Christian American football star shares why he joined pro-life movement

An American football player has shared why his Christian faith has driven him to speak out for the unborn.

Speaking to The Gospel Coalition, Benjamin Watson revealed that, having been born in a Christian home, his father led him to saving faith at the age of six, and he said his identity in Christ has been foundational to his life ever since.

Watson grew up to become a Super Bowl-winning player for the New England Patriots, and has used his platform to speak out on Christian issues, and against abortion in particular.

March for Life

Watson, a now retired father of seven, is vocal about his pro-life beliefs, stating in his 2015 book Under Our Skin that “the unborn fetus is a life to be protected.”

He added: “If we are in favor of the unborn life within, should we not also be in favor of the lives of people on the streets, in homes, in churches, and in our neighborhoods?”

Two years later he was invited to speak at the annual US March for Life.

He explained that being pro-life meant “from conception to the grave, standing for life includes victims of sex trafficking and abuse, the hungry, the poor, the disadvantaged, as well as the elite”.

Documentary

His speech propelled him forward in the pro-life movement, and he has since presented a documentary called Divided Hearts of America, discussing abortion and its links to racism.

Alveda King, niece of Martin Luther King Jr, told Watson: “As long as you can paint a person as a non-human, as in the days of slavery in America, they’re not human, so you can do whatever you want to do to them.”

The film reveals the link between abortion and the eugenic practices of Nazi Germany, and the ideology of Margaret Sanger, founder of abortion giant Planned Parenthood.

It also addresses the disproportionately high rate of black babies currently being aborted – making up 27 per cent of abortions in the US, though African Americans make up just 13 per cent of the US population.

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