Kayla Adanalian.
For Kayla, abortion was a topic that was easy to ignore; there were other, more interesting things to do and to talk about. Then someone she knew had an abortion. Witnessing the destruction of lives in the wake of the abortion (both the child’s and the parents’), and how no one spoke up in support of life, Kayla knew she could be silent on the issue no longer.
What inspired you to get involved in the pro-life movement?
When I was younger, someone close to me had an abortion, and I live every day wishing I could have done more to help her and convince her not to do it. Before that, abortion was easy to ignore, since it had never directly impacted my life or anyone close to me. It frightened me that I was the only person trying to sway her to choose life rather than death for her pre-born child.
Ever since then, I’ve tried my best to let the counsel of the Holy Spirit guide me into knowing what’s right and wrong as well as to hold the values in life that Jesus taught. Growing up and seeing the lack of people who stand up for what’s right in the face of evil in this world motivates me to give a voice for those who do not have one.
What do you do to support life and defend the pre-born?
In high school, I organized the Pro-Life Day of Silent Solidarity and got a large majority of the school to participate in the face of potential suspension by the school administration. Now, in college, I do my best to use the resources I have to spread the pro-life message to as many people as I can. I also am a distributor of The Advocate for Live Action, and I work to get it out to as many places as I can. Lastly, I have a radio show on campus called The Connection and have spoken about — as well as dedicated an entire show to discussing — the danger of abortion.
What is your favorite tool to communicate the pro-life stance?
I truly believe that there is no better way to make an impact and communicate with someone than to engage face-to-face. To actually make an impact and influence another person through a face-to-face conversation is something I feel is so under-appreciated and underrated, especially in today’s day and age.
What are some ways students can be active in their pro-life work during school breaks?
I thinks breaks could be spent by peacefully going out to abortion clinics and doing things such as praying and reaching out to women who want to have or have had an abortions. These activities do more good than people think. Also, social media. Your audience is absolutely limitless – use it.
Share with us an encouraging event or a success story from your work.
One of my good friends who was very firm in her pro-abortion beliefs came to me after my first radio show and told me she had had a change of heart, and that she now knew what she should be doing with her life, and that was to help women in a way that truly helped them rather than “helping” them by giving them a “choice.”
Share with us an encounter with pro-abortion opposition and how you faced it.
180 is a popular pro-life apologetics video, that is well worth a watch and a share.
One time could not win over my pro-abortion acquaintance on my own, so I showed him the 180 video by Ray Comfort, which breaks down just about every pro-choice argument out there and debunks them all in a peaceful, non-threatening, and not specifically argumentative way.
Through this, my acquaintance then realized abortion is cold-blooded murder, and I realized that being obstinate and arguing with the other side isn’t always going to make an impact and can sometimes have the opposite effect. It helps to find outside resources and ways to show that you are not simply being argumentative, or trying to further your own agenda, but that you are actually trying to explain what is right and what is wrong.
What keeps you going through the tough times?
The toughest times are the times as though I feel I am standing alone in the pro-life fight. Those are the times I actively work to remind myself that God is on my side in this, and with Him there is nothing I cannot conquer, no matter how hard it may seem in the moment. He has never let me down before, and I know in my heart that He never will.
I also constantly remember all of the lives missing due to abortion. I think of all of the important people in my life and the ones I love the most and how they could just as easily not be here if their mothers had not chosen life.
What advice would you give to your peers?
My advice to my peers is easy: stand up for what is right.
Standing by and watching bad things happen is just as bad as doing those things yourself. You can influence your peers by speaking your beliefs in your everyday conversation; the seed gets planted, and the more they think about it, the more curious they become about the truth, and the more abundantly that seed will grow.
What students have, as young people, is a voice. We have a voice that can help bring out the truth and save some people who otherwise would have suppressed and ignored it.
Name a hero or role model of yours and explain why he or she inspires you.
Kayla, age 6, and her mom, Linda Kay Adanalian, while visiting Carmel, CA.
It’s clichéd, but my mom is and always will be my hero. She passed away when I was 7, yet she taught me more than anyone else I have known throughout my 22 years of life. She always fought for good in the face of evil, even when evil was an overwhelming force in her life. She taught me that no life is unimportant and that all people should not only be valued, but know they’re valued. She taught me to always go above and beyond for the people I love as well as go out of my way to make others feel special, because that can make all the difference in someone’s life.
My mom is my hero, but a role model I have in my everyday life is my best friend. She inspires me because she is a constant reminder that we must live our lives for God first and ourselves second. She is such an amazing example of that. Watching her live her life that way day in and day out is a constant reminder to fight for what is right, even when it isn’t the popular thing to do. Having her in my life as an example is a reminder of God’s blessing and His grace – a model of what it looks like to do His will. I know that without her, it would be a million times harder to fight for what I believe in and not just give up and live my life focusing only on what impacts me.
What is your favorite pro-life quote?
America you are beautiful . . . and blessed . . . . The ultimate test of your greatness is the way you treat every human being, but especially the weakest and most defenseless. If you want equal justice for all and true freedom and lasting peace, then America, defend life.
– Pope John Paul II
and
Mother Teresa, founder of the Missionaries of Charity and Nobel Peace Prize winner.
We must not be surprised when we hear of murders, killings, of wars, or of hatred…If a mother can kill her own child, what is left but for us to kill each other?
– Mother Teresa
Given a large sum of money and any connections you need, what would you do for the pro-life cause?
1. I would buy a time slot on a major television network on the anniversary of Roe v. Wade, and I would broadcast THE TRUTH and the true numbers of what goes on and how many people show up to the March for Life. It infuriates me how downplayed it is by the leftist media. If people knew how many people stand up for life, maybe it wouldn’t be so hard for them to do the same.
2. I would fund more investigations into Planned Parenthood and well as researching and finding other ways to take them down completely. A bad tree cannot bear good fruit, and Planned Parenthood is a bad tree. Period. Not only does it not bear good fruit, but it harms other trees and the fruit that they bear. It is a money-making business and nothing more.
Is there anything else you’d like to tell us?
Just that I wish there was more that I could do in the pro-life movement! I want to be a source of comfort and of knowledge for others so that I can educate as well as help anyone who needs it. We can’t stop now. Despite the way it seems, there’s hope in our fight, and if we all stick together, we will live to see the day we take our country back and get it back to the morals it was founded upon!
Do you know a student whose pro-life work should be recognized? Nominate him or her for a Live Action Student Spotlight here.
