Simon and Johanna Durairaj began Life for All with the conviction that in a country like India, where abortion often hides behind silence, shame, and pressure, they had to speak up for vulnerable human lives. 

Key Takeaways:

• Simon and Johanna Durairaj were working with HIV-positive widows and the poor in Bombay, and they were moved by stories of abandoned babies and mothers who had been denied proper health care.

• Following what they felt was God's calling, they founded Life for All.

• The ministry is dedicated to protecting life, from conception through natural death.

The Backstory:

The couple’s pro-life journey started in Bombay, where the newly-married couple was helping HIV-positive widows and the poor. Day after day, newspaper reports of abandoned babies and mothers who had been denied the care they needed began to take their toll on Johanna, who found herself tearing up over the stories she read.

Simon, raised in India in a culture accustomed to tragedy, eventually acknowledged that he had become hardened to suffering, and needed God to soften his heart. That moment became a turning point for both Simon and Johanna, who turned to Proverbs 31:8 for inspiration — ”Speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves” — and heard God’s call to take action. 

In 2009, the couple founded Life for All, a pro-life ministry committed to protecting human life from conception to natural death in India. What started as a nudge in prayer and reflection became a public mission in this Hindu-majority country.

Life For All India | Guest Speakers Johanna and Simon

The Details:

The topic of abortion was, and still is, seldom openly discussed in India, even in churches and in the media. Women facing a crisis during pregnancy usually have limited options, especially because for many women outside the biggest Indian cities, unwed motherhood can mean an embarrassing stigma, loss of housing, loss of work, or even family rejection and disowning. Hence, abortion is often not regarded as a free choice but as a forced one, coerced by family members, social shame, or worries for survival.

Life for All aims to be a “voice for the voiceless” in India and beyond, with practical responses that include seminars and Pregnancy Helpline India. The ministry’s work mirrors a sobering reality: that the pro-life message cannot remain silently on paper when women are asking not only whether they should choose life, but also what would become of them and their children if they did. 

Life for All also operates Life Centers. These are homes for women who have been shunned by family, stuck in abusive situations, or are pregnant after rape or abandonment. As Johanna told Live Action News, they have already served more than 180 women, including minors, and they offer services including shelter, counseling, accompaniment to medical appointments, and spiritual support. 

The goal is not simply to prevent abortion, but also to honor the dignity of both mother and child. After giving birth, women may reunite with their families, choose adoption, marry, or remain at these centers while they recover and plan for their lives ahead.  

Zoom In:

Many women in India first reach out to Life for All in times of fear and confusion. Pregnancy Helpline India, the first hotline of its kind in the country, provides counseling for pregnant women facing complicated situations. Johanna said callers sometimes ask for abortion pills or for help interpreting scan reports, and that the ministry works with medical professionals who can review cases and provide backup support. This combination of compassion and practical intervention is central to their approach. Life for All attempts to meet women’s needs tangibly, such as offering them shelter and life-affirming solutions. For many women, that may be the first time anyone has said, in effect, “You do not have to do this alone.”

Life for All also operates a home for the elderly, a day care, and other support services, showcasing a more holistic vision of pro-life work that embraces the human being in all life stages. 

Adoption is prominent in the ministry’s vision as well, even though the process in India can be slow and difficult. Johanna describes adoption as a redemptive response to a broken situation, especially for women who cannot raise a child themselves. Many women who come to its center eventually opt to either parent with family support or to place a child for adoption, and it reports a considerable adoption rate among the women it serves. 

Johanna also pointed out the link between pro-life work and education, vocational training, micro-enterprise, and life skills, because, she believes, saving babies without strengthening the abilities of mothers to provide for their families would leave the pro-life cause unfinished.

The Bottom Line:

What makes Johanna and Simon’s story compelling is not only their courage, but also their vision and clarity in their mission to build a pro-life culture in India. The couple is tackling the problem of abortion in a country where silence has often been easier than speaking about truth, and where cultural pressure can be as coercive as any law. 

In India, where women can be isolated by poverty, caste, stigma, rape, or family rejection, Life for All offers something radical: a place to belong, a reason to hope, and a community willing to stand with them. That is what pro-life help looks like when it moves beyond words into practical solutions.