10/13/2026
“I spoke with Arjun*, an international student from India doing a PhD in physics. In this canvassing setting, I introduce myself as a fellow neighbor and a graduate student in the divinity program. I quickly jumped to asking the other person's opinion on abortion. Arjun started by saying that he was in general in favor of abortion, saying that there are circumstances that warrant it, that there was a certain point in the pregnancy where it becomes OK, and that it should be consensual between the father and mother.
I summarized his opinion, making sure I had it correctly, then asked him what value he assigned the unborn child in the womb. He ended up saying that it was fully human and had the right to be born. I asked him how he squared this with his opinion that people should have the right to abortion in some circumstances. He hesitated, saying this was a difficult choice.
Arjun saw both sides of the argument. I encouraged him, noting that in these difficult circumstances, there is no easy choice, and that both sides have to bite the bullet in some way. I asked him what parents would do if they found themselves unable to raise a child after it was born. He said, of course, they couldn't kill it; they would look at adoption, take out loans, and any desperate measure to try to figure it out.
I then told Arjun about women's care centers that provide free resources to struggling parents and those considering abortion. Next, I explained my own position on life starting at conception, and the difference after that is just a matter of degree in size, development, and dependency. By this point, he was fully against abortion because he saw the consequences were too high.” - Donny, VFL Canvassing Activist 💚
*Name changed to protect privacy
▪︎ pro life ▪︎ pro choice ▪︎ Indiana ▪︎ Hoosier ▪︎ Gen Z ▪︎ anti abortion ▪︎ Planned Parenthood ▪︎ pregnancy
