Why am I pro-life? With Robert P. George

When does a new human life begin—and what does that mean for human rights?

In this interview, Princeton University professor Robert P. George shares how his early experiences shaped his commitment to the pro-life movement. As the oldest of five children, he remembers recognizing his younger siblings as distinct human beings while they were still developing in his mother’s womb.

Robert also reflects on the example of his mother, who combined pro-life advocacy with practical compassion for women experiencing difficult pregnancies. Her work taught him that protecting unborn life must include financial, emotional, moral, and spiritual support for mothers and their children.

This conversation explores:

• Robert’s early involvement in the pro-life movement

• Recognizing unborn children as members of the human family • Supporting women facing financial, social, or relational hardship • The inherent and equal dignity of every human being

• Whether human rights depend on ability, age, development, or independence

• The Christian belief that humanity is made in the image of God • A philosophical foundation for human dignity beyond religious belief

• What embryology teaches about the beginning of human life

• The biological difference between gametes and a newly formed embryo

• Human identity and continuity from the embryonic stage through adulthood

Drawing from his work on the President’s Council on Bioethics, Robert explains why he believes a new, distinct human organism begins to exist with the formation of the zygote. He argues that this is the same individual who later develops through the fetal, infant, childhood, adolescent, and adult stages.

Watch the full interview to hear Robert P. George present his scientific, philosophical, and theological case that every member of the human family possesses profound, inherent, and equal dignity from the beginning of life.