My Story… Why I became Pro-Life

By Ross Schriftman

During World War II my mom (of blessed memory) worked for the State Department in Washington, D.C.  in the Office of Inter-American Affairs under the direction of Nelson Rockefeller.  She was a Spanish translator.  She was also a Junior Hostess in the USO and visited wounded service members at Walter Reed Hospital.

After the war she met a soldier and fell in love.  In 1948 she got pregnant.  When she told her boyfriend about her condition, he had to admit that he had a family in New York and that he could not marry her.  She was devastated.  Then she was alone.  She thought of killing herself because she felt that her life was over.  Friends told her to get rid of “it.”  At 24 she was struggling.

But her faith and her love for the baby inside of her gave her the courage to bring her through this difficult time in her life.  She went to a facility for unwed mothers where she had her baby and then lived with her parents in Florida.  That is where she met my dad.  He adopted her baby.  That baby was my brother Roy.  Soon after I came along and then my brothers Lee and Barry were born.

When my mom was in crisis she had gathered all her strength and faced the challenge of being a single young woman who was pregnant and alone.  Her actions have brought into this world her children, grandchildren and great grandchildren – There are now 19 wonderful people who contribute to life and have loving families and many friends.  There will be amazing people born in the future that will make significant contributions to life because of my mom’s love for her baby and her belief in her ability to succeed.

So I was blessed to have had Shirley Schriftman as my mom and was grateful to have had the opportunity to care for her at the end of her life when she had Alzheimer’s.  After all, she loved and cared for me throughout her life.

Until just a few years ago I was pro-choice.  But after doing extensive research into the abortion issue, I now realize the damage it does to women and the painful and gruesome death it causes their babies.  I have a better understanding of how my own life story relates to the dilemma faced by so many women who need our support and love.  That understanding is the change that propelled me to become pro-life.

Each person has value.  The weakest among us need our love and protection.  I pray that you too will have the wisdom and the strength like my mom to support the efforts of so many strong women and men like me who say “To Life… To Life… L’Chaim”