Abby Johnson: Who Is The Activist Speaking At The 2020 RNC?
Abby Johnson, a former Planned Parenthood employee turned vocal critic of abortion, will be speaking at the 2020 Republican National Convention on Tuesday. While she has only been given five minutes of speaking time, the activist recently told The Church Boys Podcast that she plans to make the most of her time and give the audience a speech that is both unforgettable and “pretty graphic,” as reported by The Blaze.
“I feel like people are going to listen to this 5-minute speech and they’re going to walk away… And they’re not going to ever be able to say, ‘Wow, we had no idea that those things happen during abortion.’ They’re going to know,” Johnson told hosts Chris Field, Lucas Miles, and Billy Hallowell.
The activist went on to add that the speech will fit her style of “shocking people out of their apathy and into action.”
Johnson Worked With Planned Parenthood For Eight Years Before Changing Her Stance On Abortion
Johnson began working with Planned Parenthood as a volunteer in 2001, while still a student at Texas A&M University. She spent eight years with the organization’s clinic in Bryan, Texas, working her way up to director and even being named that location’s “Employee of the Year” in 2008, as reported by Salon.
Things changed abruptly in late 2009, when she resigned from her role with Planned Parenthood and joined its anti-abortion rival Coalition for Life. Her stance changed so drastically that she even began appearing at protests with the organization outside where she once worked. Johnson gave two reasons for her change of heart, explaining that upper management was pressuring her location to conduct more abortions to relieve its financial issues and recently witnessing an abortion on an ultrasound.
Johnson’s resignation prompted Planned Parenthood to file a restraining order against her and her organization, claiming that she had allegedly been making copies of “confidential information” before her decision and had told a nurse practitioner that she had given an abortion provider’s résumé, home address and phone number to Coalition for Life. Johnson has denied all the claims.
In 2011, she released Unplanned, a memoir of her time with Planned Parenthood and the period of her departure. It received a film adaptation in 2019, grossing $21 million on a $6 million budget.
Johnson Operates An Anti-Abortion Ministry Aimed At Clinic Workers
Johnson has spent the ensuing decade working as an anti-abortion advocate, with the biography of her website describing her efforts as “educating the public on pro-life issues, advocating for the unborn, and reaching out to abortion clinic staff who still work in the industry.” She founded the ministry And Then There Were None, which encourages employees at abortion clinics to leave their jobs and provides counseling and support for those that do. Her website claims that more than 430 people have left their jobs due to the work of her ministry.
She is married to Doug Johnson, and the couple currently live in Texas with their seven children. She and her husband both converted to Catholicism in 2012, after previously identifying with the Episcopal Church.
