“Honestly, I see a lot of darkness. It’s just a lot of people in pain a lot of the time. They have a bit of a front they put up where they don’t really want to talk to you. And Planned Parenthood pretty much tells these women that we, you know, just tell these women they’re going to go to hell!”

“We’re there to address them in love first and be like, ‘Hey, you need help...we’ve got it, and we can help you.’ And a lot of women are so lied to by the abortion industry that they don’t even give us the time of day.”

“I see a lot of confusion... especially from people who claim to know what we’re about [even though] they won’t stop and talk and have an open discussion about it. Some do, but most of the time, people yell at us, cuss us out. The other day, I had a woman tell me she hopes I get raped.”

“I’ve been with Coalition Life close to two years. I’m from Missouri and have a 38-minute drive to get here [Fairview Heights, Illinois]...”  

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

“[My favorite moments] would definitely be any time a woman tells us, ‘I decided I couldn’t go through with it.’ Sometimes it happens on days where it has been a slump, where it’s been like we haven’t been able to get any stops. And then somebody will say, ‘I’m choosing life.’”

“I remember one woman was curious about what we had, but she was so afraid she wouldn’t qualify for any help. I said: ‘Don’t worry about baseline income...we have got your back. We’ll help you in any way that we can.’”

“One guy stopped me and confided that he and his girlfriend had an abortion 25 years ago. I’m 27. So, this kid would have been about my age. He confided that he wished somebody had told them not to [have the abortion].”

“Whenever you get a turnaround, whatever else happens that day... it just rolls right off your back. You’re like, ‘I don't care. I helped somebody.’ It makes it all worth it.”

“[Lawmakers] don't really know what they’re talking about when they try to put legal barriers to sidewalk counseling, because they often think that we’re harassing these women but it’s not harassment to say, ‘Hey, can I talk with you for a moment and just have a conversation?’”

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

“There are cars from across the country [that come to this Planned Parenthood]. Primarily from Missouri and Illinois, but then we have a lot from Tennessee, Georgia, Florida, and Kentucky. Today we had somebody from Mississippi.”

“I think one of the biggest hurdles the pro-life movement faces is the narrative. It’s been so twisted. Sadly, many women find themselves trying to untangle it.”

“A lot of women simply don’t know that there are nonprofits [who can help them], that our whole goal is to meet them where they’re at.”

“You are being the hands and feet of Christ and meeting somebody where they are at. You’re there to tell them, ‘Hey, you deserve better.’”

‍Debra Gillie
Coalition Life Sidewalk Counselor
Fairview Heights, Illinois

To learn more about Thomas More Society’s fight to end bubble zones and defend Coalition Life sidewalk counselors’ rights, click here to read more.