2018 Pro-Life Women's Conference

Friday, June 22, a few weDignify staffers and I headed to St. Louis for the Pro-Life Women’s Conference (PLWC). The 3-hour trek and shared stories from staff about past PLWCs. continued to increase my anticipation for this event.Started by Abby Johnson in 2016, the Pro-Life Women’s Conference is an annual three day event put on by And Then There Were None with a goal to bring women within the pro-life movement together, be empowered by each other’s commitment to upholding human dignity, and be reinvigorated through the powerful speakers and breakout sessions.As a weDignify intern, I was able to both participate in the conference and work at the weDignify booth, sharing our mission and vision with other pro-life organizations and attendees. As someone who has received so much weDignify, from their mentorship and small group program, I loved describing what these systems look like in action and how I have been deeply impacted by them.weDignify small group has provided me with a firm foundation of pro-life knowledge which affirms the beliefs I hold. Consistent, weekly mentorship with my mentor, Pam, continues to help me develop the skills I needed to become a confident, skilled, pro-life leader. At the conference, weDignify’s methodology continued to have an impression on other professionals and activists in the pro-life movement. People loved our vision for our culture! As a student who has benefited from weDignify’s programs, I testified to the impact of weDignify’s “inch wide and a mile deep” approach. I’ve seen first-hand that what makes weDignify’s Campus Mentor Program so effective is that there is a full-time staff member on the campus having weekly or bi-weekly meetings, one-on-one with pro-life leaders at that University. The consistency and deep investment from this mentor are what has the profound impact on student’s education, skills, and confidence. Being able to represent this organization at the PLWC was an experience like no other: this was my first time sharing what weDignify does with adults or professionals! My only experience, up until that point, had been at the college level; seeing the way people supported the need and affirmed the weDignify’s process supported my convictions. One of the things that I had been challenged to do at this conference was to find out people’s ‘why’: what motivated them to come to the conference or why they are active within the pro-life movement. CJ’s response, who works for Rehumanize International, had the biggest impact on me. I asked her why she was motivated to work full-time in the pro-life movement. CJ said that she knows what our culture looks like right now and the necessity for change. She knows the impact that abortion is having on our generation and will continue to have for generations to come. And because she knows this, she felt like she must take action. Her goal is to build a holistic culture which upholds the dignity of life through peace. Her dream is to build a culture where her job is no longer needed because people see the value each person has and defends the sacredness of life. I was and am still profoundly moved by the dedication shown by CJ and those others I met to change our world. I’m inspired by the sacrifices they are making so their vision for our future can come to fruition. By going to the Pro-Life Women’s Conference, sharing weDignify’s vision with so many, and meeting people like CJ, I am shown that this movement is on the rise and people actually care about this cause. weDignify is leading the charge in radically transforming our culture to be educated and compassionate pro-life advocates!Mary Beth Zerwic is a Summer Intern with weDignify. She is a rising junior at the University of Illinois studying History and Secondary Education.