Embryo Advocates

Today, we are joined by Abby Gillmore, an expert in fundraising for pro-life organizations. In today's episode, Abby shares about her journey of being influenced from a young age to protect the unborn, and how that initial passion led her to study philanthropy in college, participate in a rescue, and run a community engagement department for a nonprofit. Abby also shares about transitioning from being a working single woman to eventually getting married and changing her work schedule to prioritize being present for her three young children. Abby's authenticity, depth, and insight will inspire you to consider God's faithfulness and presence in your own life story.

Kim Smeenk is an ER nurse with a passion to serve her patients with the love of Christ. Along her medical journey, she began to examine the issue of abortion — if it could be justified to prevent medical complications that might otherwise result from illegal abortion attempts. Kim discovered the book, "Unexpected Choice: An Abortion Doctor's Journey to Pro-Life," by Patti Giebink, and her mind changed on the issue. Kim became fully pro-life in all cases. This eventually led her to become involved in serving women facing unplanned pregnancies. Kim connected with Family Life Center maternity home — helping women who were either homeless or who faced housing insecurity of some kind while pregnant. Today, Kim works in a new role at the Family Life Center, supporting men and women who have experienced miscarriage. Having miscarried four of her own babies and having three live births, Kim brings a wealth of knowledge, support, and understanding to couples grieving the loss of a child in the womb.Kim's testimony provides a wealth of medical knowledge and practical support for women facing unplanned pregnancy, housing insecurity, or miscarriage. Her journey to becoming fully pro-life after doubting the position will strengthen your resolve to protect preborn lives in all cases.

Women need to know about the help that is available to them when facing a crisis pregnancy. One way to share these resources with them is by offering pro-life help outside your local abortion clinic through sidewalk counseling. Today, we are joined by Edna May, a wife, mom, and grandmother who devoted nearly ten years to sidewalk counseling in Grand Rapids and saw many lives saved.

Abortion causes a profound psychological impact on many men and women. Join Embryo Advocates for a discussion on how to support people in our communities who have been harmed by abortion with the Executive Director of Michigan's chapter of Deeper Still, who also serves with Justice for All — Kaitlyn Donahue.Read our blog post summarizing some of Kaitlyn's recommendations for engaging with post-abortive people here: https://www.embryoadvocates.com/2026/01/support-post-abortive-parents.html

What would you do if a respected colleague asked you to participate in an act that could destroy a human life? Leta Gerber found herself in this situation when a renowned OBGYN asked for her help performing a saline infusion abortion in the hospital unit where she was employed. A day later, she saw the body of a fully-formed little boy in a bucket with a burned body in a hospital closet. It was then that she felt incredibly convicted that her participation in abortion was morally wrong and destroyed a precious baby. This occurred in the 1970s in Michigan before Roe v. Wade was passed — two psychiatrists had determined the mother was suicidal and should therefore abort, making a legal exception to destroy her preborn son. When Leta made her way to the bedside, she found a woman who was not actively suicidal or engaging in self-harm behaviors; instead, the woman appeared to be using abortion as a form of birth control — this was the woman's 3rd or 4th abortion.In this episode, we talk about Leta's story of becoming pro-life, what she would say to other medical professionals who have helped perform abortions, the ethics of "mental health of the mother" exceptions in abortion laws that can justify the killing of babies in situations that may not have any physiological danger to the mother, and what gave Leta the boldness to share her story in her conservative community.