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ERIE, Pa. — After two decades as an Air Force nurse, it was time for Maj. Laura Merriott to retire, and she had the perfect place: a secluded home that fronts a gurgling creek in northwestern Pennsylvania.
There, she could sit on the deck with her husband of 32 years and plan trips to visit her sons and siblings, scattered across the country. Most often, when she sits under a thick canopy of trees, Merriott is thinking about babies and how she can save them by writing a check.
Through her nonprofit foundation, Save Unborn Life, Merriott, 65, has given 77 women who were considering abortion $3,000 each in exchange for carrying their babies to term. A staunch Catholic, she got the idea for the unconventional ministry, which she runs out of her home, when she learned nearly three-quarters of women who have abortions cite financial hardship as a reason.
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