Constitutional Fellow Fights for Life by Defunding Big Abortion

All is not lost in Washington, D.C.

Working in political circles in the nation’s capital has given Mariana Timler more hope and courage than before.

“If good people choose never to enter politics out of fear or frustration, then we are directly opposing St. Paul’s call to be in the world but not of it,” she said. “That realization will guide me as I continue discerning a life in public service.”

Timler is a junior Economics major at Benedictine College in Atchison, Kansas. But don’t think for a minute that she spends all of her time looking at economic forecasts and studying the implications of policy recommendations. Timler, a Presidential Scholar who is active as a Constitutional Fellow and in the Sheridan Honors Institute, has already demonstrated that she wants to put her academic prowess at the service of Transforming Culture in America.

And she has already built a record of success — in moot court competitions and in Washington, D.C.

Over the past summer, Mari was selected for a competitive internship with Susan B. Anthony Pro-Life America and worked to defund abortion by advocating for the passage of the One Big Beautiful Bill Act. In July, SBA Pro-Life America held a celebration on Capitol Hill to commemorate decades of advocacy that ended taxpayer funding of abortion businesses, most notably Planned Parenthood — if only temporarily.

“This summer I was surrounded by pro-life giants and people who have given so much of themselves to defend the dignity and sanctity of life,” Timler said. “In my role as a research intern, I was able to take what I had learned in my Benedictine politics classes and apply it directly to white papers and research on pro-life legislation.”

The internship experience affected more than just her outlook on the political process. “There is a common stereotype that politicians are all corrupt or self-serving,” Timler noted. “While that can be true in some cases, my time at SBA showed me that good and godly leaders really do exist.”

Meanwhile, back on campus, she has been preparing to potentially take her own place in politics.

In early November, for the second year in a row, Timler finished as a quarter finalist in a regional moot court tournament, securing a place in the national competition, which will be held in January. The Benedictine College moot court team, coached by Kevin Vance, Director of the Center for Constitutional Liberty, competes with other colleges and universities across the nation as students take on the role of appellate attorneys, developing legal arguments that are presented before panels of judges. This fall, at least four of Benedictine’s moot court teams qualified for the national tournament. They will enter another round of competition early in the spring semester, competing to qualify for the finals round.

Timler says she is grateful to both Susan B. Anthony Pro-Life America to Dr. Vance and the Center for Constitutional Liberty at Benedictine. “The Center’s funding was absolutely essential. Without it, I would not have been able to take an internship in Washington, D.C. The cost of living in the capital is simply too high. … I am extremely grateful to the Center and its generous donors for making this summer possible.”

Timler said the spiritual dimension of a Benedictine College education sets her political formation apart.

“I came into college as an 18-year-old confident in my faith, yet I quickly came to realize how much I had been going through the motions without actual sacrifice or genuine belief,” Timler said. “My friends not only practiced their faith but have challenged me to grow in mine as well. I would not be where I am today in my friendship with Christ without them.”

She said the work of the Center builds on that formation with work in the classroom and beyond and cited lectures by Ryan T. Anderson and Ben Carson and field trips to events such as the Iowa Caucuses.

“I have been formed by so many of these different lectures and excursions,” Timler said, “learning to take a deep pride in this country we love so dearly.”

By Paul Burghart