To the future of the pro-life movement: ‘give them a name’
Cori Mooberry, of St. Wenceslaus Parish in Wahoo, spoke to high school and college students Feb. 1 after the Nebraska Walk for Life. Her talk was held at the St. Thomas Aquinas Newman Center in Lincoln.
Corbin Hubbell, social media coordinator for the Diocese of Lincoln, interviewed Mooberry for the Southern Nebraska Register before her talk. What follows is an edited transcript of that conversation.
Southern Nebraska Register: You’ll be talking to young adults, high school and college students, and others today about the pro-life movement and what it truly means to be pro-life. What do you hope to share, and what do you want the students listening to take away from your talk?
Cori Mooberry: I’ll be sharing my personal story—my son Abel’s story. He was born with a condition called Potter Sequence, which is considered “incompatible with life.” I want to talk about the journey of choosing to carry him for as long as God planned for him to be here on earth. It was a painful and difficult journey, but it was also full of incredible grace. We got to witness what I would call a perfect life. That experience changed me, changed my family, and reshaped how we see what it truly means to be Christian and Catholic.
I hope to leave these students with a perspective on the big moments in life that will impact them profoundly. I want them to see that suffering and joy can exist together and that every life, no matter how brief, has meaning.
SNR: Looking at the pro-life movement as a whole—today is the Nebraska Walk for Life, and we had the walk this morning—what do you see for the future of the pro-life movement in Nebraska? And on a larger scale, what’s your vision and hope for the future of abortion in Nebraska and beyond? How does your personal story shape your view on that?
Mooberry: I’ll start with Nebraska. I’m really excited about the young people getting involved. My own kids range in age from 20 down to 3, and I see how young people today aren’t just sitting on the sidelines saying, “I’m pro-life”—they’re actually living it. That gives me a lot of hope.
Ideally, I would love to see abortion abolished in Nebraska completely. I truly believe we’re at a pivotal moment, not just in our state, but in the nation. With recent political shifts, it feels like we’re moving back toward some common sense and taking a more human-centered approach to these issues.
Beyond just the unborn, I also see the pro-life movement as a call to support all human dignity—caring for the disadvantaged, the elderly, and even how we treat people in our daily interactions. I was really moved by something Rebekah Allick said today (at the Walk): that we should use our lives to lift others up. That’s what I want to do—use my story and experiences to encourage and uplift others.
SNR: A lot of students and young adults here today are the future of the pro-life movement. What advice or encouragement would you give to someone who’s just starting to learn about these issues and wants to get involved?
Mooberry: Just being here today is a big first step. I think one of the most important things is to find a community. It’s hard to stand up for life in a culture that often pushes back against it. Having people to lean on when things get tough is essential. And from what I see today, so many young people already understand that.
The other thing I’d say is that you don’t have to do something huge to make a difference. Sometimes I struggle with the thought that I should be going on mission trips or adopting children or doing something big. But really, it starts with how we live our daily lives.
Mother Teresa said, “If you want to change the world, go home and love your family.” That resonates with me. The best thing I can do is be present for my husband and children, to live in a way that makes others see Christ’s joy and peace in me. Small acts of love and faithfulness make a big impact.
SNR: If you had to share just one thought with everyone who came out today to support life, what would that message be?
Mooberry: You are giving these babies a story—you are giving them a name.
When I think about my son Abel, he got a name, and he has a story. He never spoke a word on this earth, but he changed hearts, including my own. Watching those balloons rise today, I see that all of us here are giving a voice, a name, and a story to those babies who never had the chance to speak.
