“We went to our local pregnancy center banquet, and while I was there, I felt the Lord calling me to become involved in the pro-life movement and be a voice for pre-born babies,” Cheyenne Vandeventer told The Stand.
After hearing that call at the age of 12, Vandeventer began volunteering at her local pregnancy clinic, Life Care Center, in Ottawa, Kansas. There, Vandeventer was tasked with sorting and helping organize the center’s donations for expectant moms.
Start of something new
With her newfound passion to be an advocate for the unborn, Vandeventer participated in Ottawa’s Walk for Life, her state’s March for Life, and attended the National March for Life in Washington, D.C. However, it wasn’t until the fall of 2020 that the Lord began to open significant doors for her to minister. In the wake of the elections, Vandeventer felt an urgency to do more.
Later that year, Vandeventer started a local Students for Life of America group (SFLA). SFLA is a pro-life ministry that equips high school, college, and graduate students to speak against the travesty of abortion. By mobilizing groups on campuses and in communities nationwide, the organization seeks to raise awareness about the importance of abolishing abortion. (See The Stand 4/22.)
“[My group] participated in sidewalk counseling, connected with 40 Days for Life, and wrote letters to the U.S. Supreme Court justices – encouraging them to rule pro-life on the Dobbs v. Jackson case [which they did],” Vandeventer explained.
In 2022, Vandeventer started working on the Value Them Both campaign, which was the driving force behind a Kansas state constitutional amendment designed to protect the state’s previous anti-abortion laws, one of them being a ban on dismemberment abortion. Sadly, the amendment was struck down. But the decision fueled Vandeventer’s determination to see legislation change in her state.
Another open door
At the beginning of 2023, Vandeventer welcomed the opportunity to become an intern for SFLAction, a legislative arm of SFLA. In March, on behalf of the group, Vandeventer introduced the Protection at Conception bill (S.B. 286) to her state senate. If passed, the bill would protect the unborn’s right to life, ban the production and distribution of mifepristone (chemical abortion pill), and make abortion illegal in the state. The only abortion exception is if the pregnancy poses risks to the mother.
“The Value Them Both amendment made national news,” Vandeventer explained, saying that the outcome “made Kansas look like it was a pro-abortion state. But there are a lot of pro-life supporters here, and I want to get them activated around the Protection at Conception bill so that we can end abortion here in Kansas” and across America.
“I am passionate about making abortion illegal,” said Vandeventer, “and that’s exactly what I want to do with my life.”
(Digital Editor's Note: This article was published first in the December 2023 print edition of The Stand.)
