Pro-lifers raise $16K for young mom Maddi Runkles

Students for Life of America staffers present high school graduate and pregnant mom Maddi Runkles with $16,000 to further her dreams.

As every liberal pundit knows, right-to-lifers hate women and hate premarital sex… which explains why they gave $16,000 to a woman who had premarital sex.

That’s sarcasm, obviously, but the second half is true. Pro-life advocates raised $16,000 to assist Maddi Runkles, who made headlines last month when her private Christian high school banned her from her own graduation ceremony to punish her for having sex and becoming pregnant outside of marriage. The school’s actions incensed pro-lifers, who pointed out that Maddi was really being punished for staying pregnant. If she had obtained a secret abortion, she would have graduated alongside the rest of her class. The school was making an example of her, effectively encouraging students who find themselves in the same situation in the future to kill their babies, for the sake of the school’s sexually conservative reputation.

Students for Life of America led the charge, and while the school stubbornly refused to let Maddi walk at graduation, the pro-life movement stepped up big time. Last week, Maddi not only received her high school diploma—she also received a check for $16,000, funded by pro-life donors.

This is obviously great news for Maddi and her son, but it’s not only about them. Students for Life of America deserves massive credit for drawing media attention to this issue, demonstrating to young mothers everywhere that the pro-life movement will stand with them against oppressive school administrations. The next time something like this happens, more young women will know that abortion is not their only, or best, option. Maddi Runkles has indeed become an example—but not the example that her high school intended.