Roe v. Wade Memorial Rally

Welcome! I am SO happy and proud to be here today to represent the youth and young adults of the pro-life movement in Oregon! Today, I am going to speak both to and for the next generation of pro-lifers. We, the younger members of this rally, are prepared to step into the arena and fight for the most vulnerable of society, those with no voice, the unborn. How will we do this? By using our unique talents and abilities and making this our fight. First I want to speak to the youth in the audience about how to make this our cause, our fight, and our passion and then I will address everyone as to what we are doing and will do as the next generation of individuals to fight for the right to life. Generation Y, this is for you. That’s what some….are calling us, that is, people born between….. What does the Roe v. Wade decision mean to us? I have stumbled upon the realization that in some senses, this is not our war. You and I, we weren’t even born when Roe v. Wade was decided. We were born into the conflict. We were taught from those who experienced this decision first hand what Roe v. Wade really meant, that babies were losing their lives. Choice is a word often tossed around as being the only unalienable right of import but in this decision, we did not have a choice. We certainly didn’t choose to let 50 million of our own die at the hands of abortionists. Guys, we may not have had a choice in beginning this battle but we have a choice in finishing it. In order to do so, we have to make this personal. It has to become our fight. The 50 million lost, they were our friends, classmates, cousins, maybe even our brothers and sisters and we cannot and will not let 50 million more be lost. How do you and I make this cause our own? First of all, it is crucial to educate yourself about life issues. I speak not only of abortion but also of stem cell research, physician assisted suicide, and euthanasia. In order for this to be our fight, we have to be informed. It is not good enough to just say “My mom says” or “My grandpa told me”. That’s a great place to start but you have to go deeper as an individual and read on your own. This personal education will help you to be more knowledgeable in the priceless conversations you will inevitably have about why you are pro-life and what that means. Researching will also help you to find what interests you. Supporting life from conception to natural death is our foundational belief but there are sub-areas of that foundation that may particularly interest you. Find something that interests you and you will find your passion. For me, I’m a science junky. I’m a pre-med major in college and start talking anatomy, biology, genetics, or anything like that and I’m interested. In my own researching about life issues, I found that I am particularly interested in stem cell research. I like learning about the science behind the earliest stages of human development and I enjoy trying to figure out how my respect for the sanctity of life can apply to my future in science. Maybe you’re interested in law, the legal ins and outs of Roe v. Wade would be a great place to start your personal journey into life issues. Maybe you’re headed towards being a mom or dad and learning about how to support other moms and dads through pregnancy help centers would be good for you. For us to continue this fight, it is also important to maintain an openness to helping the pro-life movement. I say this because I know that each one of you has a special talent, something to offer. You never know how that could be used for the good of life but if you remain open to the possibility, things will happen. Pregnancy help centers need youth who can sew, knit or crochet to make baby blankets. If you are a good speaker, organizations can use you as a voice for life in the public arena. If learning is your talent, trust me, we need pro-life doctors, lawyers, nurses, ethicists, psychologists, and the like. Just be open. Don’t think pro-life projects don’t need you and don’t think of yourself that you have nothing to offer. You are needed and you can help! What you can do will be different for each one of you but you will be benefiting lives and changing the face of the pro-life movement. Whatever your interests are, it’s now your time to thank your parents for giving you life, and make the pro-life cause your own! Be educated, be open to letting your talents be used, and take it to the world! We have been given a new choice. Which side are we on? Will we stand for life, for those who have no voice or will we fall in with those who would have another 50 million die? You and I, we are choosing life, we are choosing to support life, and we will receive the reigns from the pro-lifers who came before us to continue fighting for life! This is our commitment to everyone else here today. We will keep fighting the good fight. How have we done this already and how will we continue to do so? As the world has changed with the advent of things like the Internet, cell phones, text messaging, Facebook, and instant messenger, so has the fight for life changed. Whereas these new methods of retrieving information and communicating are foreign to some, we have grown up with them. Therefore, we have unique talents to offer the pro-life movement. Youth in Oregon and across the country are blogging, web designing, texting, and youtubing their way into a new generation of pro-life America. Numbers of abortions have decreased, numbers of pregnancy help centers have increased, lives are being saved, hearts are being changed and we, the youth, are helping and will continue to do so. Youth have taken up projects like creating pro-life blogs, holding car washes to benefit pregnancy help centers, and producing pro-life videos for YouTube. We are also participating in the thousands in rallies like this one and the annual March for Life. We are receiving education about the latest developments in the medical and legal fields that affect life. These things we are doing and will continue to do so that 50 million lost can become 50 million saved! In closing today, I would like to say to the youth out there, it is our turn! This is now our fight. We are the ones who can affect change now thanks to the trail that has been blazed by previous pro-lifers. Make it personal and we will change the world one project, one person, one day at a time. I know I speak on behalf of the youth present when I say that we are committed, we are standing for life, and we aren’t going anywhere. Thank you!