Urban battleground

Black History Month: Overall abortion rates are falling, but the black abortion rate remains stubbornly high. Pro-life leaders hope black pastors and a push for more crisis pregnancy centers in large cities can make a difference | Lynn Vincent

Lillie Epps remembers the exact moment when she discovered her life's work. It was the winter of 2003 and Epps was working as executive director of Care Net Resource Pregnancy Center in Hampton, Va., when a young African-American woman came into her office.

The woman, who was about 18 or 19 years old, had had a late-term abortion about a year before and couldn't escape the emotional fallout. She began sharing her story with Epps and before long, broke down.

"I can still hear my baby's heartbeat!" the young lady sobbed.

"All my counseling skills just went out the window," said Epps, 53, who holds a doctorate in ministry. "I got down on the floor with this girl and cried."