Founder’s Story

Vitae’s Founder, Carl Landwehr has quite the story to tell. Led by a passion for sociology and respect for life, he set out to change the culture with the goal of making abortion unthinkable. A hefty task, but he knew he just had to stay dedicated each day. Here’s his story.

In the center of America, Carl worked with local pro-life leaders to form the Missouri Citizens for Life Education Fund, which opened an office in Jefferson City, Missouri’s state capital. The organization’s mission was to help concerned pro-life citizens and groups educate others about the abortion issue in their respective communities using traditional media.

As these efforts grew, Carl realized that to be effective at the grassroots level, the Pro-Life Movement had to change its approach, in order to be effective in changing hearts and minds on a grander scale. He challenged a new way of thinking by asking “How would you market the product of life if that was your business?”

The response? To bring the life issue into the mainstream public arena in Missouri using mass media. This was done by designing commercials that addressed the abortion issue without politicizing or radicalizing the message in a non-threatening way. The memorable tagline used at the end of the commercials was “Think about it.” This new message strategy aired on TV in Kansas City, Missouri in 1992. Shortly after, Vitae’s commercials aired in all major markets in Missouri.

In 1993, the organization (which changed its name to Vitae Society) began making some changes at its president, Carl’s, hand.  In order to be good stewards of the money invested in creating commercials and purchasing airtime, Carl wanted to research the target audience, women facing unexpected pregnancy. He sought out nationally recognized consumer psychologist, Dr. Charles Kenny of The Right Brain People®. Dr. Kenny developed a powerful and unique methodology to uncover the emotional motivators that drive consumer decision-making. His innovative approach to consumer message development has been used by over 600 of the world’s most successful corporations and organizations, from Fortune 500 companies to mom-and-pop shops.

Carl led Vitae to commission Dr. Kenny to better understand the psychological dynamics that motivate women to feel the way they do about abortion. Additionally, he wanted to learn how to better communicate with those who may support abortion as a solution to an unexpected pregnancy and move them to a more life-affirming position.

A communication strategy emerged from the first study that resulted in a complete paradigm shift within the entire pro-life arena. Gone was the often politically charged rhetoric, absent from the accusatory undertones. This new strategy was woman-centered and non-confrontational while inviting audiences to “think about” the message. Vitae’s Pro-Woman Approach has since been used in seventeen countries around the world and by some of the largest organizations in the Pro-Life Movement (Heartbeat International, CareNet, Sidewalk Advocates for Life, 40 Days for Life, Students for Life, amongst many others).

Carl has led the organization (now called Vitae Foundation) to conduct seven Right Brain Research studies and has plans to retire at the end of 2025 after serving as the organization’s Strategic Advisor.