EXCLUSIVE: Chrism News Talks with Dr. Alveda King, Renowned Pro-Life Advocate And Niece Of Rev. Mart

Dr. Alveda King, Director of African American outreach with Priests for Life, talked exclusively with Chrism News about her ongoing efforts to end abortion, and how the events of her own life shaped her passion to save the unborn.

To understand the foundation of Dr. King's prolific work in the pro-life community and her current position with Priests for Life, one must appreciate the historical context in which she was born, raised, and came to know Jesus Christ as her Lord and Savior.

"My mother wanted to abort me in 1950," Dr. King said, "But my grandfather saw me in a dream and described me to my mother without an ultrasound. He said 'No. You can't do that.' So, I was born into a pro-life family."

Growing up in the 60's and 70's, however, King soon departed from her pro-life roots and became persuaded by the increasingly pervasive Planned Parenthood mantra that "women have the right to choose."

"I got swept away with the hype of Planned Parenthood saying that a woman had a right to choose," Dr. King Said, "and I believed that without understanding fully that abortion was part of that agenda."

The reality of that agenda would soon become clear to Dr. King, who is forthcoming with the fact that she has personally had two abortions as a young woman. One of which she said was coerced by her doctor, and performed without her consent.

Reflecting upon the reality and impact of her choices, as well as the profound message of her Uncle, Dr. King said she began to deeply understand the flaws in her assumptions about abortion and the supposed "right to choose."

"Over the years I listened to my Uncle's message and I became a born again Christian in 1983. I began to think: ' A woman has the right to choose what she does with her body. But the baby is not her body. Where is the lawyer for the baby?'" Dr. King said.

The many fruitful years of pro-life activism following Dr. King's conversion in 1983 bring us to her current work as the Director of African American outreach for Priests for Life. King's role is the result of shared goals and friendship over many years with pro-life advocate Father Frank Pavone, National Director of Priests for Life.

"I met him [Fr. Pavone] in the late 1990's when he was speaking at a pro-life conference. He was quoting my Uncle. I embraced his message and we became united in the cause, and I began to work for Priests for Life full-time in 2005. And that’s been almost 10 years now."

Although Dr. King is a Protestant Christian, she fully embraces the ecumenical spirit of working closely with the Catholic organization, Priests for Life.

"My Uncle, in his lifetime, he hoped that Protestants, Catholics, Gentiles, and Jews would all join together to sing: Free at last! And as a Protestant working with a Catholic organization, we are singing free at last for the children, for the babies." Dr. King Said.

Dr. King said that Christian churches across the country have responded very well to working with Priests for Life, saying, "With my work for Priests for Life we have worked very close and have been very successful for a very long time across denominations. And so, it has been just wonderful."

Speaking specifically about her outreach to the African American community, Dr. King said, "Blessedly, through outreach with Priests for Life working together with African American leaders, we've had much success working together. We now have the National Black Pro-Life Coalition, for example, and that is a wonderful opportunity for African American leaders to work together."

Dr. King confidently expressed that her current efforts in the African American community are making meaningful changes, saying, "There is a tremendous amount of awareness growing in the African American community that our children are targeted for abortion, and that abortion is not helpful."

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