Anti-abortion volunteers appeared on the UWM campus, handing out pamphlets and holding big signs with graphic images displaying the results of abortion in September. The organization’s appearance drew crowds, debates and mostly negative student reactions.
About 15 volunteers and their children of varying ages from the Defy Tyrants Church appeared between the Golda Meir Library and Spaights Plaza.
At first, volunteers representing the Missionaries To The Preborn mission offered pamphlets to passing students with headlines reading “THE TRUTH BEHIND THE MORNING AFTER PILL” and “The Brutal Reality of America’s Silent Holocaust.”
One of the pamphlets explains why the group chooses to show the graphic, gory images. The church believes that an “atrocity of this magnitude must not remain hidden.” The purpose is to “expose the suffering of the preborn child.”
After an hour, the volunteers brought out the images showing the results of an abortion, causing heated debates amongst students.
Accompanying the missionaries were Margot and Priscilla Trewhella, daughters of Matt Trewhella, founder of the church and mission.
The organization was on their 2025 fall Campus Tour For The Preborn, in which volunteers from around the Midwest traveled to different college campuses to “disciple and go out to preach the gospel,” said Priscilla. UW-Milwaukee was the tour’s last stop after visiting UW-Whitewater, UW-Madison and Northern Illinois University.
The sisters say they get mixed reactions during campus visits, and their recent visit to UW-Madison was overwhelmed with offended people due to its large liberal student population.
“There is always people on the sidelines who have hardened hearts, and they do not want to be open in conversation,” said Priscilla. “Then you have people who are listening, hearing the conversation, who come up to us and want to give their life to Jesus.”
The church runs a fall and spring campus tour every year. This year is the 27th year of their university appearances.
“The dialogue I have heard coming from people of the church has not been constructive dialogue to spark any form of conversation against this issue,” said Adan Merino-Cabrera, a freshman at UWM. “They have been condemning these kids for their ‘mistakes,’ as they like to call it.”
Mariah Valenzuela saw the volunteers handing out pamphlets on her way to class. Afterwards, she saw they brought out large signs with images of aborted fetuses and information. One sign simply read, “LIFE.”
“I was like, shaking, ‘Are you kidding me? What is this?’” she said. “It’s just throwing it in people’s faces. We did not ask for this. If we wanted it, we would come to you.”
Valenzuela is one of the many students who wrote short phrases onto notebook paper and held them up. Hers read, “I’ve had an abortion.”
“If you’re going to throw something in my face that is going to make me feel uncomfortable, why should I not be able to do it to you?” said Valenzuela.
Felix, a junior at UWM, and Jade, a sophomore, say students don’t have to engage when anti-abortion protesters appear on campus. The pair describes the huge signs as grotesque, intending to use their disturbing nature to shock students.
“They are just here to spread their beliefs, and if you’re going to disagree with them, they’re going to be, like, ‘Nuh uh,’ it’s not worth it,” said Jade.
Along with the volunteers were many children from infants to second graders, handing out pamphlets and standing next to the volunteers as they debated with UWM students.
Margart and Priscilla say that they were once those kids, partaking in the university visits with their parents from an early age to “interact with people, see how people interact and learn social skills,” said Priscilla.
“How can you have your elementary school-age son or daughter here, climbing trees at 1:30 p.m. on a Thursday?” said Felix. “You should have your kids in school learning actual facts and science.”
The sisters believe it is best to target college campuses with their message to inform “young thinkers” because many schools do not touch on the bible. They plan to continue with the church’s college tours in the future and continue to engage in conversations with students to spread their message.