"I went to college, and when I came back, they had three abortion clinics in Carbondale...this is my hometown.”

“I started volunteering with Coalition Life in April, and I just joined the staff this past summer.”

“We’re here to not only support the babies but also the women. We want to give them more options, more support.”

“I’m not a super confrontational person, so this has really pushed me out of my comfort zone in a lot of great ways. It’s good to work with a team that really firmly believes what they believe, and they don’t want to compromise on that. And they continually remind me of why we do what we do.”

“I remember this one turnaround with our other counselor, Regina. We were at ‘CHOICES’ [Note: CHOICES is one of three abortion facilities in Carbondale]. And she was talking to this couple for like 30 minutes. I could hear the guy sounding tense, you know, like he had questions, and [Regina] just continued to talk to them…”

“They turned around and didn’t come back.”

“So that was an encouraging story, just realizing that even when people sound tense at first, the love that we show through Christ—the love that I’ve gotten to see others show—has been really great.”

“Even if it does get tense at times... it’s worthwhile. We believe that human life starts at conception and that God created everyone equally in His image, and we’re just standing up for those image-bearers and making sure that the women know all their options.”

“My first [involvement with] Coalition Life was when we went to the ‘bubble zone’ meeting. It was good to see, but very frustrating, honestly—they basically stereotyped [the sidewalk counselors].”

“If would be great to just get up closer without worrying about the bubble zone, if we could—to get up there so we can at least call out and know that [the women are] hearing us.

“We say things like, ‘We’re not here to judge. We’re here to help you. We want to help you, you’ll never regret choosing life.’ And sometimes, I’m not sure if they can hear me from over here.”

“They don’t have to [listen], they can ignore us if they want to—but we want to at least know that they have this information and know that they have resources and someone to talk to.”

“I would encourage anyone that’s pro-life to do [sidewalk counseling]. Even if you’re just there to pray. This is really important work... Even if no one turns around, at least they know our presence. I just pray all the time that our presence means something. I know it does to God.”

‍Sarah Richardson
Coalition Life Sidewalk Counselor
Carbondale, 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.