“It’s okay to not be pro-choice.”
Justice Ride 2022
My favorite part of the Justice Ride? Debriefing. That’s when we hear the stories from outreach.
One day, while debriefing on the bus after a full day creating conversations about abortion, first-time Justice Rider Noah told a story of another pro-choice student becoming pro-life.
What struck me was how the student Noah spoke to found herself torn between the reality of what abortion is and her until-then held conviction that it is okay.
She conceded the facts. She said, “I guess you’re right. I guess they are people and killing them is wrong.” But then she felt the revenge of her pro-choice worldview. So she said, “But…” and looked for a way to overcome her newfound horror at seeing abortion.
Then Noah did something ingenious. He saw her grappling with truth and her worldview. And he made it okay for her to change her mind.
He said, “It’s okay to not be pro-choice. It’s okay to be pro-life.”
And that made all the difference.
It is okay to change your mind. In fact, when we find out we were wrong, that’s what truth-seekers do.