Dear All,
This is Connor Knight bringing you the third and final edition of the South Carolina Citizens for Life trip to Washington, DC, June 25-30. 2024. At the National Right to Life Conference, I chose to attend the breakout session titled “What Prenatal Testing Doesn’t Tell You.” In this session, two mothers shared stories about their children who were diagnosed with genetic disorders. They talked about how doctors constantly pushed them to abort their children, suggesting
they would become burdens to everyone around them. One mother's child grew up and thrived despite the prenatal testing results. Sadly, the other mother's child died in the hospital due to medical malpractice. Some hospitals enforce what’s called an Internal Futility of Care Policy, allowing doctors to decide not to treat a patient if they deem it “unethical.” It was a tragic story because proper treatment could have saved the child's life. Both mothers emphasized the importance of having the
doctor put whatever medical advice they tell you in writing because they will be far less likely to lie to you that way.
One of my favorite speakers was Jean Marie Davis who gave her moving testimony. She shared how she escaped her former life of being trafficked by pimps
and how she found support at a New Hampshire pregnancy center where she was introduced to Christianity and where her unborn son’s life was saved. Several years after finding faith, the woman who helped Jean escape from being trafficked handed her an application for a job at a Vermont based pregnancy center. Miss Davis was ultimately offered the job of executive director, where she is today. She pointed out that 8 out of every 10 prostitutes who attempt to leave their pimps end up returning. Her
solution to this cycle is to share the Gospel with these women when they visit pregnancy centers. She stressed that we have to do more than just help them financially, we have to be there to help them spiritually.
Another compelling speaker we heard in two breakout sessions
was Dr. Randall O’Bannon. On the first day, he discussed the increasing use of chemical abortions (abortion pills); how, for centuries, people have sought "quick fixes" to do away with their pregnancies; and how the abortion pills are often more harmful than surgical abortions. With a chemical abortion, there is far more bleeding than with the surgical route. They are extremely painful for women, and in some cases, they often don’t succeed in killing the baby. As a result of suppressing the
immune system, abortion pills can potentially lead to infections later on.
In another session, Dr. O'Bannon discussed an alternative to the abortion pill - Abortion Pill Reversal (APR) - and dispelled myths spread by the media. The first myth is that APR doesn’t work.
Another lie is that attempted abortion pill reversals are dangerous. Lastly, he stated one of the biggest lies is that nobody wants APR. He further stated that while it is true there aren’t that many women who do end up changing their minds, this is mostly due to the fact that APR isn’t common knowledge to the public.
