Abiding Hope

How You Changed Hearts

On October 14th, over 50 college students gathered at the University of Illinois in Urbana-Champaign for the SFLI Abiding Hope Conference.SFLI’s annual conference provides premiere training in biology, law, rhetoric, and more."Best conference I've been to yet! All of the presentations were powerful and invigorating!" exclaimed Abby, a senior at DePaul.Experts like Dr. Donna Harrison, the Executive Director of the American Association of Pro-Life Obstetricians and Gynecologists, and Mary Hallan FioRito, a pro-life attorney and Fellow at the Ethics and Public Policy Center in Washington, D.C. taught students the pro-life message. Terry, a student from University of Chicago, called it "tremendous and spectacular.” What’s spectacular is how the conference transforms students.Some pro-life conferences have a tendency to “preach to the choir.” Unfortunately, they can become insular.But not SFLI’s Conference.Because of our specialized training, students bring their friends who are on the fence or even pro-choice.After the first speaker, Emcee Pete Mockaitis asked students what they thought. James stood up and said, “I’m pro-choice.” He paused and everyone took a deep breath wondering what he was going to say next. He continued, “...but a lot of what you were saying made sense.”That was just the beginning. Throughout the day, James asked more and more questions.In the closing session, James announced:“I was pro-choice when I came here today...  but after learning the objective truth, I know I’m pro-life now.” He was so inspired he even asked about working for SFLI! And James wasn’t even the only pro-choice student who changed their mind at the Conference!Now, James and many students are back on campus building a culture of life."I feel more affirmed in my pro-life views and inspired to work harder for the movement" - Katie, UIUCWow, thank you for transforming students into pro-life leaders!