By Frances Ayers
How long have you been pro-life?
While it took me a few years to transition from Pro-Choice extremist to Pro-Life, and one of the most vital moments in that transition occurred September of 2012, I officially “came out” as Pro-Life late 2013. During early 2013, I was pretty off-and-on about the Pro-Life label, but I was really on my way to being a full-blown Pro-Life advocate.
What led you to adopt the pro-life position?
I wrote a series of six blog posts that explained my transition, but perhaps the most significant moment happened in September 2012 when I met my Pro-Life friends Josh Brahm and Clinton Wilcox. I also got to meet Steven Wagner, who is a mentor at Justice For All, a Pro-Life organization in Wichita, Kansas. We all talked together for some time about abortion, and then I was asked a strange question (well, I thought it was strange at the time): “What is the moral difference between a child five minutes after birth and the fetus five minutes before birth?” It’s an excellent question. The viability of the child both five minutes before birth and that same child five minutes after birth was no different. The physical appearance of the child was no different. The only difference was its location–in and out of the womb–and for some reason, that child was completely, 100% able to be killed so long as it was located inside of the womb. That really hit me hard. This is just the short version of the story. The full story is so much more complex, but what really matters is that I stopped refusing to deny the preborn child the rights as a human being that it deserved.
What was the idea behind starting your group “Pro-Solution”?
For those that don’t know, Pro-Solution was a Facebook page and group dedicated to finding common ground between Pro-Lifers and Pro-Choicers, a means, if you will, to bridge the countless gaps that sit between the sides. It was meant as a forum to find and discuss common-ground issues between the sides to (hopefully) bring us all together, even if only a little. …And do you think there is a middle ground that both Pro-Lifers and Pro-Choicers can agree on? I absolutely do. Aside from abortion legality, there are a ton of things that I have come to notice that Pro-Lifers and Pro-Choicers agree on. For example, we all agree that the foster care system needs work, that every child deserves a family. We all tend to agree that the adoption system needs an overhaul so that those who want to place children for adoption are not coerced into doing so and those that seek to adopt don’t have to pay an arm and a leg to do it.
Tell us a little bit about your blog.
My blog is called “AdminRaptor’s Corner of the Internet.” “AdminRaptor” is a nickname that I got back in 2011 thanks to friends. That’s a long story, but I still cherish the nickname. Not only have I shared my story of my conversion to the Pro-Life stance in that blog, but I have also been using it as an outlet to discuss things (mostly court cases/rulings) regarding bodily autonomy and other abortion- or Pro-Life-related posts.
Do you think there is room for liberals in the pro-life movement?
Absolutely! Pro-Life Liberal right here! I have tons of friends that are Pro-Life, both Conservative, Moderate, and Liberal. The Pro-Life stance is such that it can be so inclusive to all sorts of political stances and beliefs. There are even Pro-Life Democrats and that gives me hope! The key logic behind the Pro-Life stance is that it is wrong to kill innocent human beings. Abortion kills an innocent human being. Therefore, abortion is wrong.
What would you like to see change in the Pro-life movement?
Honestly, the only thing I would change (if I could) is the hostility toward Pro-Choicers. Hear me out: We are not going to change any hearts or minds on abortion if we are spiteful or apathetic toward their arguments. The best thing we can do as advocates against abortion is openly, honestly, and above all, compassionately address the arguments for abortion-choice. We won’t convince anyone that the Pro-Life movement is a compassionate movement if all we do is call people murderers or other insults. We need to listen more. We don’t know what kind of experiences or traumas might have led someone to be Pro-Choice, or what arguments convinced them that abortion should be a legal right, but if we listen, we will learn, and we can then start to become better able to communicate our message with our peers. Do unto others, as they say.
Do you think men can play a part in the Pro-Life movement?
That’s like asking if a non-slave can play a part in supporting the abolition of slavery. Absolutely, men can (and do!) play a part! I can think of a number of men who are wonderful Pro-Life advocates (two have already been mentioned). I have seen so many more, but that is not to say that the Pro-Life stance is one of only men. It most certainly is not! I’m a woman! Abby Johnson, former director of a Planned Parenthood is a woman! Even Norma McCorvey, Jane Roe of Roe v. Wade herself is Pro-Life! I could go on and on about the wonderful Pro-Life advocates there are out there, but I’d never stop if I did. The Pro-Life movement continues to grow, both men and women are coming to the realization that the preborn human beings are children, are deserving of protection. The basic human right to life, to not be killed arbitrarily, belongs to all human beings–not just some! And both genders have every right to defend this most fundamental right!
The Liberal Pro-lifer 
“Do you think men can play a part in the Pro-Life movement?
That’s like asking if a non-slave can play a part in supporting the abolition of slavery. Absolutely, men can (and do!) play a part! I can think of a number of men who are wonderful Pro-Life advocates (two have already been mentioned). I have seen so many more, but that is not to say that the Pro-Life stance is one of only men. It most certainly is not! I’m a woman! Abby Johnson, former director of a Planned Parenthood is a woman! Even Norma McCorvey, Jane Roe of Roe v. Wade herself is Pro-Life! I could go on and on about the wonderful Pro-Life advocates there are out there, but I’d never stop if I did. The Pro-Life movement continues to grow, both men and women are coming to the realization that the preborn human beings are children, are deserving of protection. The basic human right to life, to not be killed arbitrarily, belongs to all human beings–not just some! And both genders have every right to defend this most fundamental right!”
That is probably the best response there could be to those who say I can’t say anything about abortion because I am a man.
I know several men who are very commited pro-Life advocates.
Good Morning
Please read below about celebrated filmmaker Kenneth Del Vecchio’s upcoming star-studded ANTI-ABORTION film – the only Hollywood film to tackle the pro-life/pro-choice debate.
I hope you will share this message with your friends and colleagues to further the dialogue of this most important topic.
I would be happy to connect you with Mr. Del Vecchio for additional information.
Bob Todd
For THE LIFE ZONE Part 2
http://kck.st/1C2orzL
For someone who claims to be a liberal, you sure don’t act like it. Your inability to accept criticism or another point of view or even to accept a question about your stance says volumes about your “liberal” values. Perhaps you should consider broadening your mind some more. I’d be willing to open a dialog. I asked you a question and you refused to even consider it out of hand. I am re-posing the question. WHEN do you consider the life of the mother as more important? When a potential pregnancy is life-threatening, when is the mother more important to you? WHERE do you draw the line? It’s only a collection of cells at fertilization and if that collection implants in the fallopian tubes, the mother is dead and that’s not a life – for the mother or the cells- everybody dies. So, I’m asking you again, can you step out of your black and white definitions? That’s what I was asking you to do. I was asking you to step out of your black and white statements and start to think. I expect better out of liberals. Now, If you are incapable of that, then I feel very sorry for you because you have now failed the human test.
Heather,liberal values do not imply that we agree that it is ok to take the life of a living being.We consider ourselves very open minded and support all life from womb to tomb.You,like many pro-choicers distort the truth.An unborn baby is more than a collection of cells,it it a living breathing human being which has a beating heart at 30 days of gestation.If a pregnancy is life threatening,every effort must be made to save the Mother’s life by inducing labor early,even if it means the baby may not survive.We value both Mom and baby.You repeatedly refer to the unborn child as a collection of cells,so I suggest,you watch both the “Silent Scream”by Dr Nathanson and google pictures of fetuses during different developmental stages,so you will learn the truth that “a collection of cells”,has real body parts.As for your question on where do we stand in the event of an ectopic pregnancy,we agree that a tubal pregnancy can place a woman in imminient danger and therefore the tube must be removed.At this point the embryo is not viable,and it is not considered an abortion.these are rare instances
I suggest you purchase a copy of Pro-life Feminism,edited by Gail Grenier Sweet.In the book you will find many explanations as to why being pro-life and liberal are compatible.