The following student report was submitted by Ambassador League Agent Emily M. during the 2007-2008 League.
Interview With a Leader #6 - Pat Holscher, Director of Right to Life/Lifespan of Livonia
Mrs. Pat Holscher is the director of Right to Life/ Lifespan, located in Livonia. She was born in Barnsborrow, Pennsylvania in 1932. She has been married to her husband Bob for 50 years and has four children: Judy, Bob Jr., Jeff and Bill.
Emily: What motivated you to seek your current position?
Mrs. Holscher: No one else wanted it. No, but it is a lot of responsibility, and I have been in the movement about thirty-eight years, and I have been director maybe about sixteen or seventeen years. I'm currently looking for someone to replace me, cause I feel that it's time for the younger generation to take over. It's very hard because when I got in the movement, most mothers were able to stay home with their children. Now, the young mothers are out working, and we don't have someone who can come in and do what we did. Hopefully, some young person will come forward and be able to pick up where I leave off.
Emily: What training do you think is important for someone in your position?
Mrs. Holscher: Well, I think one thing is to work in the organization. I had already been working in the organization twenty years as a volunteer before I took this position. I get a very small salary, and so does our office manager and so do the other people in the other offices that work for Lifespan. It's just a very small amount, but we feel very committed to this movement. But I think someone has to know the subject, and the fact that they care about the unborn, and that they believe the unborn is a child from the beginning. Therefore, you cannot kill another human being. I think someone has to be committed, where they are willing to come in so many days a week, for so many hours. But I think total commitment to the unborn, I would have to say, would be necessary.
Emily: What are the greatest rewards of your job?
Mrs. Holscher: Saving babies. It's a very good feeling every time. When I got in this movement thirty-eight years ago, I thought if I knew of one baby that I saved, it would all be worth it. Now I find that I've saved many, many, many babies, that just makes it even better. I never mind coming in to work, cause I know every day is a challenge. And the closer we get to a human life amendment the better I like it.
Emily: What are the biggest challenges of your job?
Mrs. Holscher: I think the greatest challenge is for people to do something. They believe that abortion is wrong, but they don't always speak out to other people about it. And we have to influence young people to come into this movement, because most of our leaders have been in the movement thirty to thirty-eight years. So, we want our people (word inaudible) for the next generation to take over to protect unborn life.
Emily: How does your faith affect your work?
Mrs. Holscher: I know that my religion teaches life from the very beginning. And I learned this from my mother's lap, as did my brothers and sisters. We know that we have to pass this on to the next generation. Because the things that keep us going are prayer and God's graces. And we know that God is the creator of all life. So, I feel very strongly about the fact that we must keep the commandment which is "Thou shalt not kill," and that's exactly what it is when you kill an unborn child.
