From the SFLA Blog

10 Celebrities You Didn’t Know Were Pro-Life

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SFLA Staff - 20 Jul 2020

At first glance, it may seem as if celebrity culture is exclusively pro-choice. Stars like Elizabeth Banks and Busy Philipps have repeatedly glorified “abortion rights,” and predatory figures like Harvey Weinstein supported the nation’s largest abortion provider, Planned Parenthood. However, not all famous people use their platform to laud “reproductive freedom.” Some stars have rejected the politically correct opinion to courageously stand for life.

Eduardo Verastegui

Eduardo Verastegui was a well-known actor in his home country of Mexico before he became known in the United States for his part in Bella. Deciding to go to an abortion center to learn more about what women go through when faced with an unexpected pregnancy, Verastegui’s life was changed. 

After encountering a Hispanic couple considering abortion outside the clinic, Verastegui spoke with them in their native Spanish for 45 minutes. He spoke gently with them, and he even provided the couple with his personal phone number. Months later, he received a phone call from the man who had been with the pregnant woman and thinking about abortion.

The couple had chosen life for their child because of Verastegui’s encouraging words. Verastegui found he could not even speak after the man told him that he planned to name his baby after Verastegui. Meeting the new parents at the hospital, Verastegui held their child in his arms. 

Verastegui’s video, Dura Realidad, has been used to help change women’s minds about abortion. The actor is also the creator behind the IAmViable website, which advocates for the lives of disabled children. Crescendo, a pro-life film produced by Verastegui, was based on the diaries of Ludwig van Beethoven’s mother. It won 15 international film festival awards. 

Justin Bieber 

In 2011, pop star Justin Bieber said in an interview with Rolling Stone, “I really don’t believe in abortion. I think [an embryo] is a human. It’s like killing a baby.” 

It seems Bieber’s pro-life views stem from his mother’s influence. 

Bieber’s mother, Pattie Mallette, has shared her story of how she became pregnant with Bieber at 17. She was advised by her friends and family to abort, but she refused. Mallette was kicked out of her parents’ house because of the pregnancy, but despite challenges, she was determined to carry Bieber to term. 

In 2013, Mallette took part in a fundraiser for crisis pregnancy centers, revealing that she had turned to one when she was pregnant with Bieber. Mallette said she hoped her efforts would “encourage young women all over the world, just like me, to let them know that there is a place to go, people who will take care of you and a safe home to live in if you are pregnant and think you have nowhere else to turn.”

However, it is sad to note that Hailey Baldwin Bieber (Justin Bieber’s wife) has come out as pro-abortion following the Dobbs decision, ignoring the fact that her own husband was almost aborted.

Celine Dion 

Canadian music star Celine Dion has talked openly about how she is grateful for the parish priest who saved her life. Dion’s mother was overwhelmed when she learned she was pregnant with Dion, her 14th child. The story of Dion’s mother shows how sometimes abortion-minded women just need a little time to come to terms with a new situation. 

When Dion’s mother consulted a priest about having an abortion, the spiritual leader advised her not to do it, saying abortion “go against nature.”. 

“Once she got over her disappointment, my mother didn’t waste any time on self-pity, and loved me as passionately as she’d loved the last little one,” Dion said of her mother. 

Her experience of having her life in the womb spared has driven Dion’s commitment to her family. In an interview with People Magazine in 2001, Dion stated,” My success is my family. My life is to be a mom. It is what I enjoy the most. It is my most amazing reward. I will take a chance with my music. I don’t take risks with my family.”

Jack Nicholson 

The star of One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest has spoken out against abortion. Jack Nicholson’s mother found herself unexpectedly pregnant and was being pressured to abort, but she refused. Nicholson explained the reasoning for his pro-life view: “I’m very contra my constituency in terms of abortion because I’m positively against it. I don’t have the right to any other view. My only emotion is gratitude, literally, for my life.”

Andrea Bocelli 

The world-renowned Italian singer has publicly told the story of how his mother ignored doctors’ advice to have an abortion after being told her son would be born disabled. In a video he released in 2011, Andrea Bocelli praised his mother for making “the right choice,” and he hopes others can find hope from his story. Bocelli has congenital glaucoma, and by the time he turned 12, his vision was completely gone. 

Bocelli’s blindness has not interfered with his love for music. His disability has not stopped him from possessing a beautiful tenor range, and throughout his career, he has recorded albums with singers like Sarah Brightman and Christina Aguilera. In defiance of the doctors’ advice, Bocelli has gone on to touch many people’s lives through his music. 

 The singer has stated he hopes that his powerful testimony will be seen as more than just an anti-abortion stance. 

“Because of my personal convictions as a devout Catholic, I am not only fighting against something, I am fighting for something – and I am for life,” Bocelli said. 

Chuck Norris 

The action movie star published an essay back in 2008 that defended the right to life, and he criticized then-Presidential candidate Barack Obama’s radical stance on abortion. Writing for WorldNetDaily, Chuck Norris argued that abortion is not an “old” issue. He stated that the country must be “concerned about America’s future and those who will occupy it.” 

Norris went on to say that abortion is a “violation of government’s purpose: to protect innocent life.” He then pointed to Obama’s opposition to legislation requiring medical care for abortion survivors, laws banning partial-birth abortion, as well as parental notification laws. Citing the Founding Fathers, Norris urged everyone to try and “…get back to a view of humanity that emphasizes the immortal worth of every human being.”

In 2021, Norris published another pro-life article at WorldNetDaily entitled “Twice As Many People Condemn Plastic Straws Than Abortion.” Presenting several polls, he stated just how twisted our society has become in what we value most, saying: “Whether in the U.S. Capital or in cities across every state of our union, we shouldn’t justify violence to humans outside the womb or inside the womb. Instead, we should esteem all human life from conception to the grave.” 

Kelsey Grammer 

While he’s probably remembered best for his role as Dr. Frasier Crane on the hit sitcom Cheers, Kelsey Grammer has repeatedly been a bold advocate for life. Despite the heated backlash he sometimes receives from pro-choice activists, Grammer frequently posts pictures of himself wearing pro-life t-shirts or posting various pro-life statements on his social media. As one of the few Hollywood celebrities who is not afraid to stand against abortion, Grammer has also attended the March for Life in Washington. 

In a 2016 interview with the Times of UK, Grammer was not afraid to express his views on abortion. 

“It gets a bit dishonest to call something reproductive rights when you clearly have a choice well before a baby is conceived,” he said. “If someone has to die as a result of rape, then we should kill the rapist — not the unborn child. “

Janine Turner 

Actress Janine Turner went from starring in productions like” Friday Night Lights” and “Northern Exposure” to conservative political commentary. Turner has spoken on behalf of unborn children in the womb, and she has discouraged Americans from making a “truce” on important social issues like abortion. 

Turner has criticized federal funds being directed toward the abortion provider Planned Parenthoodan organization Turner noted has been caught victimizing young girlswhile pro-life groups do not receive nearly the same support.

“If the federal government is going to fund an entity that is pro-abortion, then it should equally fund an entity that is pro-life,” Turner said. “…Where is the justice for the unborn child?”

Ben Stein 

His iconic role in Ferris Bueller’s Day Off is likely what most people think of when they hear the name Ben Stein (“Bueller? Bueller?”). But the actor has an impressive political career. Stein was a former law professor at multiple universities, and he even worked as a speechwriter for Richard Nixon and Gerald Ford. In addition to writing about politics and economics, Stein has been an outspoken champion for unborn lives. 

According to Stein, he was ostracized in Hollywood after it became known that he was pro-life. While he might have faced scorn from the residents of Tinsel Town, Stein has been honored at events like the Tenth Annual Proudly Pro-life Awards Dinner in 2003. He was also named as the “Pro-Life Celebrity” of 2009 by Bound4Life. 

When it comes to standing for life, Stein does not see abortion as just a “single issue.” 

“I would not be on any other side than the side I’m on,” Stein said about his pro-life views.

Kathy Ireland 

Kathy Ireland became famous after she appeared on the cover of magazines like Vogue and Cosmopolitan. Around the time her modeling career began, Ireland thought of herself as pro-choice. It wasn’t until she began to look closer at the science of when life begins that Ireland’s mind changed.

“What I learned is at the moment of conception, a new life comes into being,” Ireland said in a 2010 interview with Mike Huckabee. “The DNA, the genetic blueprint is there, the sex is determined, the blood type is determined, the unique set of fingerprints is there.”

For Ireland, the pro-life argument had presented her with a truth she could not deny. Ever since she shifted her stance, Ireland has dedicated her career to speaking at pro-life events, such as the Council for Life Luncheon, and calling for Planned Parenthood to be defunded.

Though her decision to publicly come out against abortion cost her a few scheduled television appearances, Ireland has not been deterred in her belief that unborn lives deserve protection. 

“There are people who don’t want to hear about it…however, I’ll never be ashamed of it; it’s my foundation; it’s who I am.”

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