Five months after I graduated from the University of South Carolina with my degree in journalism, the U.S. Supreme Court issued its landmark 1973 Roe v. Wade decision. Despite my interest in the topic, I was not particularly attentive to the developments. I was a young journalist, and my career was a significant concern. Additionally, I did not know anyone who had undergone an abortion. I did not consider it to be a significant issue because I believed that the Roe v. Wade decision was intended to legalize abortion for victims of rape.
I subsequently became acquainted with a young woman of a similar age. As our relationship progressed, she informed me that she had become pregnant during her secondary education and that her mother had accompanied her to New York for an abortion. This occurred prior to the year 1973. What troubled me about this conversation was her revelation that she did not wish to undergo an abortion. This decision was not influenced by rape. I stored this information away for further reflection at a later date. At the time, I was unaware that this would prove to be the first step in my pro-life journey.
I proceeded to reflect on my own career trajectory. As I became aware of an increasing number of young women in my age group who had undergone abortions, some of whom had done so on multiple occasions, I began to consider the issue more closely. However, I was simultaneously engaged in writing about the most distressing and horrific crimes imaginable in South Carolina. These included mass murder and the dismemberment of homicide victims, which I had to treat in a dispassionate and objective manner.
Jesse Floyd, M.D., is regarded as the most infamous abortionist in South Carolina history. The case I covered involved a murder charge against Floyd, who aborted a 21-day-old infant. The case was appealed to the U.S. 4th Circuit Court of Appeals, which was on my beat. The decision was in Floyd’s favor. Why? The decision of the Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals held that it was not illegal to abort a baby who could survive outside the womb. Consequently, the killer could not be charged with murder.
While disturbing, the incident was merely another occurrence of the day. I once again stored the information for future reference. However, the Floyd trial represented only one aspect of a larger phenomenon. The abortion issue was becoming increasingly prominent in the national news, and a growing number of accounts of late abortions were being made public. In some ways, these cases resembled those that had been documented in the House of Horrors, the facility operated by abortionist Kermit Gosnell. The situation was becoming increasingly concerning.
As a crime reporter, I was privy to a plethora of heinous crimes, including murder, rape, child abuse, and animal abuse. While these experiences were distressing, they also instilled in me a sense of resilience and determination to uncover the truth.
One day, I was presented with a photograph of an aborted child. I was overcome with a sense of revulsion. I was disconcerted by the realization that what I was looking at appeared to be a criminal act, yet it was not. In this country, the practice of terminating a pregnancy was legal.
At that moment, I came to understand the gravity of the situation. I could no longer relegate the issue to a future point of consideration. I transitioned from a state of ambivalence about abortion to a conviction to take action to halt this practice.
In my naivety, I believed that the solution to this societal problem would be the media’s exposure of this holocaust. I was unaware that the root of the problem was the institutional media itself until I approached my editor and requested to cover the right-to-life issue, as I felt the paper was not being fair.
My editor informed me in a gentle, sanctimonious manner that the editorial position of the paper was in keeping with the corporate position, which was “pro-choice.” I knew that day that I would not retire from the corporate media world. I would have to resign. And I did.
I have omitted many details, which could be the subject of a book in themselves. However, the experiences of all pro-lifers are complex and lengthy.
The essence of the matter is that I never thought I would be working full-time in the pro-life movement. Never. Nevertheless, when God asks you to do something – and it is always an ask, never an order – you have a choice.
God guided me along the optimal pathways and opened the optimal doors. On December 23, 2013, I marked my 20th anniversary as the executive director of South Carolina Citizens for Life.
I have been engaged in the pro-life movement for as long as I was employed as a journalist in the “mainstream media.” My tenure as a reporter was both exhilarating and, at times, gratifying. However, my involvement in the pro-life movement has far exceeded my expectations for a fulfilling life. In a sense, it is akin to a lifelong commitment, comparable to the bond of marriage. I am committed to this endeavor for the long term. I am committed to this endeavor until the end of the deaths of unborn babies.
As a postscript to this account of my life, I would like to present what I consider to be an ironic twist. I call it the irony of ironies. The office of South Carolina Citizens for Life is now located in the former abortion office of Jesse Floyd, who died in 1995 in an automobile accident.
In another ironic twist, South Carolina Citizens for Life exposed his unsanitary practice of grinding up aborted babies in a common kitchen sink disposal. The aforementioned information, along with other instances of egregious abortion practices in South Carolina, served as the impetus for the State Legislature to enact the Abortion Clinic Regulation Act.
The abortion industry engaged in a prolonged legal battle with opponents, ultimately reaching the U.S. Supreme Court via the U.S. 4th Circuit Court of Appeals. This time, the court ruled in favor of regulating abortion clinics, resulting in the closure of three abortion businesses in South Carolina. Previously, there were 14 abortion businesses in the state. The number of abortions has declined by 57 percent. Those interested in examining the relationship between the enactment of pro-life legislation and the decline in abortion rates may access this information via the webpage www.sclife.org. To access the relevant graph, simply click on the icon on the homepage.
Daniel Miller is responsible for nearly all of National Right to Life News' political writing.
With the election of Donald Trump to the U.S. presidency, Daniel Miller developed a deep obsession with U.S. politics that has never let go of the political scientist. Whether it's the election of Joe Biden, the midterm elections in Congress, the abortion rights debate in the Supreme Court or the mudslinging in the primaries - Daniel Miller is happy to stay up late for you.
Daniel was born and raised in New York. After living in China, working for a news agency and another stint at a major news network, he now lives in Arizona with his two daughters.
