How one woman’s gentle comments changed me from a pro-choice liberal democrat into a staunchly pro-life conservative catholic republican.

In my past life, I was a very liberal Democrat, even during the Reagan era when it was not popular to be so. I assumed the pro-choice viewpoint was the modern way of things and pro-life was old-fashioned. I didn’t even give it a second thought. I always said that while I would personally never have an abortion, like most pro-choicers, I was against the coat hangers in back alleys. Safe legal and rare.

Years and married with 3 kids later, realizing the struggles I had been having in life could be helped by Jesus, I announced to God that I would like to know the truth, and I was not sure which truth to follow as there were so many! I asked Him to show me the correct truth and promised I would be open to it even if it takes me down some weird scary path.

Putting on my detective cap, my investigations led me to this Cell group with a local Catholic church we were attending. During one of the discussions, a lady said, “I am pro-life and all, but I just don’t know how I feel about when a young girl gets raped and is then pregnant.” Another lady, who scared me in the way stern older ladies in the Catholic Church sometimes scare younger moms, suddenly had this look of complete gentleness as she explained,” it is a horrible thing for a young girl to be raped, but to add to that horror by then committing another horrible act is not the right way to help her”. Well, it went something like that anyway.

I was completely blown away.

First, this was the first time I had actually ever heard of anyone that was actually pro-life! Up until now, I had assumed that all people had accepted abortion. This lady was even an OB nurse and she refused to do abortions. This was so foreign to everything I had ever thought.

Second, I realized a fundamental truth that changed my life forever: An Unborn baby is just as important as the pregnant mother. I had always only considered the pregnant mother, and the injustices done to her. I had literally never thought of the unborn baby as a person. Suddenly, tears fell from my eyes and I was able to see things in a way I had never before seen them. Once seen they cannot be unseen. You cannot go back.

24 years or so later, I reflect on this life-changing conversation as I read about the March for Life in the news. While Roe V Wade has been overturned, now it is up to us. Speak often and gently. Ask questions. Explain. Do not judge harshly. Let people know that the babies are people too. Let them know abortion is not only an injustice to the unborn child, but to the mother as well. Speak with love. Like this older gruff lady, let a light shine in you when you speak of this issue with others. You will never know when you will change someone’s life. She never knew.