A $1,000 donation from a Christian lawmaker’s charity to a Colorado woman whose 7-month-old baby was cut from her womb isn’t wanted by the family because the pro-life Republican connects the tragic incident to biblical prophecy concerning judgment.
In his “Pray In Jesus’ Name” broadcast, Gordon Klingenschmitt of Colorado Springs cites Hosea 13:16, which in part states “their pregnant women will be ripped open” as a judgment on the people of ancient Samaria from God.
“This has prophetic significance to America,” said Klingenschmitt, a former U.S. Navy chaplain. “This is the curse of God on America for our sin of not protecting innocent children in the womb,” he said on his daily television program days after the baby died.
After his PIJN News piece aired, Klingenschmitt’s charity, prayinjesusname.org, offered financial support to the family of Michelle Wilkins, the 26-year-old victim who bled for three hours March 18 before making a 911 emergency call from a basement in Longmont, Colorado.
Klingenschmitt, an ordained pastor, challenged fellow lawmakers to donate $5 each to Wilkins’ online account, where his charity deposited $1,000.
The contribution was returned to Klingenschmitt by Wilkins’ family the same day suspect Dynel Lane, 34, was charged with attempted first-degree murder of their daughter, along with seven other felony charges related to the baby’s death.
“So this raises the question, ‘Was this a murder?’ If the baby is a person, then of course it’s murder,” said Klingenschmitt, who holds a Ph.D. in theology from Regent University. “This horrific crimes calls for a fix in the Colorado legislature.”
The Wilkins’ family wasn’t alone in rejecting Klingenschmitt’s donation to their daughter’s GoFundMe page. Other Republican legislators at the Colorado statehouse condemned Klingenschmitt’s “judgment” remarks.
In response, Klingenschmitt said he doesn’t speak for his caucus but rather as a defender of religious freedom.
Colorado voters have rejected three consecutive attempts to claim “personhood” for unborn babies, and in 2013 lawmakers instead passed a bill related to crimes against pregnant women.
Klingenschmitt and pro-life advocates in Colorado and Longmont—where another baby was killed by a drunk driver in 2012—say the law doesn’t allow prosecution for murder of unborn babies in criminal acts, like the case involving Wilkins.
The Wilkins’ family wasn’t alone in rejecting Klingenschmitt. Other Republican legislators at the Colorado statehouse condemned Klingenschmitt’s “judgment” remarks. In response, Klingenschmitt said he doesn’t speak for his caucus but rather as a defender of religious freedom.
Lane is charged with seven other felony counts, including first-degree unlawful termination of a pregnancy, use of a deadly weapon and several first- and second-degree assault charges.
Because Wilkins’ baby didn’t survive outside the womb, Colorado law prevents prosecutors filing a murder charge in Aurora Wilkins’ death, according to the Boulder County District Attorney’s Office, which formally charged Lane, who is being held on a $2 million bond, on March 27.
Police reports indicate Wilkins went to Lane’s home March 18 to buy baby clothes advertised on Craigslist. Lane then reportedly used a kitchen knife to perform a near-perfect Caesarian section on Wilkins, leaving her beaten and bloodied body in a basement where, three hours later, Wilkins mustered enough strength to place a 911 call from her cell phone. Lane’s husband, David Ridley, took her to the emergency room, where she told doctors she’d miscarried.
Along with Klingenschmitt, pro-life advocates say Lane should be charged with murder in the death of Wilkins’ baby. They say Colorado law is flawed and Aurora Wilkins’ horrific death calls for a fix by the Legislature.
One of those advocating change, Heather Surovik, also lives in Longmont. In 2012, she lost her unborn son, Brady, after a drunk driver slammed into the family car.
A Christian, Surovik offered support to Wilkins in the days following Aurora’s death, telling the family she’s willing to help with the grief and recovery process. Wilkins is recovering at home.
Surovik has appeared on national television programs and posts pro-life articles on her Facebook page. In 2014, she co-sponsored an amendment to the Colorado’s constitution named after her son, Brady. Rejected by voters, Amendment 67 sought recognition of unborn children as victims of criminal acts and provided commensurate prosecution.
“I am grieving, knowing what it’s like to be told that your child’s death doesn’t count as a homicide in Colorado,” Surovik stated in a pro-life article on her Facebook page March 27. She was joined by supporters, as well as those of baby Aurora, when prosecutors confirmed fears that Lane wouldn’t be charged with murder.
Recalling the loss of her son, Surovik said, “I had to sit in a courtroom and listen to Planned Parenthood attorneys tell me that my baby’s life didn’t matter, and that Colorado law was already ‘sufficient'” to protect pregnant women in cases like this,” Surovik said.
“Clearly, Planned Parenthood and the legislators who opposed the Brady Amendment lied to us,” she said. “Baby Aurora was a person, just like my son Brady, and they both deserve justice.”
Surovik opposed the “Crimes Against Pregnant Women Act,” which was passed by Colorado lawmakers in 2013 after her son’s death the previous year. She said the law doesn’t recognize unborn children as victims and contains minimal charges for violent criminals who kill them.
