Pro-Life Thoughts

Becoming an Active Pro-lifer

By: Erin Ruppelt, WKU class of 2013, past secretary of Hilltoppers for Life

                It all started when someone encouraged me to attend a pro-life meeting in the fall of my sophomore year. I thought, “Well, I am pro-life and I know most of the people who were going to the meeting, so why not.” Little did I know that my passion for being pro-life would tremendously change the next three years.

                Considering my faith, I’ve always considered abortion to be wrong. I didn’t know any facts or details about what all abortion entails. I didn’t necessarily know how to defend my beliefs. Joining Hilltoppers for Life at Western Kentucky University has transformed my beliefs about what it truly means to be anti-abortion. I believe that every event and meeting I participated in has made me who I am today as an active pro-lifer. Stretching myself and becoming the first secretary pushed me further in taking a leadership role and teaching others what it means to defend life. I learned that if you are pro-life and want to see Roe vs. Wade overturned then you need to be active. That’s just what I did.

As our group grew larger and stronger, I grew as a pro-life individual that become a better defender of life. Events such as Life Week, educational meetings, tabling on campus, and foremost the March for Life and Students for Life of America (SFLA) Conference in Washington D.C helped me to grow into an active pro-lifer. The SFLA Conference instilled in me that I would never want to be anything else but pro-life. Nationally recognized speakers motivated us to make a difference and to not be afraid. Hilltoppers for Life winning Runner-up Group of the Year at the conference gave us the confidence to continue to fight for the unborn. A couple of weeks before graduating from WKU, I stepped outside of my comfort zone and became a true voice. I attended a pro-choice event and spoke about my beliefs openly, with deep discussions about why I’m pro-life and why abortion is wrong. I was on a pro-life high after that event. I was so proud to be pro-life and belong to Hilltoppers for Life.

As I move onto graduate school I plan to remain an active pro-lifer. Life is a fundamental right given to all of us and should not be taken from the preborn. I will continue to voice my opinions and speak against abortion. Joining HFL has changed who I am today and I’m grateful that I’ve been called to defend such a cause. As Students for Life of America has engrained in my head, “I am the pro-life generation and I am courageously abolishing abortion.”