According to Katie Brown, director of the American Life League (ALL), her grandmother, Judie Brown, is "without a doubt one of the most influential women of the 20th and 21st centuries."
The founder and president of the pro-life organization has shaped the movement for five decades, with multiple appointments to the Pontifical Academy for Life.
"I started out in 1968 with my husband at a small pro-life organization in the state of Washington where we lived, and I've been doing pro-life work ever since," Judie Brown tells AFN. "I think the thing that sets us apart, and certainly sets me apart from most pro-life leaders, is that I will not compromise on a single baby's life."
American Life League, which humbly began in April 1979 with just 10 people, does not condone abortion in any case, including rape, incest, or to save the life of the mother, as experts assert that is never necessary; delivery is the course of action for those cases.
Her conviction for life – against contraception, abortion, and euthanasia – comes from above.
"I have been convicted by God, as [was] my husband when he was alive, to do everything we possibly could and can to be of service to people who cannot defend themselves," Brown shares.
But throughout her life, she has seen the culture slide farther and farther away from that mindset. Instead, people are increasingly reluctant to devote to the laws of God, with more and more opting to do what they want when they want.
God has given people free will, but Brown says it has become common to take advantage of that.
"Today, we see people treating innocent human beings as though they were inconvenient," she laments. "That's why abortion continues to increase, in vitro fertilization increases, euthanasia increases, and … disrespect for people in general seems to be increasing."
She describes her work of advocating and praying outside of abortion clinics as being on the frontline in the pro-life movement, where there is one last chance to speak and pray with people before they end the life of a child.
Based off her own experience, she knows "young men and young women who are about to enter that clinic do think twice, and many of them leave without ever choosing to kill the baby."
She thinks that is a great testament.
"That's what God wants us to do, is to be witnesses to the truth so that others might turn toward the truth," says Brown.
She is grateful that she has been able to serve God in this way and that ALL has grown to have the support of more than 300,000 families. Now, as she is 81 years old, Brown has left her organization in "the capable hands" of her son and granddaughter.
"The legacy that we have started an American Life League will continue long after I am no longer continuing," Brown asserts.
President Jimmy Carter issued the first presidential proclamation declaring the week of March 8, 1980 as National Women's History Week in February of 1980. In 1987, Congress passed Public Law 100-9, designating March as Women's History Month, and each president since 1995 has issued an annual proclamation designating March as such.
The annual celebration recognizes and honors women's contributions to history, culture, and society.
