A mother at Oklahoma City PrideFest tried to use her own child as a prop for her pro-abortion, atheist message—only to have the boy declare his belief in God, stunning the crowd and turning the tables on her public spectacle.
At a Glance
- Abolitionists Rising’s founder confronted by a pro-abortion atheist at Oklahoma City PrideFest
- The mother’s attempt to use her son to attack Christian activism spectacularly backfired
- The abolitionist movement’s uncompromising demands are reshaping the abortion debate
- The viral incident highlights escalating tensions over faith, family, and parental rights
Culture War Flashpoint at Oklahoma City PrideFest
America’s culture war over abortion and faith in public life was on full display at the 2025 Oklahoma City PrideFest. T. Russell Hunter, founder of the unapologetically Christian anti-abortion group Abolitionists Rising, was approached by a woman intent on delivering a viral moment for her own side. Her plan? Parade her child in front of the cameras to denounce Christian activism, abortion abolitionism, and faith itself. But the script did not go as written.
The mother, who described herself as an atheist and an abortion advocate, attempted to present her son as proof that secular parenting produces children immune to religious “indoctrination.” Instead, the boy calmly told Hunter that he believes in God. In the stunned silence that followed, Hunter offered to pray for the child and spoke about the resilience of faith even in the most hostile cultural environments. What was intended as a viral gotcha moment for the pro-choice crowd quickly became a rallying cry for religious conservatives and abolitionists.
The Rise of Abolitionists Rising and the New Anti-Abortion Absolutism
Hunter and his group, Abolitionists Rising, are not your grandmother’s pro-life activists. These are abolitionists in the truest sense—demanding the total, immediate, and uncompromising end of abortion, not incremental rollbacks or legislative half-measures. Their strategy is modeled on the anti-slavery abolitionists of the 19th century, with a heavy dose of Christian theology and confrontational street activism. Unlike mainstream pro-life organizations that lobby for “heartbeat bills” or bans after 15 weeks, Abolitionists Rising sees any compromise as moral capitulation. They argue that only a federal ban on abortion, rooted in biblical principles, will suffice. The movement’s absolutism has caused friction even within the anti-abortion camp, with mainstream leaders warning that relentless purity tests risk alienating allies and undermining coalition-building.
Yet, for many conservatives sick of endless compromise and the constant slide leftward, the abolitionists’ clarity is a breath of fresh air. They reject the notion that moral truths are negotiable or that children’s lives should be subject to endless legislative horse-trading. This latest incident at PrideFest has only emboldened the abolitionists, providing them with a clear example of the culture war’s front lines and the stakes for both sides.
Children as Culture War Pawns—And the Backlash to Leftist Overreach
What is perhaps most telling—and infuriating for many—is the willingness of activists on the left to use children as props in ideological battles. This is not a one-off: from drag queen story hours to Pride parades and, now, abortion rallies, children are increasingly caught in the crossfire of adult agendas. The PrideFest video, now making the rounds in conservative media, has become exhibit A for critics who argue the left does not protect children, but rather exploits them to advance its own aims. The mother’s attempt to script her son’s beliefs for a political point failed spectacularly, instead exposing the vulnerabilities of children raised on a steady diet of secularist dogma and anti-religious rhetoric. For those who still believe in the importance of family, faith, and parental rights, the image of a child standing up for his belief in God—against his own parent’s script—speaks volumes about the resilience of truth and the bankruptcy of radical leftist parenting.
Meanwhile, abolitionists and religious conservatives are seizing the moment. They argue that this is precisely why they take the fight to the streets, the festivals, and the school boards—because the left has no qualms about indoctrinating the next generation. The use of children as pawns is not just unethical, they say; it is a symptom of a broader cultural rot that must be confronted head-on.
No End in Sight for America’s Escalating Moral Showdown
With incidents like this gaining traction, expect more confrontations at public events as both sides double down on their respective visions for America. Abolitionists Rising and their allies are likely to ramp up in-your-face activism, aiming to provoke viral moments that highlight what they see as the moral confusion and hypocrisy of the secular left. At the same time, LGBTQ+ and pro-choice groups are preparing for heightened activism and, in some cases, legal strategies to shield their events from what they term harassment. The broader public, meanwhile, is left to sift through a media environment that is more polarized, more partisan, and less capable of providing neutral ground for debate. The ethical questions around using children as symbols, the role of faith in public spaces, and the boundaries of parental rights versus state and activist intervention are only getting sharper. If this PrideFest incident is any indication, the lines are hardening, and the next round of America’s culture war is already being scripted—sometimes, quite literally, by the parents themselves.
For those who believe the Constitution, family values, and religious freedom are worth fighting for, the answer is clear: stand firm, speak truth, and refuse to cede an inch to the radical agendas that seek to reshape America from the ground up. The battle is far from over—and the next generation is watching.
