(Religion Dispatches) In 1995, Norma McCorvey, the once-anonymous plaintiff in Roe vs. Wade, converted to Christianity under the guidance of anti-abortion leader Flip Benham, founder of Operation Save America. She soon came to reject abortion rights, and in time became a regular mouthpiece for the anti-abortion cause. While McCorvey’s “Roe No More” story has become well-known, two decades later her movement is looking for a new class of converts to share their “come to Jesus” moment.
I’ll admit that the thought of attending Converted: From Abortion Provider to Pro-Life Activist, a Chicago conference for former abortion clinic staff, made me wary. As a pro-choice Christian who tends to see anti-abortion activists as zealots with a “by any means necessary” mentality I didn’t know what to expect from a day-long meeting of new converts offering the faithful behind-the-curtain peeks at what they call the “abortion industry.”