Let Them Live: A Powerful Witness to Compassion

There are countless approaches to turning a nation pro-life: from the important legislation that must be pushed, to the changing of hearts and minds, to providing resources to women in need.

This is all extremely important and in my role as Communications Assistant for Illinois Right to Life, I am fortunate to work on all of these things. What draws me personally to the pro-life movement is the direct impact I am capable of making on so many women. IRL’s Project Love program, an incredibly important part of our organization, provides direct assistance to women so they can choose life. 

Working with women who are in the midst of making the life and death decision of abortion when facing an unplanned pregnancy is at the heart of the pro-life movement. Because of this, volunteering my time by pregnancy counseling with Let Them Live has perhaps been one of the most meaningful experiences I have had in my life thus far.

Last Autumn, I was scrolling through social media and came across an intriguing ad. Apply here to be a pregnancy counselor, it read. I was going to keep scrolling, because one of the accreditations that immediately jumped out at me was the need to have a bachelors in psychology. However, I decided to apply anyway.

When I submitted my application and agreed to the interview, I was still unsure, but felt that I needed to pursue this passion. I’m so grateful I did, because the impact Let Them Live has had on my life is unexplainable.

“Whoever saves one life, saves the world entire,” (Schindler’s List). This is one quote that validates the work we do in the pro-life movement. It validates the long hours spent talking to women and listening to them discuss their different options. It validates the constant insecurities we, as pregnancy counselors, have: diving so deeply into these womens’ private, personal lives.

There is nothing more powerful than taking part in saving a life. I didn’t realize the impact of this until the first mom I had ever counseled had her baby.

Hearing the complete joy in that woman’s voice and seeing the pictures of the baby renewed my understanding of the enormous power and responsibility we have when it comes to saving lives. I think many people underestimate the power their voice can have in another person’s life. They may believe that they don’t have the credentials, they don’t have the influence needed to be a part of this crucial decision.

However, just by looking at my results I know this isn’t true.

Women don’t want abortions. They desperately seek them when they feel they have no other option. They feel shame, or maybe guilt, or maybe pain at a broken relationship, so they look for a way to “fix” something that isn’t really broken.

When a woman gets an abortion, she doesn’t just lose her child. She often sinks into depression, can develop psychological issues and a whole list of other problems. This is the main difference between pro-life organizations and the abortion industry: Abortion advocates are there only to exterminate the child. Pro-Life organizations are there to walk women through their entire pregnancy, and so many of them even support women with supplies, parenting advice, and emotional support after birth.

When you talk to a person almost every day for nine months and hear their hopes and dreams as well as their struggles and successes, you become strangely attached to them and invested in their lives. This is a gift that Let Them Live gives to all of their pregnancy counselors: the ability to be so integrated into these women and childrens’ lives, and to know that you are personally making a real difference in the world.

I’m so blessed that I’m able to make a difference in so many different parts of the pro-life movment. Working directly with women and their babies through Let Them Live has shown me, first-hand, just how important it is to provide women with the resources they need to choose life. By helping women with the practical resources they need to choose life as well as providing legal protection and the basic facts about abortion as well as childbirth, we will end abortion one day in our country.