Inside the Action: Connor’s Eye-Opening Pro-Life Experience

Dear All, This is Connor Knight back with the second edition of the South Carolina Citizens for Life trip to Washington, DC. On June 27, 2024, the day after our wonderful experience shadowing Congressman Wilson and his staff, we made our way over to the National Right to Life (NRL) Board of Directors Meeting at the Crystal Gateway Marriott in Arlington, Virginia. Each state was represented for the meeting and some even gave talks about the progress they are making through their own statewide pro-life initiatives. The main focus for the meeting this year was stressing the importance of winning the upcoming November 2024 elections. State elections now play a greater role in reducing abortions after the June 24, 2022, Dobbs decision which gave power back to the states to regulate abortion laws. In South Carolina for example, efforts were made to successfully oust pro-abortion Republican State Senators Penry Gustafson, Sandy Senn, and Katrina Shealy. At the federal level, National Right to Life is backing President Donald Trump since he is in support of the pro-life movement. During the board meeting, we received the news that the Supreme Court dismissed the Moyle v. United States case, sending it back to the lower courts to determine whether Idaho’s pro-life law will be upheld. NRL President, Carol Tobias made it clear that the pro-life fight must be won by changing the hearts and minds of the people, and she talked about how the organization can do this. Her statement was later backed up by a report from Jennifer Popik, J.D., on federal legislation, where she added that nothing is likely going to be passed soon in Congress due to the current presidential administration and senate being controlled by pro-abortion politicians. The only vote they were able to win was an amendment that was added to the National Defense Authorization Act. The amendment prohibited the Department of Defense from covering travel or leave expenses for service members having an abortion. Later in the meeting, a report was given about state legislation. First came the bad news: that five states have enacted pro-abortion laws. However, the good news is that Louisiana passed a bill criminalizing people who coerce women into abortions. Tennessee also passed a law preventing trafficking of minors for an abortion without parental consent. Both Florida and Louisiana have allocated state funding for pregnancy resource centers. Finally, pro-abortion efforts in Maine, Virginia, and Minnesota were all foiled or postponed. The next day, Friday, June 28, we made our way to the prayer breakfast where the NRL conference began. We got to listen to a great talk from Reverend Fr. Paul D. Scalia. In his remarks, he talked about how it is the duty of a priest to balance between convicting and comforting those who practice abortions. As Christians we are called to rebuke evil when we see it, but also show the same love to sinners that Jesus did. After breakfast, everyone went to the first official General Session of the conference where Congresswoman Kat Cammack (R-FL) gave the opening speech. Her time was shortened because she had to return to the Capitol since Congress was in session, but her words were very inspiring. She gave a brief backstory about how she went from being homeless to one of the youngest members of Congress in ten years. She added that America is the only country where you can rise above your situation and how abortion is wrong because it’s taking away a child’s chance to beat the odds. The main point she left us with was how Democrats in this country are pulling out all the stops to get pro-abortion laws passed even in her home state of Florida. I would like to conclude this edition by saying thank you to all the donors that made this trip possible. My knowledge of the pro-life movement was greatly enhanced by attending this conference and I left feeling inspired to make a difference by getting more involved. This was truly an eye-opening experience that would not have been possible without your support. — Connor Knight Summer Student Participant