Actress Alexa PenaVega (known for her roles in the movie “Spy Kids” and on the Hallmark Channel) recently spoke to Christine Yeargin, host of the Students for Life podcast “Speak Out,” about her pro-life beliefs. In the episode on March 1, 2023, PenaVega spoke about how she has faced entertainment industry scrutiny over her beliefs — and the opportunity she had to help save a baby from abortion.
“I honestly believe that you either believe in life as life as a whole, and you see babies, whether babies are in the womb or outside of the womb, as life or you don’t. And… once life begins — that is a whole baby. That is a beautiful life, and for me, I will do whatever it takes to protect that.”
She also addressed the false idea that people who support life in the womb don’t really care about other humans.
“… I think a lot of people feel like in today’s day and age if you’re pro-life that means you’re just pro-birth, and I think that’s a huge misconception on what being pro-life means. Pro-life means all of life, like looking at the aspect of the child but also the mom. The mom needs resources. The mom needs help. She needs love and guidance and sometimes finances,” she told Yeargin.
As PenaVega stated, the pro-life movement isn’t just about stopping babies from being aborted, but ensuring that they and their mothers receive the resources, supplies, and support they need. Pro-life pregnancy resource centers, attacked by many state lawmakers and even U.S. Senator Elizabeth Warren, provide women with free services from pregnancy and STD testing and ultrasounds to baby gear, maternity clothing, and parenting classes. In some cases, this support extends to help earn a degree, housing, childcare, and more.
“I just think that we’re just in such a dark, dark place in our world, and you know, people are calling good bad and bad good and we’re fully seeing it. We’re in a war right now,” said PenaVega. “And it breaks my heart the people have been really manipulated into thinking that human life is just so disposable and they can’t even look at a baby as … a human that is alive.”
She added, “When I go back to ‘Why am I hardcore pro-life?’ because I believe that you’re killing life [in an abortion].” She calls it common sense to understand that the child in the womb is a human life — and wonders why miscarriage is seen as a significant, heartbreaking loss, but the loss of a child to abortion isn’t seen that way.
Helping save a baby
PenaVega said that last year, a “well-known” man reached out to her and said that a young woman had messaged him explaining that her sister was going to have an abortion — and she was a fan of PenaVega. He asked her to join a Zoom call with the girl.
“I was so excited at this possibility but also I’ve never had this conversation before — what do you even say to a young girl who’s in this position?” she said. “I think she was 16 or 17 and she’s just in this position of ‘I don’t know what to do.'”
PenaVega said they spent about an hour and a half talking with the girl.
“I just told her about the joy that I have with my kids and the greatest thing that I ever felt was like being able to tuck them in at night and like seeing their beautiful little sleeping faces. … Those are moments that just are so life-giving. They’re so simple and yet they’re the most beautiful things you can experience as a mom,” said PenaVega.
She offered to be there for the girl, who decided to keep her baby. When she sees pictures of the now-born little girl, PenaVega cries knowing that she could have been aborted. She continues to have a relationship with the young mother.
“Even to play the tiniest role in that girl’s life, I will forever feel connected to her,” she said.
Working in a pro-abortion industry
PenaVega also spoke about what it’s like to work in a pro-abortion industry, and while people aren’t shouting their abortions on set like they are in the media, she said she does have women share their stories with her.
Some have had so many abortions that they can’t have children now, though they now want to. She listens to them and their stories and lets them know that she loves them. She said she is there for them however they need her to be, but she says, “I think we’re covering up the reality of what it is and it’s you’re killing a child.”
However, she does recall that when she first began sharing her pro-life views, she received pushback.
“I remember when I first started really speaking out about it and it was considered taboo and cliche and people stopped working with me because of it,” she said. “Different brands were like ‘We don’t want anything to do with her,’ and I’m like, ‘That’s fine.'”
She said she won’t deny being pro-life and it’s something she will “go to the cross on.”
“They can cancel you. They can hurt you. But you know you’re making the right choice,” she said.
