GUEST OPINION: When ordinary people choose courage over silence, lives are saved

Disclaimer: Opinions expressed in this guest post are solely those of the author.

Younger Americans are quietly rethinking abortion – even in Connecticut, one of the most abortion-permissive states in the nation. On March 18th, hundreds of Connecticut residents marched through the streets of Hartford to say so out loud.

The Words of a Stranger

Hartford is the city where I, Christina, was scheduled to be aborted. On March 18th, I walked those same streets as a wife, a mother, a minister, and a pro-life advocate. Every step I took was made possible by a decision my mother made decades ago, and by the words of a stranger who gave her the courage to make it.

My mother, Andrea, was sitting in the hallway of Mount Sinai Hospital, wearing a hospital gown, tears in her eyes, when an elderly African-American janitor approached her. "Do you want to have this baby?" the woman asked, her eyes full of compassion. "Yes," my mother replied. That question was enough.

When the abortionist called her into his office, she told him she wanted to keep her baby. His expression was cold as he forcefully attempted to persuade her to stay.

"You've already paid for this," he said. "You're just nervous. Don't leave this room."

She walked out.

She held the secret of that appointment for over 20 years. I learned about it while attending Southern Connecticut State University – and it changed the course of my life.

I began talking to women across Connecticut and heard story after story: coercion by partners, pressure from medical professionals, a lack of resources and support. That knowledge led me to work as a Client Services Manager at a pregnancy resource center, and eventually to adopt through Connecticut's Foster to Adopt program.

My mother's courage gave me my life, and breathed life into my own beautiful family. Her story is what compels me to march.

Providing support and love

The mainstream assumption is that younger generations are uniformly pro-choice. However, a generation that grew up with ultrasound images of their siblings in the womb is arriving at its own conclusions.

I, Tierin-Rose, grew up in a home where life was always cherished. Since I was six, my family opened our home to foster siblings. With seven siblings and now 22 nieces and nephews, including several adopted children, every life has always been treated as a gift.

My own personal convictions about the value of life were solidified the first time I heard and understood my older sister's story. She became a mom when she was just a teenager, and faced a world in which it was uncommon for someone in her situation to do anything other than end the life of her child. But she chose a different path – and now her child is not only a beloved member of my family, but also one of my closest friends.

My sister shared her story at last year's Connecticut March for Life, and now she serves on the board of a pregnancy resource center – the same center that performed her ultrasound when she was a teenager. Her witness helped me and many others to understand how much a woman's choice depends on whether she feels seen, supported, and loved.

As young women who grew up in Connecticut, we didn't simply inherit a political position – we arrived at it, through our own lives, and the witnesses of those alongside us who call Connecticut home. ​​We stand in solidarity with our neighbors who oppose Governor Lamont’s recent decision to give $10 million in government funds to Planned Parenthood. These emergency funds are meant to serve as a lifeline for the most vulnerable people in our state – not a well-funded organization that does not reflect our values.

The janitor who saved Christina’s life wasn't a politician or an activist, but an ordinary person who decided to say something. That's who we witnessed at the Connecticut March for Life – ordinary people deciding to say something. Because of her, a life was saved, a family was formed, and a story that now reaches thousands began.

That is exactly what the Connecticut March for Life this year was all about: ordinary people choosing courage over silence.

Christina Bennett is a pro-life advocate, minister, and adoptive mother based in Connecticut. Tierin-Rose Mandelburg is the Digital and Creative Manager at March for Life.