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Changing the Culture’s View of Motherhood

Changing the Culture’s View of Motherhood

Last updated on: September 12, 2026 at 8:00 pm by Lois Kerschen

Changing the Culture’s View of Motherhood 2026-09-12T20:00:21-07:00 Lois Kerschen

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Recently, I received a newsletter from ProLove Ministries/LoveLine that contained a profoundly beautiful essay from their Catholic founder. This essay says succinctly what so many other pro-life leaders and writers have attempted to convey about the need to change the culture.

Our work is not just about helping mothers and babies. It is more about changing the culture’s view of mothers and babies. Unless we promote a culture that sincerely respects and reveres motherhood, we will have a culture straight out of Aldous Huxley’s Brave New World. In this dystopian novel, motherhood is considered disgusting and reproduction something that happens in a laboratory.

In truth, we are already almost there. Look at the rhetoric of radical pro-abortion advocates who denigrate pregnancy, the pressure in society to have only one child or none, and the use of IVF, egg freezing, sperm donation, and surrogacy to create children. In contrast are the following thoughts (emphasis mine):

A Culture That Respects Motherhood

“Motherhood has stretched me, humbled me, refined me, and sanctified me in ways I never could have imagined. It has asked more of me than I thought I had to give, and then, by God’s grace, it has shown me that love always makes room for more. It is beautiful, but not because it is easy. It is beautiful because it is holy. It is beautiful because it teaches us how to lay down our lives for another person, day after day, in ordinary and extraordinary ways.

“Our culture has forgotten that.

“We live in a world that often treats children as interruptions, inconveniences, or obstacles to the life we planned for ourselves. Women are told that freedom means being able to reject the very children we participated in creating. Mothers in crisis are told that abortion is compassion, that ending the life of an innocent child is a solution, and that their future depends on walking away from the son or daughter growing inside them.

“But that is not freedom. That is not empowerment. That is not love.

“We were made for more than a culture that murders innocent children and then asks women to call it “choice.”

Happy mother holding infant

Photo by Jonathan Borba on Unsplash

“At ProLove Ministries and LoveLine, we are working to reclaim motherhood for our culture. We are working to restore the truth that motherhood is good, children are gifts, and families in crisis deserve help, not abandonment.

“I believe we are working toward a future where abortion is no longer legal in our nation. But making abortion illegal will never be the finish line. The real goal is a culture where the law protects life, and our hearts, homes, churches, and communities have learned to receive life with love.

“That kind of culture will not appear on its own. We have to build it and leave a lasting legacy.

“We have to build a culture where a woman facing an unexpected pregnancy is met with courage instead of fear, with practical help instead of pressure, and with truth instead of despair. We have to build a culture where fathers and mothers are called to responsibility, where churches know how to respond, where pregnancy centers and parents are equipped, and where families are surrounded by the body of Christ.

“That means meeting real needs: housing, food, medical care, counseling, mentorship, baby supplies, financial support, and spiritual encouragement. It means becoming the safety net so many women have been told does not exist. It means showing the world that motherhood is not something to be escaped, but something to be honored, supported, and protected.

“ I want my children to inherit more than a nation where abortion is illegal.

“I want them to inherit a Church that is awake, equipped, and ready to preserve the sanctity of life. I want them to inherit a culture that runs toward mothers and children in need. I want them to inherit a world where life is protected not only by law, but by love — a world where motherhood is once again understood as beautiful, sacrificial, sanctifying, and holy.”

Giving Credit to the Source

The writer of this message is Abby Johnson, the well-known pro-life activist. Some people might be upset that I have quoted Abby because she has become controversial in the last few years. Nonetheless, whatever she may say on other topics does not take away from the accuracy or concern expressed in these words.

That’s something that seems to have been lost in our polarized society – the understanding that we can be friends with people with whom we do not agree. Surely, I can appreciate, even admire, the positive actions of others even when I don’t approve of what appears to be wrong choices.

It is easy to find what Abby has done right. Her organizations, most notably ProLove Ministries and And Then There Were None (ATTWN), have an amazing record of assisting women.

Logo of Pro-Love Mnistries

For example, ProLove Ministries https://proloveministries.org/ is the umbrella organization that

sponsors Mama Scholar, a program that “encourages ongoing education and enhances learning opportunities” for the LoveLine mamas;
provides a “case management training program for pregnancy centers, churches, and other nonprofit organizations that want to empower moms and families”; and
operates LoveLine, a national hotline for vital support used so far by 7500 parents and impacting 15,000 children with direct support, resources, and material assistance; the hotline record includes over 300 crisis interventions and over 1100 counseling hours. https://loveline.com/

Truly unique among pro-life efforts is ATTWN. https://abortionworker.com/ It was founded to help women who have worked in the abortion industry to leave their jobs, heal, and create a new life. ATTWN has now helped over 700 women.

When talking about Abby, I want to concentrate on the tremendous impact of these organizations, not on gossip or social differences. Lately, it is expected that we “cancel” those who offend us. People no longer speak to old friends or even close relatives because of political or moral differences. That’s ridiculous, and that’s not Christian. We are supposed to love one another, no matter what.

Find Common Ground

Man and woman high-fiving in office setting

Photo by krakenimages on Unsplash

Christ loved the sinners. If you think your friends have taken the wrong path, if you think they are completely wrong-headed about certain issues, if you think MAGA or radically left people are taking us to hell in a handbasket, then hang in there with them as a friend anyway. There’s no chance you can change their minds if you don’t give them the opportunity to learn from you (and you from them).

Yes, there are times when you have to step away from toxic friends or family for your own protection. You have to establish some distance to signal that they have gone too far or offended you too much for you to be close. Nonetheless, leave the door open in case the opportunity arises for you to share common ground. If it does, be gracious and cooperative and acknowledge their positive contribution.

Imagine what a difference it would make to our country if our politicians acted in this manner!

Removing the negativity and rejection in our relationships would change our culture. We might see a return of politeness and good manners and hear less foul language. We would be able to solve more problems because we would be willing to listen and compromise. We might see children as a blessing once again instead of a hindrance to our careers and financial advancement.

Our Church teaches the same lesson as Abby’s description of parenthood. It is what Christ intended and His mother personified: “beautiful, sacrificial, sanctifying, and holy.” May the Catholic Church and the pro-life movement lead the world toward this ideal.

General Christian

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