Pro-life Profile is a new series I plan to publish regularly. These brief interviews will highlight pro-life leaders in order to dispel the preconceptions that predominate in the mainstream press and the minds of pro-choice people. I’ll begin with my Vita Institute classmates.

Herb Geraghty

Herb Geraghty lives in Pittsburgh. He is the Executive Director of Rehumanize International. 

Have you always considered yourself pro-life? If so, what’s your first memory of being pro-life? If not, tell me what changed your mind.

I haven’t always been pro-life. When I first was introduced to the issue of abortion I definitely defaulted to being “pro-choice” as that seemed to be the neutral position. At that time, I already knew I strongly opposed the death penalty, war, and most other forms of aggressive violence and I didn’t really consider how abortion could fit into my wider belief system. It wasn’t until I wanted to be able to defend my pro-choice position that I really had to learn what abortion was.

Once I actually did some research and was exposed to the realities of embryology and fetal development, I pretty quickly became pro-life.

Tell me a little about your pro-life work, currently and in the past if you wish.

I got involved in the Students for Life club at my university when I was 18 and I’ve been involved in the movement since then. Now, I am the Executive Director of Rehumanize International which is a secular, nonpartisan, non-profit organization dedicated to bringing an end to all forms of aggressive violence against human beings through education, discourse, and action. We adhere to an ethos called the Consistent Life Ethic, which calls for opposition to all forms of aggressive violence against human beings, including but not limited to: Abortion, Embryonic Destruction, Capital Punishment, Euthanasia, Police Brutality, Torture, and War.

We publish articles on these topics and more on our blog and in our bi-monthly magazine, Life Matters Journal, and I host the Rehumanize Podcast with my friend and Rehumanize Board Member, Emiliano Vera. I also travel to speak about the Consistent Life Ethic and the life issues individually to various student, church, and community groups throughout the world.

We also host an annual conference every year – this year it will be held online! Finally, I am in the process of organizing local chapters and allied groups so that people can bring our life affirming mission directly into their communities.

What brought you to the Vita Institute, and what were some of your biggest takeaways?

I attended the Vita Institute to learn from the faculty, I didn’t expect how much I would also learn from my fellow participants! I so appreciated getting to hear about the unique challenges that people faced while working on life issues around the world. Often, I think we can become so focused on our own communities that we forget we are part of a global movement to build a culture of life. Getting to study and connect with those from other countries and cultures definitely gave me some much needed perspective.

Is there anything else you’d like people to know about you and your work? Especially, is there anything you’d like pro-choice folks to understand?

There is nothing inherently religious about the anti-abortion position. The science is clear that a human being’s life begins at conception and that abortion ends the life of that human being. You absolutely do not need to believe in a God to oppose the intentional taking of human life. Many atheists like myself, who embrace a Consistent Ethic of Life, oppose abortion for the same reasons we oppose things like the death penalty, war, and police brutality. Abortion is a human rights violation and everyone should be working to end it.

You can follow Herb on Twitter and Instagram @HerbGeraghty or email him at herb@rehumanizeintl.org

You can follow Rehumanize International on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and TikTok @RehumanizeIntl