Dr. Alveda King has been a defender of life for these many years. We learn more about why in her new book, King Rules. We find out that she is alive today because of her grandfather’s pro-life convictions. She is convinced that her uncle, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., would be a leading figure in the pro-life movement simply because he grew up in the King household.

When Alveda’s mother realized she was pregnant, she panicked and began to consider getting an abortion. She had a flyer from the Birth Control League (the precursor to Planned Parenthood). It advocated “procedures for mysterious female ailments,” which actually included visits to doctor’s offices for secret D&C surgeries. Alveda’s mother told her mother she wanted an abortion. Her mother was against it, so they decided to seek counsel from Daddy King.

As soon as she told him about her intentions, he turned to her and said, “Neenie, that not a lump of flesh in your belly. That’s my granddaughter.” This was before the time of ultrasound, but he knew with absolute conviction there was a girl in her womb.

Three years earlier, Daddy King had a dream that Alveda’s mother would give birth to “a little girl with light skin and bright red hair” and that “she would be a blessing to many.” In case you are wondering about the red hair, there is Irish blood on the King side of the family.

He was certain that the vision was about to come true. When Alveda was born, she looked exactly as he has dreamed.

Alveda’s name is a combination of his first name and a variation on the word, vita, which is the Latin word for life. He gave her the middle name Celeste after his grandmother, Jenny Celeste, and also because it suggested the word celestial, and he wanted “to get Alveda as close to heaven as I can.”

The story is just one of a number of reminders in the book of why we should be pro-life. Daddy King understood that life is sacred from the moment of conception. We should proclaim that truth to the world.