Choose Life

Being a college student can be challenging: schedules and classes, part-time jobs and homework, church and friends, and so much more. Yet some students decide to try helping those around them despite all the other responsibilities on their shoulders.

Preethi K., president of Moody Bible Institute’s pro-life student group, Zoe, is one of those students.

Preethi worked with pro-life institutions even before coming to Moody. As a high school senior in a small town in Canada, she heard of a pro-life pregnancy center through a Bible study she was attending. She started as a volunteer and was then offered a job. She then attended the University of Windsor for a year, majoring in Psychology during the COVID-19 pandemic. Since all of her classes were online, it was easy for her to continue working at this pregnancy center. Preethi answered phone calls and managed the social media accounts of the pregnancy center.

Discovering Moody

Being a Christian in a secular college was challenging for Preethi, prompting her to take a gap semester and fully commit herself to working at the pregnancy center.

“At that time, I decided I’ve always loved studying theology,” Preethi says, “and I wanted to come to Moody.”

Preethi had heard about Moody from a coworker who had applied to the college and completed a semester online. Inspired, Preethi applied, was accepted, and came to Moody in January of 2023.

Eye-opening moment

When Preethi arrived at Moody, she immediately knew she had to get involved in pro-life work. That’s when she heard about another student who was active in the pro-life community: Lydia R., then the president of Zoe. She emailed Lydia and was invited to participate in a Zoe prayer walk.

Standing in front of a Planned Parenthood abortion clinic four blocks from Moody’s campus was eye-opening for Preethi.

“Lydia showed me that there are dumpsters where they actually throw the aborted babies after the abortion,” Preethi says. “Just to stand in front of that and recognize—this is what we are doing to life that God has created, throwing it in the trash. Just the weight of standing in front of Planned Parenthood was so heavy.

“Even now, as I’m doing this interview, there are babies being killed down the street less than 10 minutes away from us.”

Deepening her commitment

Preethi continued on Zoe's twice-a-week prayer walks and grew in her involvement with Zoe, eventually becoming Zoe’s president. As president, one of her first activities was partnering with the Student Theological Society and Moody professors to hold panel discussions on topics surrounding Zoe’s message. More than 100 people attended these events, which sparked conversations and allowed others to see what Zoe is campaigning for and against.

The events showed the harsh reality of what abortion is and what it implies. These panels explained what it means to be pro-life and how Zoe members conduct themselves in such often tense situations. Another event Preethi recently celebrated with Zoe was Pro-Life Cupcake Day, an event where they handed out cupcakes to spark conversations about pro-life topics. She and her team also have demonstrated their support for pro-life issues by attending the annual March for Life in Springfield, Illinois.

Offering a lifeline of support

Zoe’s prayer walks to Planned Parenthood remain the student group’s central ongoing activity. Taking place two afternoons a week, student members of Zoe gather in the Arch to pray for God to use them in impacting the lives of pregnant women and their unborn babies. They then walk a quarter of a mile from campus to the abortion clinic, where they seek helpful ways to spark conversations with those who are considering abortion at the clinic.

Before women walk into the clinic, Zoe members try talking with them and offering free medical resources.

“We've actually noticed whenever we say free or medical, they tend to respond well to that,” Preethi says, noting that Zoe members then can begin to explain how these clinics operate before the women enter. “I'll say, ‘You know, Planned Parenthood is an abortion clinic. They don't care about you. They're going to pressure you into having an abortion without knowing your other options or support for other options.’ We tell them about the resources that Aid for Women (multi-location, life-affirming medical centers) offers. Also, we really try to emphasize that this is a baby inside of them.”

Zoe members show the women medically accurate models that explain the fetal development of their baby at each stage of pregnancy. They also distribute brochures of fetal development. Using this as a catalyst, Preethi and other Zoe attendees shift the conversation to the gospel and ask to pray for the women they are engaging with. While some reject the offer, many women gladly accept.

In the effort to save unborn babies’ lives, Preethi is excited about the new Women’s Care Center that is opening up near the Planned Parenthood clinic. “We heard rumors about it earlier this semester, but now it's fully built. I've gone up (to see it) a couple of times. The furniture is fully set up, and the décor is bright pink. It's amazing!” Zoe members are heartened that the center will be fully staffed and open soon.

Strength from the Moody community

Preethi says the only way she is able to carry out this pro-life work is because of Moody and the professors and students the Lord has placed in her life.

“So many times, we have people and professors that will pray with us,” she says. “They'll share Scripture with us and will encourage us on the more draining days. The environment at Moody is so encouraging, and it pushes you out of your comfort zone to want to do ministry more. But it also encourages you on the difficult days.”