Broken Not Dead: Steventhen Shares His Story of Life Born Out of Rape at the 51st Annual March for Life

This Friday, there is a snowstorm brewing in the Northeast as they get a taste of the arctic blast that the Midwest and Southeast have been under all week. Despite the impending record snow, the March for Life is taking place on the Washington Mall in D.C, just as it has for the past 51 years. This is the national launch, but Marches for Life are planned in states across the nation throughout the year. While the 2022 SCOTUS decision in Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health effectively overturned the 1973 Roe v. Wade decision, the need to march continues because hearts and minds still need to be changed to embrace a culture of Life.

Happy @March_for_Life day!! ❄️ pic.twitter.com/wds02SlUSj
— Concerned Women for America LAC (@CWforA) January 19, 2024

Thousands of protesters are expected on the National Mall for an hour of speeches and a march past the U.S. Capitol and the Supreme Court. But snow and frigid temperatures have been gripping the Washington metropolitan area, which could affect turnout for the march.
Friday's March for Life is the second such event since the June 2022 Supreme Court ruling that ended the federal protection for abortion rights enshrined in Roe v. Wade. Last year's march was understandably triumphant, with organizers relishing a state-by-state fight in legislatures around the country.

With the recent accounting of 65,464,760 babies aborted since Roe, the need to keep reminding Americans not only about the carnage, but that the fight for the rights of the preborn did not end with its overturn. As the founder of Broken Not Dead Ministries and a pro-life speaker and worship leader, Steventhen Holland travels all around the country to bring awareness to the cause of Life and to alert the states that the war is not yet won. Pro-Life organizations and causes still need our support.

I definitely would say it's still a need to fight. That's why I travel state-to-state and do fundraisers or events. Honestly, on a local level, pregnancy centers and right-to-life [organizations]'s work has become harder. Donors need to know that the watching and support needs to continue. There is still work to be done and they still need to be supported.

Had it not been for the support of pro-life individuals, Steventhen's mother, and other "heroes," we would not be getting to know this young man with the unique name. You see, in 1981, while Roe v. Wade was still the law of the land, Steventhen's mother, Glenda, was gang raped by five men. To complicate matters, then 18-year-old Glenda was mentally impaired: She had the thinking and emotional capacity of an 11-year-old. But despite this tragedy and trauma, she fought to not only bear Steventhen, but to name him and then have the wherewithal to surrender him into foster care.

Aborting the product of rape has never been considered out of the question and is still codified in the statutes of many of the states that do restrict abortion. It certainly wasn't a question in 1981 when Roe was in force nationally. And the fact that Glenda was not wholly cognizant about what had happened to her and her state of being? This would be considered an even more compelling reason to abort the child. We know all the pro-abortion arguments: It is cruel to make someone bear a child born as a product of rape! What kind of life would this child have? And, of course, the eugenicist's argument: The mother is impaired herself and is passing on her damaged DNA; the child would infect our gene pool and would not have the chance to survive or thrive! Steventhen Holland is a living, breathing testament to the fallacy of these arguments, and his incredible journey of discovery on how he came to be will bring tears to your eyes.

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Steventhen's story embodies the power of Life and redemption all around — and what is possible when we choose Life. In his pro-life work, Steventhen sometimes encounters those who tell him he should have never been allowed to exist.

I have three beautiful daughters, you know, like, a generation, right? I wouldn't be here if it wasn't for that decision to choose life. And they matter, you know? I've been attacked at some airports, you know, traveling for an event. They find out that I'm there to raise money for a pro-life organization and try fight with me. I say, listen, you are completely entitled to your opinion and your beliefs and what you know. But where it becomes personal for me is for you to tell me that I don't have worth and value.

Steventhen not only lived to have a family of his own, but in restoring a piece of his past through the search for his birth mother, Steventhen was able to build a relationship with Glenda and his uncle Steve, which healed them all to a tremendous depth. It's a lovely picture of how the dark threads in a tapestry are there to enhance and augment the beauty of the entire woven piece.

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Steventhen's redemptive story and pro-life advocacy have spurred him to help others record their stories. Broken Not Dead evokes Kintsugi or kintsukuroi. The Japanese art of repairing broken pottery with gold, silver, or platinum-infused lacquer treats the breakage not as something to be covered up or disguised but as part of what makes the object what it is and enhances its purpose. By teaching others to share their story, they are able to mine the beauty from the ashes, find healing, and gain a new perspective on themselves and their place in the world.

I am where I am today because I'm not afraid to share my brokenness, Steventhen said. And I think sometimes we have to touch our pain for other people to find healing.

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Steventhen's birth and life are marked by the redemption found when we choose Life, and his story continues to inspire, encourage, and challenge. The pro-life organization Live Action took Steventhen's Broken Not Dead story and combined with the video from his first meeting with his mother, created a new way to spread his incredible journey to those who support the cause of Life, no matter what the circumstances.

Steventhen also had the great opportunity to share his story with other attendees at Friday's 51st annual March for Life, and will march on the Mall as a testament to Life, his championing for the rights of the preborn, and his declaration of God's amazing grace through it all.