One Chapter's Experience.(Brief Article)

I am honored to have the opportunity to share with NRL News readers some of the many lessons I have learned in my 30 years experience working in the Right to Life movement in Louisville, Kentucky.

I am often asked what it is about me that makes it possible to come to the office today with the same determination I did January 23, 1973, the day after the nightmarish Roe v. Wade decision was handed down. The most concise answer is because the grace of God has given me, along with many of the readers of these pages, the vision to see the unborn child as he or she truly is--a unique, living human being made in the image of God.

The practical answer lies in my enthusiasm for all people and my determination to stay focused on the goal we've sought since Roe was decided. Right to Life of Louisville, the first and largest chapter in the Kentucky Right to Life Association, was formed in 1970 in the living room of our home by my husband, Schu Montgomery, myself, and 11 other deeply concerned people who came from diverse backgrounds.

The origin of this first meeting was a 1970 editorial aired by the CBS affiliate in Louisville which advocated liberalizing Kentucky's abortion law. I made a televised response and the resulting calls drew these pioneers together.

I well remember those next three years. They were filled with sounds of the front doorbell ringing as folks would drop by to pick up literature, films, or tapes, which were displayed in the basement where the board of directors would meet monthly. Elections had taken place and our board included a physician, two registered nurses, two social workers, and a Baptist minister. As part of outreach, the directors held meetings in different parts of the city.

In 1974 the directors decided that the Louisville chapter had grown enough to open an office in a nearby suburb. A secretary was hired and I became the executive director.

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