 "Photo: Courtesy of Christine Friedrich")
On Jan. 22, Washington, D.C., lent the national spotlight to 100,000 pro-life advocates in the 34th Annual March for Life. Present at the march and opening rally were 29 Boston College students, as well as the Rev. Tony Corcoran, S.J., a member of BC's Jesuit community.
The theme of the 2007 march was "Thou Shalt Protect the Equal Right to Life of Each Innocent Human in Existence at Fertilization - No Exception! No Compromise!" In keeping with the spirit of this message, Chris Rakovec, A&S '10, stated his reason for supporting the pro-life cause in Washington: "I went to give witness to the dignity of human life."
Rakovec, along with most of the other students at the march, belongs to the BC Pro-Life Club, an organization that annually sends students to support the event.
The March for Life originated as a response to the Supreme Court's decision to uphold the legality of abortion in Roe v. Wade on Jan. 22, 1973. Since 1974, the March for Life has attracted thousands of individuals who are opposed to the court's ruling. The stated aim of this year's march was to produce a positive rebuttal to the recent actions of the U.S. government, especially regarding Congress's approval of embryonic stem-cell research and the president's approval of the "Plan B" pill.
Two days prior to the march, 22 BC students attended the Students for Life of America (SFLA) Conference, also located in the nation's capital. The conference attracts many pro-life advocates from over 100 universities each year. The SFLA was founded in 1987 and is devoted to "educating college students about the medical and ethical issues of abortion, euthanasia, and infanticide," according to the organization's Web site.
Another goal of the SFLA is to facilitate communication among student groups on college campuses across the country that focus on current events affecting unborn children. Christine Friedrich, current president of the Pro-Life Club, an SFLA officer, and A&S '08, said that the conference is an issue-based forum. Among some of this year's featured speakers were Bobby Schindler, the brother of Terri Schiavo, Marie Larson, who discussed activism on college campuses, and Dr. Angela Lanfranchi, who talked about a possible link between breast cancer and abortion.
On the morning of the march, a special Mass was held for all Jesuit schools attending the event. This allowed BC students to meet other advocates from high schools and universities that share similar beliefs. Friedrich said that as a Jesuit Catholic institution, BC has a unique mission in fostering the development of the person, not only in terms of intellectual growth, but also through spiritual development. She said that social justice issues regarding the poor and marginalized tend to take the forefront on this campus while attention to the abortion issues may be "pushed aside."
BC's annual presence at the March for Life and SFLA Conference is indicative of the University's Jesuit principles, said Rakovec: "The Jesuits have always promoted and upheld the dignity of all human life from the young to the old … it is important to live that out and bear witness to the concept of the … sacredness of human life."
Both the March for Life and the SFLA Conference emphasize youth involvement, especially among college-age students.
"Young people are survivors," said Friedrich. She said the current generation is the one most affected by the 1973 Supreme Court decision, citing that "today almost one in four of all children are aborted." Friedrich first attended the March for Life while in the eighth grade. After that, she became more involved in the Right to Life movement in high school by joining the Pro-Life club. Now as the president of the BC chapter, she sees the march as an annual "opportunity to see young people supporting the cause."
Further support for the youth movement against abortion came from John-Paul Pluta, A&S '10. "I believe the youth are finally taking charge and standing by what they believe in," he said.
Casual observers of the March for Life may simply view it as a forum to promote the reversal of Roe v. Wade. Rakovec argued that many of the youth activists who participated in the march were not advocating such a limited platform. Central to the event, said Rakovec, was its mission to spark "conversation and dialogue," making citizens and lawmakers more aware of the issues rather than "convincing" anyone about the topic.
Youth advocates like Pluta also saw the widely covered march as a "positive example" for young Catholics trying to "spread the word of God to the best of [their] ability." These broader intents are especially popular with the younger members since they support education as the first step toward fostering a change of attitude.
Although people participate in the March for Life for many reasons, some acting in the memory of a potential sibling and others supporting the cause from a general ethical viewpoint, they share a common belief: All human life is sacred. To the hundreds of thousands of marchers, and especially to the 29 BC students, this is a principle that is worthy of the national stage.
Be the first to comment on this article!