“Honestly, I see a lot of dark things. It’s just a lot of people who are often suffering. They act like they don’t really want to talk to you. And Planned Parenthood is basically telling these women that we should just tell them they’re going to hell!”

“We’re there to reach out to them first and foremost with love and say, ‘Hey, you need help… we have it and we can help you.’ And many women are so lied to by the abortion industry that they don’t even give us a moment.”

“I see a lot of confusion… especially from people who claim to know what we’re about (even though) they don’t want to stop and talk and have an open discussion about it. Some do, but most of the time people yell at us and call us names. A woman told me the other day she hoped I got raped.”

“I have been with Coalition Life for almost two years. I am from Missouri and have to drive 38 minutes here (Fairview Heights, Illinois)…”

“I always wanted to do something with the pro-life movement, but I never knew exactly what it would be or even what it would look like… I was actually looking for a job… and remembered Coalition Life.”

“(My favorite moments) are definitely when a woman tells us, ‘I’ve decided I can’t do this.’ Sometimes that happens on days when we’ve hit a low point, when we can’t move forward. And then someone says, ‘I’m choosing life.'”

“I remember one woman who was curious about what we had, but she was so scared that she wouldn’t be eligible for any help. I said, ‘Don’t worry about basic income… we’ve got your back. We’ll help you in any way we can.'”

“A guy stopped me and confessed that he and his girlfriend had an abortion 25 years ago. I’m 27, so the boy would have been about my age. He confessed that he wished someone had told them not to have an abortion.”

“When the situation changes, whatever else happens that day, it just rolls off you. You think, ‘I don’t care. I helped someone.’ That makes it all worthwhile.”

“(Legislators) don’t really know what they’re talking about when they try to put legal hurdles in the way of sidewalk counseling, because they often think we’re harassing these women, but it’s not harassment to say, ‘Hey, can I talk to you for a minute and just have a conversation?'”

“I want to see an end to this whole abortion industry. It exploits women and children… and it’s tough out there, but it’s about saving the babies and protecting women from the horrors of the industry.”

“Cars come from all over the country (to this Planned Parenthood clinic). Mainly from Missouri and Illinois, but also many from Tennessee, Georgia, Florida and Kentucky. Today we had someone from Mississippi.”

“I think one of the biggest hurdles for the pro-life movement is the narrative. It’s so twisted. Unfortunately, many women have to try to untangle it.”

“Many women simply don’t know that there are nonprofit organizations (that can help them) and that our whole goal is to meet them where they are.”

“They are the hands and feet of Christ and meet people where they are. They are there to tell them, ‘Hey, you deserve better.'”

‍Debra Gillie
Coalition Life Sidewalk Advisor
Fairview Heights, Illinois