Pro-life advocate whose mother refused abortion calls on Congress to ensure equal rights for unborn
WASHINGTON — A pro-life advocate whose mother walked away from an abortion appointment after a conversation with a janitor was the leader of a press conference that called on Congress to fight for preborn children and ensure they receive equal protection under the law.
Christina Bennett serves as the news correspondent for Live Action, a pro-life nonprofit that raises awareness about abortion through educational resources and advocacy efforts. Following the overturning of Roe v. Wade in June 2022, the nonprofit group has urged the pro-life movement to follow “The New North Star.”
The list of policies Live Action encourages pro-lifers and lawmakers to advocate for includes acknowledging preborn children as “legal and constitutional persons” through legislation and constitutional provisions.
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On Wednesday, Bennett led a press conference in the nation’s capital, where various speakers argued that the preborn are entitled to equal rights under the U.S. Constitution.
"Today, we are gathered to protect life. We are in front of our nation's capitol building to defend the defenseless, to be a voice for the voiceless, our beautiful pre-born brothers and sisters,” Bennett said at the beginning of the press conference. “We're here to tell Congress to recognize their human dignity and rights that exist under the 14th Amendment," which declares that the State cannot “deprive any person of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law; nor deny to any person within its jurisdiction the equal protection of the laws.”
The amendment extended the rights guaranteed through the Bill of Rights to formerly enslaved people.
Bennett also cited abolitionist Frederick Douglass, who stated in 1863, “Abolish slavery tomorrow, and not a sentence or syllable of the Constitution need be altered.”
“[Douglass] understood the Constitution's purpose and that it was framed to give liberty, not uphold institutions of enslavement,” the pro-life advocate stated. “Today, I echo his sentiments. Abolish abortion tomorrow, and not a sentence or a syllable of the Constitution need be altered.”
“Everything we need to uphold the right to life for preborn children is in our beloved Constitution,” she added.
After the press conference, Bennett shared with The Christian Post the story of the day “God saved [her] life” when she was still in her mother’s womb. When the pro-life advocate was in college, Bennett’s mother told her that she had met an “angel” before her daughter was born but said that she didn’t want to talk about it further.
A few months later, Bennett asked her mother about it again, and the advocate’s mother revealed that the angel had been a janitor at Mount Sinai Hospital in Hartford, Connecticut. Years ago, Bennett’s mother was pregnant with the pro-life advocate when she went to the hospital for an abortion. A janitor at the hospital saw Bennett’s mother crying, and she asked the pregnant woman if she wanted to have her baby.
“And my mom said ‘yes,’” Bennett told CP. “And [the janitor] said, ‘God will give you the strength.’ And that empowered her to run out of the abortionist's office because she had gone into his office when he called her in to tell him that she was leaving, and he said, 'You've already paid for this; you're just nervous. Just go through with it.' And she ran out.”
Bennett realized that God had saved her, and after sharing her story with a local pastor, she continued advocating for preborn children.
Republican Reps. Bob Good of Virginia, Doug Lamborn of Colorado, and Alex Mooney of West Virginia also spoke at the press conference, along with Ethics & Public Policy Center fellow Alexandra DeSanctis and Americans United for Life CEO John Mize.
Sidewalk Advocates for Life President Lauren Muzyka, Annabelle Rutledge, senior vice president at Concerned Women for America, Julie Scott Emmons of Human Coalition, and former abortionist Dr. John Bruchalski also spoke at the event.
A handful of pro-choice demonstrators held signs that read "Stop Prosecuting Abortion" showed up to protest the pro-life conference. The protestors left before the event's conclusion, however, and did not interact with any of the participants.
Regarding the upcoming 2024 presidential election, the Live Action news correspondent advised pro-lifers to “vote with their conscience and their convictions” and to “remember the preborn when they go into the voting booth.”
While pro-life advocates have repeatedly expressed concerns about the Biden administration’s abortion policies, former President Donald Trump has also drawn criticism for his recent comments on abortion. The former president and 2024 presidential hopeful has stated that he believes abortion laws should be determined on a state-by-state basis, sparking criticism from several pro-life leaders.
The Live Action news correspondent told CP that Live Action has condemned President Joe Biden for failing to support any limits on abortion, as well as Trump when the organization feels the former president has failed to remain faithful to his original pro-life stance.
“It's disappointing when leaders compromise because voters are left with a lot of questions, and we can't answer all those questions for them, but what we can tell them is to vote with their conscience and vote in accordance with their pro-life values and beliefs,” Bennett said.
Samantha Kamman is a reporter for The Christian Post. She can be reached at: [email protected]. Follow her on Twitter: @Samantha_Kamman
