God works in many different ways. At some points in our lives, He makes it obvious, showing us exactly what He wants and expects from us. But at other times, He moves quietly—almost mysteriously—making connections and unleashing His grace without us realizing it until years later, even in the most horrific of circumstances.
Such was the case for Sonia Torres who, at the young age of 19 years old, found herself working at an abortion clinic.
Baptized in the Catholic faith, Sonia’s family wasn’t what you would consider to be practicing Catholics. They would go to Mass on holidays for Christmas or Easter, but that was about it. Still, the path to her job in the abortion industry started innocently enough.
In need of an income, Sonia’s mom began searching through pages of jobs and advertisements that could fit for her daughter until she came across one at a gynecology office looking for a medical receptionist. After her mom secured her an interview, Sonia went in and learned that the gynecology office offered pap smears, helped with birth control, and also did “pregnancy terminations.”
“They asked if I would have a problem with that. And I’m like ‘pregnancy terminations? I don’t see why not,’” Sonia recalled. “But I had no idea what that was. I was 19.”
Sonia got the job as the receptionist at a private clinic in Houston, Texas, owned and run by Dr. Richard Cunningham. It was on the 10th floor of a small building off the freeway, and she initially loved working there.
“I loved it because I got paid well,” Sonia said. “I’m answering phones. I’m talking to patients. I’m doing all the stuff I really wanted to do. And it was all women. I didn’t have to see any men or anything like that. So, that’s what kept me there. I was working with women, helping them, and getting paid good money.”
It didn’t take long before Sonia’s eyes began to be opened to the reality of just what her clinic meant by “pregnancy terminations.” In just her first month working there, the office manager invited Sonia to see the back, where she encountered the recovery room, the lab, and more.
“On the shelf, he had little specimen cups, the ones that you take with you when you go see the doctor,” Sonia remembered. “That’s where he would put the babies who were 12 weeks and under. He had them all lined up on that wall.”
The office manager explained to Sonia that she was looking at “terminations” and that they have to keep them for a certain amount of time just in case the woman comes back and not everything was taken out. Then, she took Sonia to the recovery room to see the freezer and the bigger parts.
“When she opened the freezer, you couldn’t really see the babies or the body parts or anything like that because it was in a red bag and put in a gallon-size Ziploc bag,” Sonia said. “It all just looked like big, bulky pieces of meat.”
Sonia was shocked by what she had seen, but she didn’t think much of it. She was young and just brushed it off as part of the job. Within that first month, she was already in the back helping the doctor, even though she was hired to be a receptionist. But that experience allowed Sonia to see even more red flags.
“Sometimes, as the doctor would be pulling all the pieces out during an abortion, the whole body would come out,” Sonia recalled. “And sometimes, you could just see the head kind of squished. If you have kids or have seen a baby doll with a squished head, you know what I’m talking about. My daughter had a baby doll like that, and that’s how it looked in real life. It was horrific.”
Moments like this didn’t cause Sonia to panic. She just felt numb and realized that to do this job, she had to be a whole other person. But it wasn’t just the dismemberment of babies where Sonia began to see red flags.
Dr. Cunningham would often manipulate the measurements of babies’ heads to make them small enough in reports so that he could perform the procedure. But he would still charge the women top dollar for the abortion.
Then, on another occasion, a woman came to the clinic who appeared to be at the legal limit for an abortion. She said she was just opening up a business and already had two kids, so she wanted an abortion. Dr. Cunningham told the woman that it would be a two- or three-day procedure, given where she was in her pregnancy. The woman then asked if there was anything he could do to shorten it. Dr. Cunningham told her that he would see what he could do. He then inserted many more laminaria (seaweed sticks that dilate the cervix) than is standard practice and told the woman he wanted her to do some walking when she got to her hotel room. Because the hotel was just across the freeway, the woman decided to walk to it rather than take a taxi.
As Sonia recalled, “That night the answering service called the office manager because the woman had been bleeding and the doctor never answered. She ended up going to the hospital, and she died. She did not make it for her next appointment. The hotel said that she left the floor in her room soaking in blood.”
Sonia often thinks of that woman and her family, wondering if they even knew why she died.
“I always wondered about that, if her family knew what she died of—that she went to Houston for an abortion.”
After the woman’s death, Sonia’s abortion clinic immediately began making plans to cover their tracks in anticipation of an investigation from the state. But nothing happened. Dr. Cunningham kept his license and continued performing abortions for years to come.
The incident had a significant effect on Sonia emotionally, but she still remained working for the clinic. However, deep inside, it felt like a big hook tugging on her to leave.
“Things began to click for me, and I started to realize that abortion is not a safe thing for anybody,” Sonia said. “If this can happen to this woman, what about the others who have had abortions? They could actually bleed to death at home.”
While the woman’s death wasn’t the final straw for Sonia to leave the abortion industry, the horrific situations she witnessed began to pile up. And God—in this perfect timing—began to work on her heart.
“My husband started going to church after his mom died of cancer, and at first, I didn’t want to go with him,” Sonia recalled. “But then, my insecurities began telling me that somebody was going to take my husband. So, I started to attend church with him, and God had a plan.”
When Dr. Cunningham and other co-workers learned about Sonia and her husband going to church, they began to question whether or not she would continue working at the abortion clinic. At first, Sonia told them that she would continue working there, but then she accepted Christ, and things changed.
Sonia gave her two weeks’ notice, and immediately Dr. Cunningham questioned why.
“Dr. Cunningham heard I was leaving and asked me, ‘what is the problem? Is It because you’re going to church?’” Sonia remembered. “Then, he asked me how much money I want to stay. And I told him that it’s not about the money. It’s because what we’re doing is wrong, and this is not what I want to do anymore.”
With that, Sonia left, while her co-workers mocked and made fun of her. But God’s graces were just beginning. Sonia had married her husband after about six months of her beginning work at the abortion clinic. They had wanted kids right away but couldn’t get pregnant the whole time she worked there. But as soon as Sonia had quit her job, she found out she was pregnant.
After discovering the good news, Sonia called her former office manager who had told her after she left, “We’ll see if you ever get pregnant.”
“When I left, my office manager told me I was serving a false God. So, after I found out I was pregnant, I called her and said, ‘remember about my false God? Well, I’m pregnant,” Sonia said.
After Sonia left, the clinic still remained open for years. Then, a few years ago, Sonia heard from a friend that it had closed and that the building was demolished. She believes the closure was because Dr. Cunningham retired, but she wasn’t sure. Sonia felt immediate relief when she heard the news and prayed that it was for a good reason.
“I’m praying that the clinic closed for a good reason because I worry for the souls of Dr. Cunningham and my former co-workers. I just hope they really changed their mind on abortion and what they were doing,” Sonia said. “But at least there’s one less place for them to continue their evil works in killing these babies.”
While Sonia’s decision to quit the abortion clinic didn’t lead to its immediate closure, she can now look back and see God’s grace sprinkled throughout the ordeal. After Sonia’s husband began going to church, she soon followed. Then, after she began going to church, she brought God’s grace to her clinic. After Sonia left, she found out she was pregnant and a few years later, the clinic closed for good—demolished. It’s almost as if God was moving quietly—mysteriously—unleashing His grace throughout the whole process without Sonia ever realizing it until years later.
Today, Sonia’s faith continues to grow. While it’s not always easy, she feels fully committed to serving Christ and putting an end to the abortion industry. She posts a lot on TikTok about abortion and helps serve at a local pregnancy center.
“I’m just living life and trying to be Christ-like,” she said. “I’m not perfect, and I don’t have a perfect life. But I strive every day to have a relationship with Christ by doing what’s right.”
Sonia has also remained close with And Then There Were None after she found out about our ministry from the Unplanned movie. After emailing us, Sonia immediately heard back. She’s attended all three Healing Retreats and found even more grace.
“I didn’t know I needed healing because I already had Christ. He has forgiven me for my sins. Why do I need healing?” Sonia said. “But the connections I made were amazing. I had found a whole other world of ladies who had gone through the same thing or even worse than I had.”
Now, Sonia is excited to be featured in the upcoming film UNTHINKABLE, Abby Johnson’s shocking exposé of the abortion industry’s dirtiest secrets.
“It’s time for everybody to know the actual truth from actual people who worked in the industry,” Sonia said.
As she awaits the film’s premiere and moves forward in her life, Sonia still can’t help but think about those still working in the abortion industry.
“There’s no amount of money that’s worth your life, your mental life. Keep your eyes on Christ because He will provide,” she advised.
But it was her recent trip to the March for Life that has been tugging on her heart the most.
“When we were walking down the street in Washington, coming back from the March, they were showing the pictures of the babies’ bodies,” Sonia recalled. “That doesn’t affect me as much anymore because when I see that, it’s not even as bad as what I actually saw. But that made me think: who was that? Talking about myself. Who was that whole other person that worked in that abortion clinic? No normal person would work and be able to do something like that. It’s horrific. It’s bad. And I don’t want that for anybody.”