FROM NYC TO VERMONT: Savannah Craven, a young woman and activist for pro-life causes,  has come to Vermont from New York City. She will be at UVM on Monday evening to speak about the negative impacts of abortion.

MONTPELIER — A young NYC woman and activist for pro-life causes, Savannah Craven, is making rounds across New England to speak about the topic of abortion. On Saturday she attended the Right to Life March, and on Monday evening she will speak at UVM.

Savannah Craven of Students for Life in America

“It’s exciting, to be honest — I looked to the Northeast because I wanted the challenge. I wanted to be a pro-life presence in an area of the country that is so pro-abortion,” Craven told TNR before giving a speech to a full banquet room at the Capitol Plaza Hotel.

“On Monday, if we do receive any opposition and we do get any confusion, I just want to make it clear that we’re doing this to stand up for women and their babies and to support them,” she said. “We’re not trying to control anyone, we’re not trying to tell anyone what to do, we just simply offer a non-violent option to abortion.

TURNOUT: About 300 Vermonters came out for this year’s annual Vermont Right to Life March.

Abortion is ‘not pro-women’

Craven suggested that the pro-women-themed pro-abortion marches have unfairly taken the moral high ground when it comes to claiming to stand for women’s rights. She said abortion is the opposite of women’s rights.

“Abortion is violence, it is not pro-woman at all,” she added. “It’s basically telling a woman that she can’t.  It’s saying you can’t be a mom and have your dream career and you can’t be a mom and go to school,” she said. “We want to show that women are stronger than their circumstances and that pregnant and parenting students do have rights on college campuses.”

Here in the Northeast for a while

Craven also spoke earlier in the day on the Statehouse steps, discussing her work for Students for Life as a northeast field operations coordinator. She said her work is to “help students to be strong pro-life leaders and to help them feel equipped to go out in the community and defend the preborn.”

Mary Beerworth of Vermont Right to Life

Mary Beerworth, executive director of Vermont Right to Life, also spoke at the march. She reminded those in attendance that Vermont’s House speaker used to work for Planned Parenthood.

“The speaker of the House and former Planned Parenthood employee Jill Krowinski has intended to make abortion their top priority,” Beerworth told the crowd from the Statehouse steps.

She said she has little faith in Gov. Phil Scott when it comes to life issues.

“Sadly, our governor has given the keys of his office to Planned Parenthood as well,” Beerworth said of the governor.

H. 89 to protect “reproductive and gender-affirming services”

As this event took place, lawmakers have crafted a bill, H. 89, that would “make reproductive and gender-affirming services legally protected by the state.”

Initiatives in the bill include to “prohibit a public agency from cooperating in an interstate investigation or proceeding seeking to impose civil or criminal liability upon a person or entity for obtaining or providing legally protected health care.”

Beerworth said the bill would seek to protect out-of-state visitors while they get an abortion in Vermont, where the service is now protected up until the moment of birth.

“Who benefits from that? Planned Parenthood’s abortion business,” Beerworth said.

Michael Bielawski is a reporter for True North. Send him news tips at bielawski82@yahoo.com and follow him on Twitter @TrueNorthMikeB.