The third time’s a charm for Connor Whiffin. After not placing two years in a row, the Long Beach Catholic Regional School eighth grader was one of four winners of the school’s essay competition, the Pro-Life Oratory Contest. He wrote on why life in the womb is sacred and how to value human life.  

The annual contest was sponsored by pro-life advocate Robert Doherty. Each of the four winners received a $500 scholarship prize. Connor also got to read his essay at a school Mass on April 29. 

“When I found out that I actually won the whole thing, I was very proud of myself,” he said.  

With this submission, Connor said he spent a week on research, leaning heavily on Scripture to develop an argument that he felt could stand.  

Going through the Book of Exodus, Connor found the passage that anchors his essay. The passage describes an ancient law that said if two men who are fighting injured a pregnant woman and the child was killed, both men would be put to death. 

“It was teaching me that life was equal in the womb and outside the womb,” he said. 

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Through his research, Connor said he also learned that under federal law, destroying the egg of a bald eagle carries criminal penalties. He questions why the law doesn’t extend the same protections to unborn life. 

“They don’t look at it the same as babies in the womb — other animals like an eagle — as they do to a human,” he said. “I was shocked. That was crazy.”  

For now, Connor’s pro-life advocacy is mostly confined to the classroom, but he said he sees a more public role for himself down the road.  

He also hopes to attend the March for Life in Washington. 

“I would love to do that when I’m older,” he said.