Being pro-life means being pro-active: Lillian Banuelos’ 'bags of hope'

by Lori Hadacek Chaplin

For the ICR

Lillian Banuelos

Fourteen-year-old Lillian Banuelos’ American Heritage Girls (AHG) service project, “Bags of Hope,” will gift moms in need diaper bags filled with necessities and more.

Lillian’s response to Prop. 1

Lillian Banuelos’ idea for “Bags of Hope” was born out of her desire to counter the anti-life initiative called “Proposition 1” with something positive. Also referred to as the Reproductive Freedom and Privacy Act Initiative, Proposition 1 is on the ballot in Idaho for the Nov. 3, 2026 election. Falling in line with Catholic teaching on the sanctity of all life (CCC 2270), Lillian believes the unborn are persons who have rights. She told Idaho Catholic Register, “To me, it doesn’t make sense any other way. It’s just difficult for me to wrap my head around how some people think that the baby in the womb is not a person.”

Among other extreme consequences, if Prop. 1 is passed, it will open the door to third-trimester abortions by redefining viability. Viability measures when the baby can survive outside the womb — either independently or with medical intervention. The earliest known survival of a premature infant on record is a baby boy, Nash Keen, born in Iowa at 21 weeks. Prop. 1 states that a fetus is not viable until it shows “significant likelihood of sustained survival outside of the uterus without extraordinary medical measures.” What “extraordinary measures” means depends “on a physician’s good faith medical judgment.” Prop. 1 is too open-ended about what viability means.

“The most wrong part to me about abortion is the later-term ones, because you lose the argument that it’s just a clump of cells and not a baby,” Lillian points out.

Lillian with the items she has collected, to date.

Proactive in helping moms

Since she is too young to cast a “No” vote on Prop. 1, Lillian has focused her AHG service project on helping mothers experiencing unplanned pregnancies. With a little help from her mom, Brittany, Lillian came up with the Bags of Hope idea. Bags of Hope includes a gift registry on Amazon’s website where people can contribute by purchasing items such as diapers, wipes, bottles, formula, baby socks, baby equipment, prayer books and pregnancy books.

Brittany Banuelos, vice coordinator of AHG, told ICR, “We worked with Lifeline in Nampa and asked them what their most needed items were so that we could make sure that Lillian was collecting items that would actually be useful to them.”

The pregnancy resource center helps mothers before and after the birth of their babies through their boutique, The Baby Closet. The boutique carries clothing sizes up to 4T. Robin Watters, executive director of Lifeline, said.

“Everything at the boutique is 100% free. Mothers can come every two months and pick out what they need. We just put out the fall clothes.”

The Baby Closet receives donations weekly from people across the community, but only like-new items are stocked. Lillian’s Bags of Hope will mean a lot to the women who receive them.

“We like to tell the clients this set of gifts came from so and so — not particularly the name — but in this case a young person,” Watters explains. “And that is really impactful for them, but for us also.”

American Heritage Girls

Lillian in her AHG uniform

St. Paul’s in Nampa hosts the only specifically Catholic AHG troop, which is a Christ-centered character and leadership development program for girls. The group shares some similarities with the Girl Scouts of the USA, but Girl Scouts is a secular program. Within the AHG organization, prayer and pro-life values are interwoven into the fabric of the organization and are a few of the principles that make it different. Girls even have the opportunity to earn a “Respect Life” badge.

“Our troop is passionately Pro-Life. We help with crafting opportunities and caroling at the Meadow View nursing home, attend the Boise March for Life, assist with the [We Care Idaho] Pro-Life Dinner setup, and encourage the girls to participate in service opportunities in the community,” said Theresa Heaton, AHG troop coordinator. Heaton says that her troop hopes “to foster this love of the human person in all stages and circumstances of life.”

Community support

The service project is off to a good start. People in Idaho and neighboring states have already been rallying by buying items on Amazon, donating gently used baby items, and donating money. Albertsons donated a $100 gift card to support Lillian’s efforts.

“With that money, I’ve been able to buy gently used diaper bags, which I clean before filling them,” she explains.

Brittany adds, “It is the most beautiful outpouring of community love for these mamas and babes that they don’t even know.”

Help Lillian make her goal

Lillian’s goal is to have 20 to 25 filled diaper bags.

“But I think we’ll have a bunch of extra supplies, so we’ll just donate everything,” Lillian said.

People can support Lillian’s cause through the Amazon.com registry via the QR code (see poster below) through Oct. 27. They can also give to her directly by emailing her at ChrisBrittbanuelos@gmail.com.

“We want women to feel like they have a community that is showing up for them,” Brittany closes.