On Friday, June 7th and Saturday, June 8th pro-lifers throughout Wisconsin will gather on sidewalks to pray and peacefully raise awareness on the dangers of the birth control pill. Fifty-four years ago, the Griswold v. Connecticut U.S. Supreme Court ruling (June 7, 1965) legalized contraception and established “privacy rights” that paved the way for the Roe v Wade ruling a few years later.The purpose of our campaign is to draw attention to the dangers of the birth control pill and the fact that it does indeed cause early chemical abortions.

My personal experiences in life undoubtedly formed my pro-life stance. Being born at five months premature and expected not to survive, I could've easily been a perfect candidate for a second trimester abortion, but my parents chose to give me life.

Pure and perfect love and joy were not the first words to come to mind when we learned of our granddaughter’s “incompatible with life” diagnosis.  Her diagnosis was a sudden blow that hit us all hard.  For a time, we were somewhat paralyzed by fear and heartbreak. 

 As the Assembly prepares to debate and pass the Born Alive Protection Act this week, we encourage them to consider the merits of Assembly Amendment 1. Let’s make clear that Wisconsin makes NO exceptions for the murder of born alive human beings.

This movie did not meet my expectations–it surpassed them. It did not just go in depth into Abby’s experience at Planned Parenthood, but it also demonstrated some flaws in the pro-life movement that drive people away from it.

An anti-infanticide bill inadvertently allows infanticide. This must be corrected!

Will advances in this type of editing bring about inequities because only the rich will be able to afford it?  Will this be a cancer cure for all, or for only the wealthy?  Will this bring about the onset of creating perfect “designer babies?”  It’s a brave new world, but we need to be a part of this discussion! 

It was in this moment that she looked up, saw the Pro-Life Wisconsin logo on my jacket and began sharing her story so freely. “Wow! I really love your jacket!” I thanked her for the compliment, and she continued without pause. “Isn’t it crazy what is going on in some of these states with their laws saying that you can kill a baby at the very moment they’re born and even after if the mom wants it? I just don’t understand why anyone would do that when you could just as easily put that baby up for adoption and give it life. You see, my sister and I were both adopted as babies and some of my cousins were too. “

After losing her job of 20 years, she had no idea what was next, but she prayed and trusted, hoping that something would fall into place. One day the phone rang, and the conversation that came next would go on to change the course of her life.

For so long, I thought my voice in the pro-life movement couldn’t make an impact–that trying to speak out wouldn’t be worth it because I would always be silenced, even when surrounded by mostly like minded people. One simple conversation paved the way for me to rediscover the strength of my voice. One simple conversation helped me realize that I can defend my beliefs, and just because I do it differently than the average person in the pro-life movement doesn’t mean it’s any less powerful.

 “I always knew I was a ‘surprise’ baby - unplanned but welcomed into the family. What I didn't realize was that after my older brother was born, my mom had a tubal ligation surgery that wouldn't allow her to have children anymore. But somehow that surgery didn't ‘work’ and I was miraculously conceived!”

It is important to understand that abortion on demand in America, throughout all nine months of pregnancy and for any reason, has been the law of the land since 1973. Doe v. Bolton, the companion case to Roe v. Wade, is the key that unlocked this horrible legal reality.

“We’ve been told we should be able to take motherhood on our own terms - to take motherhood whenever you choose. That you’ll say when, how, on what condition. We have been lied to for years! We know that abortion affects women’s mental health and physical well-being. Telling women at the most vulnerable part of their lives, when they’re pregnant, that its the end of the world is such a lie.”

From that day forward.  Summer.  Fall.  Winter.  Spring.  I was there.  Walking, standing, praying and talking young moms and dad’s out of having an abortion.  One day, someone asked me how much time I put in.  I couldn’t answer their question exactly, but my response was, “A lot.”  I went home that night and did the math.  Over those five years, I logged over 5,000 hours as a sidewalk counselor, had witnessed over 500 babies saved from abortion personally and 620 total over those five years. 

“Being the leader of a student organization that sometimes faces adversity can be scary at times. However, I’ve really grown in my beliefs by holding this position. I consider my position as Marquette for Life’s President a core part of my identity and do not hide it.”