# Is the Pro-Life Movement Getting It Wrong?

Page: https://stenobird.com/podcast/refining-rhetoric-with-robert-bortins-5054945/is-the-pro-life-movement-getting-it-wrong
Text version: https://stenobird.com/podcast/refining-rhetoric-with-robert-bortins-5054945/is-the-pro-life-movement-getting-it-wrong.md
Podcast: [Refining Rhetoric with Robert Bortins](https://stenobird.com/podcast/refining-rhetoric-with-robert-bortins-5054945)
Published: 2026-04-08T20:01:00+00:00
Episode link: https://f5cb5cc3-2fc4-4efd-b324-efc0ff5dd1de.libsyn.com/is-the-pro-life-movement-getting-it-wrong
Audio file: https://traffic.libsyn.com/secure/f5cb5cc3-2fc4-4efd-b324-efc0ff5dd1de/RR_Pate_Anglin_2.mp3?dest-id=3314576
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JSON: https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/refining-rhetoric-with-robert-bortins-5054945/episodes/is-the-pro-life-movement-getting-it-wrong
Duration seconds: 3136

## Resource

What does it actually mean to abolish abortion — not just restrict it? In this episode of Refining Rhetoric , host Robert Bortins sits down with Classical Conversations graduate and Students for Abolition president Pate Anglin to discuss why a biblical abolitionist framework goes further than the mainstream pro-life movement — and how student chapters across 8 states are taking that fight to college campuses, state capitals, and beyond. Pate Anglin grew up in a homeschooling household shaped by classical education, faith, and the intentional discipleship of his parents — and he credits that foundation with preparing him for what he encountered at East Tennessee State University. Entering college in 2021 on a full-ride leadership scholarship, Pate quickly found himself navigating pronoun mandates, ideological pressure, and a campus culture hostile to a biblical worldview. Rather than retreating, he leaned in — and what started as a small group of young men praying in a dorm room became Students for Abolition, a rapidly growing network now active on 14 campuses across 7 states and into Canada. In this conversation, Robert and Pate dig into what truly separates the abolitionist position from mainstream pro-life strategy. Pate argues that much of the pro-life movement — though well-intentioned — has unknowingly adopted a humanistic framework, opposing abortion because it "pollutes the water" or "hurts mothers" rather than because it violates God's law. He walks through the abolitionist acronym GATES (Gospel-centered, Aligned through the church, Engaged biblically, Sought immediately) and explains how rooting the argument in Scripture changes everything — including how the law can function as a tool for tutoring society, restraining evil, and even serving as a gateway to th…

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