A third of our current generation is missing. A third of our generation has never been given the chance to take their first breath or cry their first tear. A third of our generation has been lost to abortion.
It is not enough to sit back, especially for the members of Students for Life at Notre Dame Regional High School in Cape Girardeau. The club’s 58 members meet monthly for various projects and prayer services as a way to defend life. Their philosophy is to develop and send out strong leaders for the pro-life movement, who are willing to defend life from conception to natural death.
Since the school became a part of the Students for Life organization during 2021-2022 school year, the Bulldogs revamped their former pro-life club.
“I would say our club changed a lot in the past year because, technically, last year was the first year we had a Students for Life Club, but we have just been immersed in all things pro-life. Whether it is a young or old human, we protect them all,” former club president and 2022 Notre Dame graduate Brock Hulshof said.
One way Students for Life helps in the pro-life movement is by collecting various items to help mothers in need, and pro-life organizations.
Students for Life Club organization members presented Lifehouse & Birthright with a donation of $1000. Members include (from left to right): Ryan Smith, Corbin Baird, Vita Galati, Caroline Logel, Rachel Engelen, Riley Baird and Emmett Pfeifer.
Some of these include collecting 1,800 baby sleepers, 120 packages of diapers and $1010 in a fundraiser. The items and money collected were distributed to Birthright, Options for Women and various other pro-life organizations.
Along with material needs, the club provides ways to help with the spiritual needs of the community around them. One way the club accomplished this was by hosting a prayer service the morning the Supreme Court heard Dobbs vs. Jackson Woman Health Organization in attempts for a verdict that could overturn R0e vs. Wade. The club also hosted a pro-life rosary for the student body to bring awareness to the cause and the power of prayer.
Another way the students were able to incorporate prayer was by attending a prayer service for the pro-life movement on the steps of the Supreme Court in Washington D.C. This prayer service was hosted by the organization Students for Life America the night before the March for Life. Students and faculty were also able to join with thousands of others to march to the Supreme Court of the United States in protest of the Roe vs. Wade decision.
“It was really eye opening to see the people that would want to march for one cause,” said participant Riley Baird. “It really brought to life that there are other people who exist outside of the local area that support the movement since there were people from all across the country.
Students at Notre Dame were reminded of the pro-life movement in several other ways during the past school year. The most apparent form of this was by celebrating Respect Life Week with a different activity each day for the student body. Members of the club also created Mother’s Day gift bags for mothers who choose life to be given out by Birthright. Lastly, those who attended the March for Life in Washington D.C. created a miniature Field of Innocence at Notre Dame which was visible to all who drove up Notre Dame Drive.
“These projects gave me that drive to keep pro-life values in mind,” said Baird.
While millions support the right to life, reasons for supporting the pro-life movement changes from person to person. For Hulshof, his passion for the movement started in the 8th grade when he went on his first March for Life. He claims that it sparked interest in the science behind the movement and it allowed his desire to fight for life to grow into a blazing fire.
Notre Dame students participate in the March for Life in Washington, D.C.
“I’m a part of the pro-life generation because there are so many people my age that just simply believe what their parents tell them, or they just listen to what the news is telling them,” Hulshof explained. “But from my own experience and knowledge of the pro-life movement, I’ve realized that people don’t know why they believe what they do, and I want to change that by learning as much as I can and tell people about it as often as I can.”
For some, such as Baird, religion plays a big role as to why they got introduced into the movement, but the truth behind it has created the desire to continue to fight for life and spread that truth.
“I’ve always been Catholic, so the belief is that life is sacred beginning in the womb and abortion should be illegal,” Baird stated.
While religion is a base to join the movement, Baird has spread that belief for reasons of his own.
“I believe that life begins in the womb at conception and that should be protected just like everyone else’s rights are protected,” Baird shared passionately. “The rights of unborn babies should matter.”
Notre Dame Students for Life will not stop fighting for change, even after the reversal of Roe v. Wade. The club plans on turning their efforts to pregnancy crisis centers such as Birthright. They will hold drives and raise money for such organizations and continue to be a voice for the voiceless.
The resounding response from students at Notre Dame is that life should be protected. Science proves that life begins in the womb at the very moment of conception. Each person is worthy of life and respect no matter their circumstance. Our society doesn’t need people to sit back and watch others fight for the rights of the unborn. Our society needs people to be unashamedly pro-life and action. Take a stand. No matter your age, be the pro-life generation.