A new online resource promises to educate all ages about the pro-life issue and abortion.
“We want pro-life people to have the tools they need to evangelize other people they connect with,” Camille Pauley, who serves as the co-founder and president of Healing the Culture, the parent organization of the new platform, Respect Life University, said.
Respect Life University, which began earlier this month, promises to serve those seeking pro-life answers by offering a free, on-demand pro-life education through video shorts, animation and classroom talks.
“And we want pro-choice and middle-of-the-road people to leave with a sense that there is far more truth, beauty and goodness to the pro-life position than they’ve been led to believe,” Pauley said. “Most of all, we want viewers to evolve in how they think about happiness, meaning in life, love, suffering and freedom.”
Impressive video content
The new platform comes from Healing the Culture, a pro-life organization that aims to change the way people think about life by advancing logic, ethics and justice. The group creates video, print and online resources for the classroom, church, community and home.
Their latest project, Respect Life University, relies on video to present a philosophical approach to pro-life education, according to a press release. The resource promises to help teachers, pastors, parents and students with several different video programs.
“A huge segment of the population doesn’t read to access information anymore,” Pauley explained. “They’re going online and watching videos. We need to be where people are going for their information.”
She added: “Video also allows us to put a human face and voice to our message and allows for a lot more creative innovation.”
The resource houses video content from Healing the Culture that already boasts more than half a million views.
“Healing the Culture has excellent pro-life content using really important teaching methodologies that no one else is doing, but it was scattered in multiple places online,” Pauley said. “Respect Life University brings it all together so that people who want to see the best in pro-life education can access it all in one place.”
Viewers as young as five-years-old can watch “Philo and Sophie,” which stars puppets and teaches the basic philosophical truths of logic, happiness, morality and respect for human life. To supplement the videos, parents and educators can also access free lesson plans, discussion questions, games, songs and other resources.
Other video series, such as “Pro-Life Pathfinder” and “Truth in 90 Seconds,” tackle tough questions and difficult topics related to the pro-life issue, from “Can Abortion be Justified if a Pregnancy Threatens the Mother’s Life?” to “Should We Agree to Disagree on Abortion?”
With “Pro-Life Super Shorts,” viewers can watch animated videos that apply philosophical principles to understand human value. In “Healing the Culture Classroom,” Pauley and Father Robert Spitzer, co-founder and board chairman of Healing the Culture, explore the pro-life issue in-depth.
Reaching teens and young adults
In early 2024, Respect Life University plans to add a sixth program called “Forbidden Discussions.”
“It’s in the beta-testing stage and is aimed at Gen Z teens and young adults,” Pauley revealed. “We use online technology to stage 3-minute debates between young people who treat each other with respect, listen to one another, and switch positions from episode to episode.”
“Our goal is not just to introduce pro-life arguments to our audience,” she concluded, “but to get them to see how engaging and transformative civil dialogue can be.”
In the press release, Pauley stressed a need for content to educate and equip people in general about the pro-life issue.
“We’ve gathered all the best pro-life content and ideas into one place so that when the conversation comes up, you’re ready to engage,” she said. “People need a go-to resource for salient answers as they navigate debate on this issue.”
