By Andrew Donnelly ’20

On December 1, Chaminade High School held a prayer service to kick of the long-awaited season of Advent.  Mr. Scott Klusendorf, president of the Life Training Institute, presented his pro-life views and the consequences of abortion to the student body.  The students, faculty, and staff of Chaminade congregated in the AAC to hear Mr. Klusendorf speak on the matter for the first time since he visited nearly a decade ago.

Despite being a Presbyterian, Klusendorf stressed that the Catholic Church’s views on abortion are logically, morally, and scientifically accurate.

“It was very interesting that Mr. Klusendorf wasn’t Catholic yet still found the Church’s pro-life stance convincing.  I think that speaks to how influential Catholic teaching has been to people of all faiths,” said Ryan Smith ’17.

Mr. Klusendorf showed the students that abortion is not only morally impermissible, but it is also unacceptable when one considers it from scientific and philosophic perspectives.  Mr. Klusendorf provided the attentive audience with rational arguments for the defence of the pro-life message in a way that all can comprehend.  “You don’t need to be a rocket scientist to know how to argue the pro-life view,” he said.

Mr. Klusendorf asked the students and elaborated on the question, “What is abortion?” Firmly and surely, Klusendorf went on to say, “It is wrong to intentionally kill an innocent human being.”

For one of the most significant moments of the morning, Mr. Klusendorf then played a short clip that showed the aftermath of an abortion.  Many students witnessed these images of abortion for the first time.  Students were shocked, appalled, and saddened by the video.  “Images convey truths the way words never could,” Mr. Klusendorf said to his spectators.

This video enlightened and motivated many of the young men at Chaminade that morning. “The speech that we had today was very motivational. There were some very depressing parts, but I feel that the depressing parts were what really gave everyone that boost of motivation.  I also especially liked when Mr. Klusendorf talked about the Civil Rights Movement, and how the fight for African American people’s rights related to the movement for the rights of unborn children in society today,” said Mario Rinaldi ’20.

At the end of this insightful prayer service, Mr. Michael Foley ’99 asked Mr. Klusendorf what question was toughest for him to answer as a pro-life activist.  He said that the toughest question for him is if it is permissible to conduct an abortion in the case of rape.  He left the young men at Chaminade with one question: Does hardship justify homicide?

The presentation provided the students and faculty at Chaminade with an opportunity to contemplate the pro-life message.  Guest speaker Scott Klusendorf’s presentation to the Chaminade community on every human being’s right to life was an appropriate way to begin the Advent season, motivating students to act more like Christ.