Bridging Faith and Action: My Journey from the NRL Conference to Classroom Advocacy

Hello all, I learned so much at the National Right to Life Conference I attended from June 27-30, 2024, that I felt compelled to write two articles about my experience. The most important aspect of my identity is my relationship with Christ. All of my values stem from being a Christian. I love when people connect politics to faith, so I was immediately captivated by featured speaker Jean Marie Davis, the executive director of Branches Pregnancy Resource Center. She underwent a radical conversion to Christianity after being involved in drugs and human trafficking. It was a Christian pregnancy resource center that helped her leave the streets and find salvation. Davis now leads an explicitly Christian pregnancy resource center. My favorite thing she said was that our ultimate goal is not just to save babies and mothers, but to bring them to Christ. After all, what do we save if their souls are still lost? Jean Marie Davis’s speech wasn’t just lip service for Christians. It was deeply convicting to me as a follower of Christ. Branches Pregnancy Center is in Vermont, a state where pregnancy resource centers are targeted and face lawsuits simply for existing. Davis pointed out that the reason these centers face so much backlash is because churches have often taken a back seat on the issue of abortion. She emphasized that churches need to be more involved in supporting and sheltering women and speaking out against abortion. This speech resonated with me deeply because while I may not work in the pro-life movement for the rest of my life, I will always be part of the church. It may not always be comfortable to engage with pro-life issues, but we are not called to be comfortable. This discussion reminded me of a conversation I had while in college. I had the privilege of serving as secretary and then chair of my college’s Young Americans for Freedom chapter. During an event, one of our members showed a school employee our various pro-life stickers. The employee said that he agreed that unborn lives matter, but we shouldn’t shame women. I agree that we should not shame women, many of whom already live in shame over their abortions without anyone knowing they had one. However, Christians do a disservice to post-abortive women by avoiding discussion of abortion. The path to healing for these women is through Christ. I believe the above-employee’s viewpoint unfortunately is not unique to him alone. During my time at a conservative Christian university, I encountered many who feared that engaging in anything political would harm their Christian witness. Their intentions are good, but avoiding political engagement only widens the gap between culture and Christianity. Moreover, the pro-life movement is not just a political issue; it is a matter of life and death. While pregnancy resource centers are invaluable, they should not be the sole entities actively fighting for life. As with the abolition of slavery, the church must speak out against abortion and work towards its eradication. Early Christians did not shy away from addressing societal issues for fear of shaming pagans; rather, they boldly proclaimed truth and eventually used politics to legalize Christianity in Rome. Let us also remember that we owe the growth of Christendom to early pro-life Christians who rescued and raised baby girls who had been left out to die. This fall, I will be a third-grade teacher. The NRL Conference reminded me that I can advocate for life in any area of life. I will be teaching children who may have disabilities, live in poverty, or come from single-parent homes — demographics targeted by the unborn baby-killing industry. However, I firmly believe that these children were created by God for a unique purpose. I will continue to advocate for life, both born and unborn. Thank you for your support that encourages me and other young people to join the fight for life. In my first article, I began by thanking those who made this experience possible. I would like to conclude this article by expressing my gratitude to the donors of South Carolina Citizens for Life. Words cannot adequately convey how thankful I am. I now feel inspired to continue fighting for life beyond my SCCL internship.