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October 12 at 11:46am · Erie · WELLNESSJennifer GrahamFriday, June 24, 2016Meet the retired nurse who pays women not to have abortions 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. “If money makes a difference, I thought, why aren’t pro-life people standing up and saying ‘we’ll help you'? It does make a difference. We make an offer, and hopefully they’ll choose life and have no regrets,” Merriott said. As a nurse, Merriott was present for the birth of about 100 babies and helped to deliver two of them. Other than her own two sons, it’s the babies pictured on two bulletin boards full of snapshots that have brought Merriott the most joy. They are babies she believes would have been aborted if their mothers had not connected with her organization. “They (the mothers) are so happy, and most of them say, ‘I can’t believe I considered having an abortion,’” she said. “This is what I envision happening across the country.” All she needs, she says, is to get the word out – and for more donors to come forward. So far, nine people, besides Merriott and her husband, are listed on the group's website as major donors, meaning they give $3,000 or more. She accepts donations in an (fb)