Member Spotlight: Dr. Patrick and Elizabeth Johnston

A passion for serving the Lord keeps Dr. Patrick Johnston, his wife, Elizabeth, and their seven children busy.

Very busy.

The Ohio family is involved in sidewalk counseling in front of abortion clinics, offering women in crisis pregnancies an alternative to killing their babies. They pass out pro-life literature at physicians’ conferences. They lead fights against increases in local public school levies. Patrick founded and leads the organization Association of Pro-Life Physicians. He and Elizabeth speak to political science classes on topics like feminism, Biblical womanhood, the homosexual agenda and Biblical politics. Patrick has recently published a pro-life novel, The Revolt of 2020, and ran for a seat in the Ohio House in 2008. He also frequently testifies to state legislatures on behalf of bills that would provide full rights to unborn children, and posts articles on a variety of topics to one of his Web sites, rightremedy.org. The children compete in Bible quiz tournaments. Patrick and Elizabeth counsel married couples in need of help. They go on missions trips.

Oh, and they home school, too. And speak at home school conferences.

The Samaritan members’ activity in the pro-life cause began when Patrick and Elizabeth were in college at Florida State University in the early 1990s. Patrick took part in formal campus debates on abortion while Elizabeth was director of the campus’ pro-life organization. Their commitment to the cause continued when Patrick was in medical school at Nova Southeastern University, where he continued defending the pro-life position in moderated debates.

Patrick decided to start the Association of Prolife Physicians as a way to help patients find doctors “who would not take life.”

The association is organized on a county level. Local physicians start it, then find other doctors in their county who will sign off on a pro-life statement. Between 40 and 50 physicians across the nation have signed on so far.

The Johnston children are fully aware of and in agreement with their parents’ stances, and take part in ministering to women arriving at abortion clinics.

“Our children do a great job of trying to talk to the women,” Elizabeth says. “A recent time out was one of the best times ever, with women coming up to us from their cars to talk to us. Thankfully, the clinic we were at had a pro-life crisis pregnancy center across the street, and we were able to walk them there.

“We want our kids to witness their mom and dad not lying down idly while innocent lives are taken.”

Another way he’s trying to do something is through publication of his novel, The Revolt of 2020, a story of what a U.S. civil war might look like when the federal government encroaches fully on liberty. After the president dies in an explosion at a “reproductive rights convention,” the federal authorities begin to disarm Americans and raise taxes to an unbearable level, finally leading states to take steps toward secession. In the end, “the superiority of the principles of liberty and the truths of Christianity prevail over a plethora of vicious opponents.”

“The Church’s promised land is freedom,” he says, “for our children and our children’s children to be free if the Lord tarries.