It has taken Cindy Sweeney 24 years to make the short, four-hour drive from Fond du Lac, Wisconsin to Clinton, Iowa.

As a college student in the late 70s, Cindy's father drove her to see a doctor in Clinton —the place where all young, pregnant girls went before "it" became a baby. There is not much from that day she wants to remember, but she does recall the doctor talking about the "procedure." As he talked, the practice was like nothing of consequence. Cindy was not so sure.

"I remember walking out of the doctor's office thinking, 'If it was nothing, if it wasn't a baby, then why do I feel so bad?" she said.

The decision she made to abort her child was one of the blackest days of her life.

Cindy never could have imagined wanting to return to this small, mid-western town. These days, she has a good reason: to celebrate the pregnancy center's re-grand opening as the first recipient in the United States to receive an ultrasound machine through Focus on the Family's Option Ultrasound ™ program.

Over the years, Karen Abbott, Executive Director of the Pregnancy Center, has heard countless stories just like Cindy Sweeney shared. The struggle between abortion providers and her center has been difficult. At times, the fight for life seemed like walking on a treadmill.  But at barely five feet tall, Karen's courage and determination helped her endure the challenges pregnancy centers face in their daily battle to save the lives of mothers and their babies.  

Through the good and bad times, Karen has remained a rock in the community. Her face has never told the trials she encountered, even during the week of the celebration: from her grandson's sudden illness, to car trouble, to the death of a family pet. She meets these setbacks like any other hindrance, with praise in her voice and love in her heart for the Lord—and for the pregnancy center's affect on the community. While preparing its transformation into a medical center, she knows every single day—every single child—has been worth the fight.

After cutting the ceremonial ribbon, the audience joined in a chorus of "To God Be the Glory, Great Things He Has Done."  They understood why the glory and honor goes to Him.

Clinton, Iowa, has come full circle, from a place of death to a place of life.  This ribbon-cutting ceremony was a pivotal moment in pro-life history. It marks the beginning of a program that will help centers in all 50 states publicly draw a line in the sand and say, "We are no longer forced to sit by and watch babies destroyed, families ripped apart, women suffering."

For Cindy, the message Option Ultrasound ™ sends is much more personal. After 24 years, she still grieves her decision, but she rejoices the truth is available for any woman considering abortion as an option.

"You can lie to yourself, you can be lied to by doctors, and you can be lied to by abortionists, but ultrasound pictures don't lie," she says. "Ultrasound tells the truth about life.  Finally, the truth will get out there."

Here at the Pregnancy Center a child receives life—and mothers are spared the pain of a decision they can never take back.

"When Dr. Dobson proclaimed that an ultrasound machine would be placed in this town, I felt such a redeeming power!" Cindy says.  "The redemption, the restoration, the healing that comes to me knowing I can think of Clinton, Iowa as a place of life, not death, is incredible."