EWTN Pro-Life Weekly has documented the unfolding of pro-life history these past five years. Our first program aired one week after President Donald Trump’s inauguration — a U.S. president with no political record and no pro-life history who campaigned on multiple pro-life promises. We reported on the Trump administration’s life-affirming accomplishments - from expanding the Mexico City Policy to finalizing the Protect Life Rule, and in what’s seen as a major part of his legacy, his appointing of three Supreme Court Justices who today are overseeing major abortion cases. We also reported on controversial developments, such as the Trump administration’s decision to resume federal executions at a historic pace.
This past year, the fifth year for the show, we have been tracking President Joe Biden’s administration. While only the nation’s second Catholic president, Biden’s actions on abortion have publicly contradicted the Church’s teachings on life time and time again. He even admitted this year that he now disagrees that life begins at conception, a shift from his long-held position and a departure from natural law. At EWTN Pro-Life Weekly, we fortunately do not place our identity in a political party — we find our identity in Christ and His Church, staying faithful to the magisterium and taking seriously our responsibility to ensure any viewer walks away with clarity on the Church’s teachings on life.
We have also covered the revolving door over at Planned Parenthood’s highest levels. Longtime president Cecile Richards stepped down in 2018 and was replaced by Dr. Leana Wen. Wen was fired within a year, reportedly for wanting to de-emphasize abortion and focus more on healthcare services. She has since been replaced by Alexis McGill Johnson. But this quick turnover seems to indicate a fundamental crumbling of the abortion industry’s leadership, happening at a time the pro-life movement’s momentum could not be more palpable.
The timing of my transition at EWTN Pro-Life Weekly is happening when the pro-life movement is poised to have great success in what’s been a culmination of decades of hard work, strategy, and the grace of many prayers. It is likely that by late summer of 2022, the Supreme Court will issue its ruling on Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization — a case that has the potential to overturn or chip away at the disastrous 1973 Roe v. Wade decision which has legalized more than 60 million abortions in this nation. Successes at the state level are soaring as well, with more than 500 pro-life laws introduced across 47 states in 2021 alone and — lest we forget — Texas recently becoming the first state to successfully enact a heartbeat law.
Given the critical moment we’re in, I myself am perplexed as to why I’m stepping aside now. The timing feels very inconvenient. It has been — as you might imagine — an agonizing decision I only made after months of serious discernment and prayer. And more prayer. And ongoing conversations with my husband, spiritual director, and closest of friends. And then after novenas to both S.t Joseph and St. Thérèse thrown in for good measure. I have poured so much of myself into EWTN Pro-Life Weekly in helping to craft its vision and get it off the ground. My decision now feels like a complete trust fall with Christ to step away from a role I am familiar with and love — but the Lord has taught me over the years that when He calls, it is in your best interest to obey. God has also taught me that His timing is certainly not our timing.
Since I first took on the anchor role, I have gained a new vocation, a new last name, and now I feel called to a new role. I am grateful to share that I will continue to serve the network as an EWTN Contributor. While I’m stepping away from my role at EWTN Pro-Life Weekly, you will still see me pop up on the EWTN television screen and will see my byline at the National Catholic Register from time to time. I plan to continue to use my voice for life and on issues related to women in the Church. This new role will offer me great flexibility and creativity on how to continue to advance the truth and to amplify important voices.
As I now prepare for this transition and a new season of my professional life, I am filled with overwhelming gratitude. In my 200-plus shows, I’ve interviewed leading political voices, from senators to governors to cabinet secretaries. I will forever hold onto the moment I was able to sit across from former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo in the State Department for an interview one week after he announced strict enforcement of the expanded Mexico City Policy. But I will especially cherish the hidden heroes I’ve come across in this movement — those happy warriors volunteering their time, energy, and talents in pregnancy centers, the prayer leaders outside of abortion facilities, and everyday families who chose life in difficult circumstances. This movement is filled with a selfless love - an example set by Christ himself.