Everyone loves a big moment. The fall of Roe v. Wade.  Students taking on their school administrators and winning.  A pro-abortion Republican loses their primary in an upset.  These events go viral- they capture our attention and buoy our resolve to fight for Life.   

As Students for Life of America’s (SFLA) Capital Area regional coordinator, I had my fair share of big moments, but it is the smaller moments that don’t make the news that bring meaning, life, and passion to my work.   

The fight for the preborn isn’t a battle against flesh and blood, but a spiritual one. In any fight, there are highs but also lows. I’ve experienced both. In those low moments, I do not recall any significant victories. Instead, I remember a handful of conversations when I witnessed someone change their mind about abortion.   

These moments do not make the national news, but they are the lifeblood of the pro-life movement. They are the reason that I have hope that one day, abortion will be unavailable and unthinkable.   

Student Came to Debate but Changed Her Mind  

I was a guest speaker at a high school in a religion class. I was aware that many students were unhappy with my presence, and I did my best to present the pro-life position accurately and in a positive light.   

When it came time to answer questions, one girl’s hand shot up. I called on her, and she said, “I came here ready to debate you, but what you said actually makes a lot of sense, so I have a different question now.” She was so matter of fact that the whole class chuckled. Instead of debating, we ended up having a good conversation about what it means to be pro-life from birth to death. This interaction reminds me that the facts of the pro-life message speak for themselves when people are willing to really listen.   

A Softened Heart to the Pro-Life AND Pro-Family Beliefs  

Another meaningful moment happened just this past semester. I visited the University of Maryland Baltimore, and a young woman walked up to me, looking ready to pick a fight. She demanded to know whether I was “truly pro-life or whether I was just pro-birth,” listing a bunch of policy platforms to try and determine the answer to her question. I answered her by saying that I am proudly pro-birth if that means I am against abortion. However, I am also pro-life from conception to natural death. I told her that while we may not agree on every policy position, there are several things that SFLA does to support families, such as the Standing With You (SWY) initiative. As I spoke, I could see her body physically relax. My answer was so far from what she expected that she let her guard down and began to actually listen. By the time she had to go, she thanked me for talking to her and said that we were doing good work.   

This conversation reminds me that you never know how a conversation will unfold and that a gentle response can genuinely make all the difference.  

Protester Turned Curious  

During the Think Before You Drink Spring Tour, I set up a display at Towson University. Some students and I drew a small but angry protest, and several students attempted to get us kicked off campus. We mostly ignored the group and focused on having conversations with interested students.   

However, one of the protesters approached and began reading our signs. I approached her and asked if I could walk her through the information. When she agreed, we had a brief conversation about water pollution caused by abortion. Later on, I heard several protesters insulting me and my students for being ignorant. The student I had talked with interrupted them and said, “Actually, the girl was really reasonable.” I laughed a bit at myself at the surprise in her voice. I think of this interaction when I get protesters, and it reminds me that it is always worthwhile to at least attempt to engage with them. You never know who might be willing to lend a listening ear.   

Young Men Need the Pro-Life Message, Too  

I spoke at another religion class and walked the students through basic pro-life apologetics. When class ended, a young man approached me and asked if abortion was still wrong, even if the mom making that choice was in high school. He seemed to be wrestling with how to balance his belief that abortion kills babies and his sympathy for teen parents. 

I expressed my own sympathy for young people who find themselves in such a life-changing situation and reminded him that abortion changed someone’s life as well. I encouraged him to live with a pro-life sexual ethic and step up to the plate if he ever faced an unplanned pregnancy, reminding him that people can do hard things.   

It seemed from the look on his face that no one had ever told him that before. He considered everything that I said carefully and responded thoughtfully. Later that day, I had a group of young men come up to me and say that I had opened their eyes about the reality of abortion. They did not realize it was so violent. These interactions serve as a reminder to me that young men need to be reached with the pro-life message. They are willing to learn, and eager to hear.  They become excited by the fact that they indeed have a voice on this topic, and that they can make all the difference in an unplanned pregnancy.   

One of My Students Changes a Mind for Life  

One of my all-time favorite stories is about the time I first witnessed one of my students change their mind. It was at Mount Saint Mary’s University that we held the What is a Person? event. We had several great discussions, but at one point, I stopped to listen to a student’s conversation.   

He was talking with another young man. The student said that he was pro-choice but did not support abortion in the later stages of pregnancy. The pro-life student was trying to walk him back closer to conception. 

He asked him, “What is the difference between the baby right before and right after viability? Before and after a heartbeat?” Eventually, the expression on the pro-choice student’s face changed. You could quite literally see the lightbulb go off in his head, and he changed his mind on the spot!  

The pro-life student was beaming. Part of the reason I love what I do is because I get to see the change of heart on Life in real time.   

“You Changed My Life”  

I had just given my very first presentation at an all-school assembly and was left feeling like I had blown it. It did not help that one girl sitting in the front of the room glared at me for the entire presentation. I set up a table in the lunchroom in the hopes of starting a Students for Life group at the school. A girl came up to me and said, “Hi, I just wanted you to know that you changed my life.”   

She teared up, gave me a hug, and went on to explain that she always considered herself pro-choice. All her friends were pro-choice, and the only pro-life people that she had ever met were “60-year-old women.” She said that hearing a young woman talk about abortion had changed her mind and that she did not previously think young women could be pro-life.   

I was blown away.   

Whenever I wonder if I am making a difference, I think of this young lady. Her humility and willingness to change her mind in the face of peer pressure is an example to me, and her words remind me of the importance of the work that I do. Today’s young people need other young people to talk to them about abortion, knowing that being pro-life is the best option.   

These are just a few of the stories that I could tell. Between the big victories, remember that smaller battles are being won every day with truth and grace. Share the stories of the little moments because they can have a considerable impact.   

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