8:00AM Exhibitors & Registration Open, Continental Breakfast Provided
8:40AM Conference Doors Open
8:45AM
Opening Invocation and Address with Ben Clapper, Executive Director of Louisiana Right to Life
9:00AM – 9:45AM
Pastoral Panel: The Church as Refuge and Stronghold
The church, above any community in Louisiana, should be the shelter that women in crisis seek and that christians with a belief-crisis confide in. We need to be continuously giving churches the tools to help a woman and baby in need while also confidently and compassionately approaching this issue at the pulpit and in person to person mentorship. Be inspired by Religious Leaders who have been on the frontlines, learn how to engage your church and mobilize your congregation, improve your strategy for answering the call to walk with moms in need.
Break: Visit with the panelists and exhibitors, coffee and refreshments provided
10:00AM – 10:45AM
Encountering Louisiana’s Mail-Order Abortion Pill Crisis with Rebekah Hagan
Rebekah Hagan is one of today’s leading speakers on the issues of teenage pregnancy, abortion, and abortion pill reversal. Raised in a Christian household where abortion was a taboo subject, Rebekah’s journey into pro-life advocacy was unexpected and deeply personal. She welcomed her first son as a high school senior and became pregnant again as a college freshman. Ridden with shame and gripped by the fear of losing her family support and jeopardizing her education, Rebekah believed that raising two children alone, would be impossible. At just over seven weeks pregnant, she began a medication abortion that changed her life; however, her story did not end there. Filled with intense regret, she searched for a way to undo her mistake and became one of the first women to ever utilize the Abortion Pill Reversal Regimen. It worked! Her son survived and was born healthy in the fall of 2013.Her story has been shared by local and national media, as well as religious and secular organizations, including Vice News HBO, Focus On The Family, Live Action, Heartbeat International, Epoch Times, The Federalist, and World Magazine. A passionate advocate for grace-centered outreach, Rebekah Hagan uses her story to unravel the mindset of women in unplanned pregnancies and to equip and encourage others to lead with hope and compassion.
10:45AM Celebrating the PULSE Leadership Institute Students that completed their leadership training week!
11:00PM Lunch & Exhibitor Break
Mom and Baby Service (11AM – 1PM) led by Black Advocates: providing resources and education to local moms, optional for conference attendees to participate.
12:00PM – 1:15PM
Louisiana Policy & Public Opinion Panel
The 2024 legislative session was a success for the pro-life cause, encompassing more state support for maternal wellness, adoption education, and babies with disabilities, and protecting women from illegal abortion pill distributors and predators. Yet, two years after the overturn of Roe v. Wade, the disinformation is worse than ever, and the effects show up alarmingly in legislative agendas, media circulation, and public polling. Questions about miscarriage management and women’s healthcare and how these laws affect other practices such as IVF continue to be asked, laws curbing the dangerous mail-order abortion pill are viciously slandered, and abortion continues to be demanded for babies who receive a life-limiting diagnosis. And that is just Louisiana, whereas we are watching pro-life states all around us lose all of their ground to pro-abortion amendments. Why is this happening? What can we do in Louisiana? How do we help Florida who has a pro-abortion amendment this fall?
Break: Visit with the panelists and exhibitors, coffee and refreshments provided
1:30PM – 2:30PM
Pro-Life Conversations: Cutting Through the Controversy with Ashley Gilliam
Ashley graduated from Tulane University in Cell and Molecular Biology in 2021. She became involved with pro-life activism when she was a student at Tulane University, a highly charged battle-ground of pro-life and pro-abortion debate, and served on the pro-life club executive board throughout college and led as president during her final year. Since then, she has empowered students all over Louisiana, particularly in the Southeast region, with excellent pro-life communication and resources, having given over 220 talks to over 8,545 Louisiana students, teachers, and youth ministers!
The ultimate way to secure pro-life public opinion is talking about the issue with your family, your friends, on social media, and others in your community. But we know these conversations are more highly charged than ever due to the disinformation circulated by the media: people are confused by our laws and entrenched in their echo chambers. Learn from Ashley how to bring heated arguments down to calm, logical, and compassionate conversation that help to practically counter trending pro-abortion misconceptions and talking points. End your time with us with this concrete toolset fresh in your mind!
3:00PM Summit ends, Exhibitor area closes
