ABy Michael Kurre ’18

At Chaminade, the dignity of human life stands as a pillar of its students’ Catholic educations. Our high school seeks to teach an understanding that such dignity extends to all times of life, including those in the womb when humanity is most vulnerable. Taking this principle to heart, and holding it with conviction, students at Chaminade marched for the pro-life cause on Friday, January 27.

Members of Chaminade’s Catholic League were invited to the March for Life, an annual event that brings people from all corners of the country to fight for the pro-life movement. One week removed from the year’s most prominent event in Washington – the swearing-in of a new president – pro-lifers descended on the nation’s capital with voices they wished would be heard by the fresh faces in government.

The Chaminade Chapter of the Catholic League began its journey early Friday morning, boarding coach buses headed to the 44th Annual March for Life. As the buses arrived in Washington D.C., students were given crimson-and-gold scarves to wear, symbolizing their solidarity as a Chaminade community as well as a Catholic, pro-life community.

Participating in the march is a long-standing tradition of the Catholic League, and this year, participants felt energized to have an administration that stands by the pro-life cause. In fact, for the first time, a sitting Vice President – the deeply pro-life Vice President Mike Pence – came to the March to address the crowds that had gathered.

While students could not see the podium from their vantage point, the words being spoken by the nation’s leaders were inspiring for all Catholics. The crowd was addressed by both Vice President Pence and Senior Counsel to the President Kellyanne Conway. As Conway took to the microphone, she said,  “I am a wife, a mother, a Catholic, a counselor to the President of the United States of America, and yes, I am pro-life!” Conway continued to inspire the crowd by adding that the Trump Administration steadfastly supports the pro-life message.

She insisted that both President Trump and Vice President Pence will make decisions that will further the pro-life conversation as well as the pro-life cause. Conway gave hope and inspiration to the marchers by adding, “This is a time of incredible promise for the pro-life, pro-adoption movement. Our message and our action must also reach women who face unplanned pregnancies. They are not alone; they are not judged. They too are protected and cared for and celebrated.”

Following Kellyanne Conway’s remarks, Vice President Mike Pence spoke to the enthusiastic pro-life crowd that had gathered. The Vice President remarked that our founders wrote that we are all “endowed by our Creator with certain unalienable rights, and that among these are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.”

Pence stated that President Trump stands with the pro-life movement and supports the right to life, adding that since the new administration took their oaths of office one week ago, they have already begun to work on promoting pro-life causes and have kept with the campaign’s promise to “make America great again.” He assured the crowd that he and President Trump are committed to ending foreign aid to organizations that fund abortions, ending taxpayer money going to abortions, and most importantly, by the end of this week announcing a Supreme Court nominee who will “uphold the God-given liberties enshrined in our Constitution in the tradition of the late and great Justice Antonin Scalia.”

Pence attended the March with his wife, Karen, and his daughter, Charlotte.

The crowd then roared in support as the Vice President stated that “life is winning again in America.” He made such a bold assertion on the basis of advancements in science, the love and compassion of adoption families, and the time and talent of caregivers in crisis pregnancy centers, as well as faith organizations, across the country.

“Compassion is overcoming convenience. And hope is defeating despair. In a word, life is winning in America because of all of you,” Pence emphatically remarked. With his inspiring and history-making presence at the March for Life, Vice President Pence not only enchanted Chaminade’s students, but he also sparked a pro-life message that was heard around the nation. The crowd felt his genuine sense of compassion, support, and reaffirmation in the cause.

Christopher Capodanno ’18, who attended the March, stated, “Never be afraid to stand up for what you know is right.”

Steven Polito ’18 echoed Capodanno’s sentiment, saying, “It is a great experience to be surrounded by people who are pro-life like us.”

Marchers from Chaminade and across the nation fought for the cause of life through the brisk cold on Friday. They, joined by the entire Chaminade community, will continue to persistently choose life and hope that American lawmakers do the same.

 

Edited by Jude Tochukwu Okonkwo