of Jonathan Davidson

His Eminence Raymond Leo Cardinal Burke and Jonathan Davidson

The story of Jonathan Davidson

Be bold!
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 abortionist
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 didnt 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 didnt know if anyone could help me further, but I decided to call Abby. I was
sure they werent really interested in helping someone like me, but I didnt 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 from the man in the suit on the day he spoke with her. I didnt know it was at
Karpens abortion facility -- or even who Douglas Karpen was at the time. I just remember
Jonathan Davidson calling me to share his excitement that he had encouraged the workers to
come outside and talk with him, and they actually did!
As usual, I failed to see the miracle. Maybe this book should be called, A Cynics Guide to the
Pro Life Movement.
In my defense, I had spoken to plenty of clinic workers over the years, and I have never seen
anything happen. I had interviewed Abby Johnson shortly after she left Planned Parenthood, but
I knew that she was next door to where 40 Days for Life started, and it took many years of prayer
and spiritual intercession for her conversion to take place.
How much good could a single conversation have on clinic workers?
Quite a bit! Those women quit and confessed to unspeakable crimes they had personally
witnessed while working in the abortuary of Douglas Karpen in Houston, TX. Their testimonies
would shine a spotlight on the same Distract Attorneys office that was willing to invest untold
resources prosecuting pro-lifers, like David Allen.
Here is the video of their confession: https://youtu.be/9fhyJItGPko (click link to view video)

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The story of Jonathan Davidson

After watching that video, I was certain that the District Attorney and the Houston Police
Department would prosecute Douglas Karpen. In Philadelphia, Kermit Gosnell was prosecuted
and sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole, and their DA didnt have
YouTube testimony of former staff.
But in Houston, TX, nothing happened!
Only in a culture of death could a District Attorneys Office fail to convince a grand jury to
indict a serial killer, despite multiple employee testimonies directly implicating him in the
murders of babies born alive. This miscarriage of justice is a reminder that Houston is a fallen
city, where the mayor is civilly married to the campaign treasurer of Planned Parenthood and off
duty police officers work at the abortion clinics.
The gates of this sinful city will not fall without effectual, fervent prayer.
Douglas Karpen also performed abortions in Dallas, so out of frustration I contacted the head of
homicide in Dallas, TX in an attempt to have charges brought against him. Sadly, they refused to
investigate without a complaint being filed by someone with firsthand knowledge.
You can read the email exchange here: https://www.scribd.com/doc/147729592/Who-do-theyserve-and-protect
God is patient and longsuffering.
The final chapter has not been written on Douglas Karpen. The voice of the defenseless victims
cry out from the grave but even as politicians, police departments, and many churches of
Houston ignore their cries, your voice will be heard. The pro-life community must never accept
the apathy of the Houston and Dallas police departments as the final word.
The final word is Gods Word.
"Amen, I say to you, whatever you did for one of these least brothers of mine, you did for me." Matthew 25:40

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The story of Jonathan Davidson

Im here to end abortion

As I read the interview in the National Review, I was reminded of the first day I met Jonathan in
front of the Planned Parenthood in Houston, TX years earlier.
He was dressed in a suit.
And that told me he wasnt 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 Id 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 didnt 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 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,
Im 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 some of the intense pain and suffering he had experienced with his
girlfriend due to her previous abortion. Initially I thought he was the father, but then he
explained that shed had an abortion before they ever met, and that she was drowning in an
immense amount of pain even these many years later. Later he told me he wanted justice for
that child and for no other woman to have to suffer like he had seen his girlfriend suffer, and so
his solution was to show up at the headquarters of Planned Parenthood of Southeast Texas and
personally convince the CEO to stop providing abortions immediately.
And then he walked straight into the abortion clinic.

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The story of Jonathan Davidson

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 again,
who told him that the adjacent parking lot was also private property.
I hadnt 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: boldness.
He informed me that although he was one of the top financial planners in his office, he was so
unhappy with his life that he was thinking about quitting his job and moving to Saipan. I asked
about his relationship with God, and he told me that he had been an atheist for most of his life
and that he became a Christian in college, but that he had turned away from Christianity and
turned back to agnosticism. I knew that God never sent warriors who were not his sheep.
Jonathan didnt 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 Gods plan. Ive noticed Im often the
Jonah character in Gods unfolding storylines. ;-)
Jonathan and I spent the next few 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 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. On my last day with him at the abortion facility, he was
stopping every car before it entered the facility and talking to the driver and the passenger before
handing them literature. The guy next to me said, Id like to be like him someday.
And before long, that gentleman was handing out literature too. Boldness 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 that he
had become a Catholic. I couldnt believe my ears!

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The story of Jonathan Davidson

How did that happen?

Jonathan hadnt shown any signs of becoming a Catholic in the years I stood with him, although
he had great admiration for their pro-life work. In fact, he took pride in telling the abortion
workers he wasnt out there because of religion, but because abortion is wrong.
We had met a young anesthesiologist, Dr. Mary Catharine Maxian, praying in front of the clinic
one day. Actually, she was on her knees crying. She said she was crying because there were no
other doctors standing outside of the clinic, and then a pro-lifer told her, You should be
rejoicing because youre going to be the one to recruit the other doctors.
And thats exactly what she did! She started Healthcare Professionals Life.
Although he wasnt 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 abortion 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. But all of that changed on his first day on the sidewalk. He
transformed before our eyes. I remember Jonathan being greatly impressed with this young
doctors boldness.
Gods had another storyline that was
unfolding unbeknownst to me. The two of
them became friends, and that young
neurologist invited and began to teach
Jonathan the Catholic Faith soon afterwards.
And so we see the complex tapestry of
Gods will and what happens when people
are obedient. Instead of showing up to an
empty sidewalk and leaving for some remote
spot on the globe Jonathan was met by one
of Gods 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 Gods team
who also showed up to the clinic out of
obedience.

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The story of Jonathan Davidson

And all of those moments and those people eventually led to Deborah Edge and her fellow lateterm abortion workers who saw a man in a suit praying and thought, Wowwhat dedication to
God.
The glory is Gods 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 dont know the series of
events that were orchestrated by God to rescue and redeem His children. There are so many other
Deborahs who are waiting for someone to answer Gods call and stand outside of their clinic
and pray.
And there are so many Jonathans waiting to be fed Gods Word and to become His faithful
servants. So many young men and women who are thirsty for the truth.
All of these blessings occur when Gods warriors show up. And that includes many of you who
are reading this book. Thank you for your sacrifice and your persistence. Your hard work is
paying dividends, even if you never 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.
Its a blessing to be in a pro-life movement. Its 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 youve been wounded and on the sidelines. Our God is famous
for second chances!
And our God is victorious.
Let us not grow tired of doing good, for in due time we shall reap our harvest, if we do not give
up. Galatians 6:9
P.S. Ive stood in front of abortuaries which were closed directly because of new legislation that
was passed in TX and I was told that the video of the women confessing to what they saw in
Karpens clinic affected many legislators. 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
Gods will. God doesnt negotiate with evil He ends it.

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