Years ago, Sandra Parda advocated for abortion as a “woman’s right.”  

Today, she stands at the forefront of Ireland’s pro-life movement, working with the Life Institute to cultivate and rebuild a culture that safeguards the lives of both mother and children.

Key Takeaways:

• Sandra Parda spent years believing abortion is a woman's right.

• After a friend challenged her on her pro-abortion stance, Parda watched a Live Action abortion procedures video, and realized the humanity of preborn children.

• Parda became a pro-life advocate, working to share the truth about abortion.

The Details:

Prior to her conversion to the pro-life cause, Parda admitted to Live Action News that she “believed that it was a woman’s choice to do what she wants with her body and fully supported abortion.” 

Notably, she attributed her pro-abortion stance to the media and to a “hugely pro-abortion” college environment where the slogan “my body, my choice” was reiterated so often she internalized it without thinking.

“I do not even remember where I picked up the phrase… but for sure I was using it a lot to advocate for abortion. Strangely enough, I never thought about the little baby that was involved in this or what an abortion actually entails,” Parda acknowledged. 

A friend’s challenge

The first challenge to Parda’s pro-abortion views came from a close friend who began contesting the pro-abortion narrative and then confronted her about it. It was the first time Parda’s stance had been directly challenged, and though she was “too stubborn to admit that I was wrong all these years,” she went home and researched abortion for the very first time in her life.

Parda’s research steered her to a Live Action video in which Dr. Anthony Levatino explained how abortion was carried out. The effect the video had on Parda was immediate. 

“The impact it made on me was extortionate,” she stated. “To this day I haven’t been able to watch the video fully despite showing it to so many people.” 

Abortion Procedures: 1st, 2nd, and 3rd Trimesters

Moreover, watching the video made Parda realize the consequences of abortion on the preborn child. It dawned upon her that the preborn child was “a unique human being with individual DNA, a baby, and not just a ‘blob’ of cells without any value.” 

“After that video I started researching, and one article solidified how evil abortion actually is. It was written by a woman who was advocating for abortion. In this article, she was talking about her PTSD after having an abortion and how she could absolutely not bear the cry of a baby and having to leave the building if they were in the same room,” Parda continued.

Even as the woman maintained that her abortion was “good and necessary,” Parda recognized that the writer’s testimony “solidified ... how evil abortion actually is and how, all these years, I was sold a lie.”

“I never thought about the unborn child. I never imagined what happened to the baby or that there is a unique life created in the womb,” she added. “It is like the view was so egoistical that it didn’t matter… To me, it was the woman’s body, and that was about it.”

'Baptism of fire'

That same night, Parda signed up to volunteer for the pro-life cause. Within days, she was on the phone, then on the streets, canvassing door-to-door before Ireland’s 2018 referendum to repeal the Eighth Amendment (the latter being the country’s “pro‑life” constitutional protection for preborn children). 

“What I didn’t know is that it was the crucial time for me to have changed my mind, as it was the winter of 2017, a couple of months before the Irish abortion referendum, where people were supposed to vote for legalizing abortion in Ireland or not. Within no time, I was called on the phone and asked if I would be able to go with many other people door to door trying to convince voters to vote against abortion in the upcoming referendum,” Parda disclosed. 

Parda’s initial practical experience of activism was walking with a more experienced canvasser through cold, dark winter evenings, urging voters to reject legalizing abortion. Although the experience was “intimidating and scary,” and some people were rude, Parda “absolutely loved it.”

“I knew it was a fight that had to be made,” she said. “It was literally a fight against death.” 

She added, “The realization of what abortion is made such a huge impact on me that I wanted other people to realize that too. So naturally, when the person called and asked for help, I obliged. It was the time when the abortion debate was very prevalent in the Irish sphere, seeing the abortion referendum was being held a couple months after that and so many people were out every evening knocking on doors, having a conversation about the baby in the womb."

During the referendum push to repeal Ireland’s pro-life laws, Parda signed up with the Life Institute. The group coordinated canvassing and street sessions across Ireland, organized pro-life talks, and hosted what she characterized as the largest pro-life march Ireland had ever witnessed, with a turnout of over 100,000 people.  

The price of becoming 'pro-life'

Becoming visibly pro-life came at a price for Parda. She recounted that she was “punished with my grades” and “outcasted by other students.” People whom she thought were friends lambasted her online and distanced themselves from her. “That was difficult, and it most definitely stung,” she conceded. 

Fortunately, however, Parda also found new friendships in pro-life circles.

“God was very kind to me and surrounded me with new friends, young people who deeply loved God and loved me and who believed in the dignity of life,” she divulged. Many of those friendships still endure to this very day and have influenced her faith journey ever since.

Life-changing conversations 

As Parda’s pro-life views solidified over time, so did her compassion for women facing crisis situations. She conversed with women facing unexpected pregnancies and with women who had abortions—some who glorified the experience, others who regretted it. 

“After each of the conversations I became more convinced of how evil abortion is,” she told Live Action. 

The Life Institute: mission, methods, and hope

Today, the Life Institute's key mission rests on rebuilding a "Culture of Life" in Ireland—defending life from fertilization to natural death and creating a society that backs both mother and child. 

Strikingly, Parda elaborated that the work of the group combines public education, political lobbying, media efforts, street-level outreach, and family support. In public spaces, volunteers conduct routine outreach activities, disseminate informational leaflets, and utilize visual tools — such as fetal models detailing prenatal development and personal accounts from women — to ignite dialogue. 

“Baby models showing the development of the baby in the womb also create a lot of public interest, as do women’s testimonies. For me, this is the most satisfactory type of work, seeing the traction we get on the street talking to people,” Parda explained.

In the digital sphere, the Life Institute challenges what it sees as pro-abortion bias from mainstream media outlets with pro-life social media content. 

“Some messages really catch fire and garner millions of views, so content is always king in messaging. People recognize truth and authenticity, but you do need to persevere,” she said.

Additionally, the Life Institute educates the next generation of pro-lifers  by organizing debate workshops and leadership training. 

“It’s important that pro-life activists feel confident in discussing the issues and sure of their facts and insights,” Parda said.

Also, it gathers people together through social nights, youth events, and conferences. 

Significantly, the Life Institute’s yearly Rally for Life in Dublin has been the movement's flagship event for years, drawing thousands with bold pro-life messaging. 

“Our annual Rally for Life is definitely the biggest event of the year for pro-life Ireland, and it's such a great celebration of life every year. It's been almost 20 years in existence, and it’s the most high-profile event that gives the pro-life cause a spotlight in the media and where we march in our thousands across Dublin with strong pro-life messages,” Parda explained. 

In addition to the Rally for Life, the organization runs billboard ads pointing out the number of lives lost to abortion and has also campaigned against assisted suicide and the expansion of abortion.

2026 Belfast Rally for Life, Liberty, and Faith

In July 2026, the Life Institute co-hosted the Rally for Life, Liberty, and Faith in Belfast with Precious Life, Northern Ireland’s largest pro-life group led by Bernadette Smyth. The rally responded to what organizers portrayed as increasing encroachments on peaceful Christian and pro-life witness in Northern Ireland.

“It seems that governments all over the world, including Ireland and Northern Ireland, are engaging in lawfare to restrict the pro-life movement and witnesses from saving babies and revealing the evil of abortion. We saw it with a ban of pro-life messaging within 100 meters of abortion providers or the constant attempts to scrap a 3-day wait period before abortion—which was promised in 2018 during the referendum,” Parda said. 

For Parda, the Belfast rally was a “brilliant cross-community” moment that overlooked traditional political divides for a “fundamental cause.” Standing alongside Smyth, a dedicated pro-life activist with almost three decades of pro-life work, was, Parda said, both an honor and a reminder of the movement’s endurance. To boot, memorable moments for Parda included the sheer size of the crowd, the speeches, and conversations with attendees who traveled from across Ireland to defend pro-life and Christian expression.

What's Happening Now 

Looking ahead, Parda sees reasons for hope in Ireland with regard to the pro-life cause.

“There is a lot of hope out there. I see people’s minds changing; there is a shift that is happening in the political sphere, with people finally being weary of what the media is saying. People seem to question things more, and it seems people are coming back to God. When they do, of course they start to understand the dignity of human life and how evil abortion is,” she affirmed. 

To someone currently supporting abortion but beginning to question that position, Parda’s advice is simply to “watch what abortion actually entails.” After all, after Parda learned about the nuts and bolts about abortion, she altered her views and her life. 

Ultimately, Parda’s goal, together with that of the Life Institute, is “to make Ireland abortion-free once more.”