Sister Deirdre Byrne, a Catholic nun, U.S. Army veteran, and physician, delivered a powerful speech praising President Donald Trump and hailing life against the evils of abortion at the Republican National Convention (RNC) on Wednesday. She spoke about serving the marginalized in Kenya, Haiti, Sudan, Iraq, and Washington, D.C. — but she said, “the largest marginalized group in the world can be found in the United States. They are the unborn.”
She gave a stirring theological defense of the pro-life movement.
“As Christians, we first met Jesus as a stirring embryo in the womb of an unwed mother and saw him born nine months later in the poverty of the cave,” Sister Byrne declared. “It’s no coincidence that Jesus stood up for what was just and was ultimately crucified because what he said wasn’t politically correct or fashionable.”
While Christians should hesitate to interpret the life of Jesus in political terms, the narrative of the Gospels does begin with the Annunciation, when the Archangel Gabriel tells Mary she will conceive a son, and with Mary’s visit to her cousin Elizabeth. When Mary visits Elizabeth, John the Baptist leaps in Elizabeth’s womb when he felt the presence of Jesus nearby. Although John the Baptist, not Jesus, leapt in the womb, Byrne referred to Jesus “stirring” because John the Baptist must have felt His presence (Luke 1:41).
In a very real sense, Jesus was in a similar situation to the marginalized unborn Americans who are vulnerable to the heinous evil of abortion.
“As followers of Christ, we are called to stand up for life and against the politically correct or fashionable today,” Sister Byrne declared. “We must fight against a legislative agenda that supports and even celebrates destroying life in the womb. In fact, the laws we create define how we see our humanity. And we must ask ourselves, what are we saying when we go into a womb and snuff out an insignificant, powerless, voiceless life.”
“As a physician, I can say unequivocally life begins at conception,” the nun added, echoing the 95 percent of biologists who say life begins when the sperm fertilizes the egg and unique human DNA emerges.
“While what I have to say may be difficult for some to hear, I am saying it because I’m not just pro-life, I’m pro-eternal life and I want all of us to end up in heaven someday together,” Byrne said.
Then she defended President Donald Trump as “the most pro-life President that this nation has ever had, defending life at all stages. His belief in the sanctity of life transcends politics. President Trump will stand up against [Democratic nominee Joe Biden and his running-mate Kamala Harris] who are the most anti-life presidential ticket ever, even supporting the horrors of late-term abortion and infanticide.”
Sister Deirdre Byrne declared that “because of his courage and conviction, President Trump has earned the support of America’s pro-life community. Moreover, he has a nationwide army of religious standing behind him. You’ll find us with our weapon of choice…the rosary!”
Sister Deirdre Byrne's full remarks at the @GOPconvention#RNC2020 pic.twitter.com/GGd46cKBbE
— Team Trump (Text VOTE to 88022) (@TeamTrump) August 27, 2020
Tyler O’Neil is the author of Making Hate Pay: The Corruption of the Southern Poverty Law Center. Follow him on Twitter at @Tyler2ONeil.
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