Conservative Values on the National Stage by Ann Marie Kennon Photos courtesy Facebook/AbbyJohnson used with permission
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hile we are watching the Presidential debates this month, the Republican National Convention seems like old news. However, the recent Supreme Court nomination has brought one RNC speaker’s mission back to the forefront of our national conscience. The Advocate reached out to Abby Johnson (above), after she was invited to speak at the 2020 RNC about the anti-abortion platform. Johnson lives in Round Rock and has been celebrated for her memoir and the follow-on movie, “Unplanned”, about her time as a director of a Planned Parenthood clinic. Her conversion to a pro-life stance in 2009 made headlines and began her mission and ministry to promote justice for the unborn.
THE CONSERVATIVE MESSAGE Johnson says conservative values are not just part of her story; they are what she does. She says, “I feel like the most critical issue of our time is the issue of life. If we do not have the fundamental right to life, every other issue on the ballot doesn’t really matter. Sadly, in our country, we do not; our unborn brothers and sisters are not protected under the law.” Her message, particularly in this election year, has a great
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focus on voting for life first when we go to the polls. Beyond that, she encourages people of faith and conviction to go a step further and get involved with local pregnancy centers. “Something most conservatives and Christians do not know; we have three abortion facilities in the Austin area and they are killing babies, electively, up to the fifth month. These babies have no voice.”
CONSCIENCE VS. CONVICTION Although the abortion debate is rife with emotional and controversial words, Johnson speaks very matter-of-factly about the topic. “People worry so much about the big elections, but the bottom line is that abortion is not happening in the White House, or in the halls of Congress. They are happening in our communities. Wherever that injustice is happening, we need to be there to show that it is morally objectionable. We pray outside those facilities to show that we stand against it, but also stand for and be there to help women who need hope.” Her response to many who question her mission is that people should vote their convictions rather than their conscience. “When you vote, consider whether you want babies killed or not; whether you want the LGBTQ agenda shouted at you, or taught in our schools. My conscience does not want me to offend my neighbor, but my conviction asks if my neighbor is wrong. I am so ready for people to be more concerned about offending the heart of God. Our country, and our children, are suffering from that distinction and I will not be standing before my neighbor at the end of my life.”
