It was an absolute gift to attend Right to Life Indy's 39th annual Celebrate Life Dinner last Tuesday. We participated as a club with Brebeuf’s president Fr. Bill Verbryke and vice president Fr. Chris Johnson, and it is one of the most inspiring events we’ve ever attended. Today, we’re walking you through our experience and what we learned. Registration Time When we arrived to register, there was already a crowd and a number of booths that had been set up representing groups like the student organization Students for Life of America, the local post-abortive healing ministry Healing Hidden Hurts, and others promoting adoption, natural family planning, and more. They were providing resources to help mothers find the options they truly need, to mitigate the chances of finding oneself in a unplanned pregnancy, to facilitate healing after the violence of abortion, and more. So many resources for our community were presented— and many by women who had experienced the terrible effects of a culture that does not promote life; through their own journeys of, for instance, healing from abortion or experiencing the beauty of adoption, they witnessed to the truth about these impactful life issues first-hand and were there to raise awareness for others their local community. These women, like Mrs. Debbie Miller and Mrs. Melissa Coles (of the documentary “I Lived on Parker Avenue”) powerfully reminded us of and the beauty of life and the sadness of its loss, whatever the circumstances. Many , if not the majority, of the attendees were students representing local middle schools, high schools, and colleges. One of the amazing benefits of this large gathering was that we finally got to meet other workers in the local movement whose work we have heard about and coordinate with one another to collaborate in the future; the beauty of the pro-life movement is that it is a community where everyone is out there to support each other and offer any assistance that is needed to build the culture of life that our society deserves. It’s a community of people who are good, caring, and driven. It was inspiring to see the visible congregation of this community which is dedicated to the often invisible injustice of abortion. The children who have been lost by the thousands over the last five decades are the most voiceless group in the country, and abortion’s harms are often seen as a taboo topic. Most victims can't speak for themselves. This is why our whole community must speak up— as students of a generation which is missing hundreds of our peers, as young people who are bombarded with the message that we can’t do it and must resort to violence, as mothers and fathers who grieve their children, and as citizens who know the effects of a society that does not promote life. Student Speech: Mary Rose Green After a few opening remarks and a prayer, we got to hear the winning student speech. Right to Life Indy holds an annual contest for pro-life students to submit essays and perform speeches incorporating research on the life issues and their personal experiences with the movement, and this year, Mary Rose Green won with her speech about the detrimental effects of not only abortion but embryonic stem cell research. Her research was timely considering the unfortunate relationship between many coronavirus vaccines and the cell lines of aborted babies that have been involved in their development. She emphasized the quote often attributed to Mother Teresa that states “It is a poverty to decide that a child must die so that you may live as you wish,” reminding everyone in the room of the danger of forgetting human dignity and the need to take action in whatever capacity we can. If a human person really is victimized every time an abortion is performed successfully, we must do everything we can to stand up for their human rights. They have no voice; we do. Keynote Speaker: Ms. Gianna Jessen The highlight of the night was the speech delivered by Ms. Gianna Jessen, a woman who was born alive during an abortion attempt and has become one of the most inspirational speakers of today’s pro-life movement despite challenges such as cerebral palsy (although she calls it a “gift”). Her talk dipped freely between frank and honest statements, comedic turns of phrase, and passionate calls to action for all in attendance while clearly demonstrating her love of life and promoting the truth; it featured some of the most inspiring moments of the night.
disability (note that in Ms. Jessen’s case, the disability is a result of the abortion attempt on her life), she countered that with her presence and even by asking, “Who are you, healthy person, to look at me and determine for what my quality of life is?” No matter what lives we live, we cannot resort to death; the life of a human person is inherently good. We must instead work through whatever difficulties we encounter as well as we can with the help we are given and help others in their own journeys. Ms. Jessen was an amazing witness to the call for all advocates for life to remain persistent in our efforts no matter what challenges we face— legally, culturally, or otherwise. Being pro-life is a sign of strength; of course it is difficult to stand up for life in America today, but that is why it is so important to build up a community that does espouse a culture of life— so no one feels they have no choice except to exercise their “right to choose.” One of the most powerful moments was the during her discussion of the role of men in the pro-life movement. She exhorted them all to be good fathers and staunch protectors of and fighters for their families and those around them, calling them
room was powerful! It was another reminder that to end the injustice of abortion we must promote a culture of life— a culture where the husbands and fathers support the mothers and their children rather than leaving them without resources and feeling backed into the corner of abortion. Strong fathers and good men are absolutely essential to a culture of life. This was reflective of one of her most profound statements of the night: "It's all connected." She emphasized the fact that a culture of life has many facets. Yes, it is about abolishing abortion legally. But it is also about those strong fathers, increased responsibility, and respect for the human dignity of all. It's about pregnancy resource centers, post-abortive healing ministries, improved foster care, and other reliable support systems. It's about strong communities that work to support every woman, every child, every family. * Overall, this was one of the most encouraging events we have attended as a club. It was a beautiful reminder of the strength of Indianapolis’ pro-life community— a community filled with vibrant student leaders, women offering their wisdom and support, men protecting their families and society, and inspiring advocates all around. The truth is especially poignant at events like these, where it has been lived, through sad and joyful times, by those who generously share their stories with us. Maria ThomasMaria has worked as co-president of Brebeuf’s Right to Life Club since her freshman year. There, she gives talks and leads discussions about abortion and other prominent life issues, emphasizing the importance of reasoning and authentic dialogue as a means to finding the truth.
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