Washington, DC (LifeNews.com) -- Hundreds of thousands of pro-life students from across the country are preparing for an annual day in which they lose their voice to speak up for the victims of abortion. Students in all 50 states and other nations will urge their peers to understand how abortion hurts women and children.

The pro-life youth group Stand True is marking the 5th annual Pro-life Day of Silent Solidarity on Tuesday, October 21.

Students will be taking a vow of silence to stand in solidarity with their brothers and sisters who are permanently silenced by abortion.

They will not only remain silent but will also wear red armbands or red duct tape on their mouths, and distribute educational flyers to anyone who asks why they are silent.

Last year students from over 4,600 campuses in 19 countries participated and the growth this year is exponential, Bryan Kemper, president of the group, tells LifeNews.com.

"The students are speaking loud and clear, they want an end to legalized child killing," he says. "We are getting thousands of e-mails, comments and Internet messages from students thanking us for giving them a peaceful way to stand up and be counted."

Kemper shared a sampling of some of the comments from student participants with LifeNews.com:

-- "I was almost aborted! So I am standing for all the babies who weren't as lucky as me."

-- "I'd just like to say that abortion is just utterly wrong. My mom had two abortions before me and she suffers from the emotional scars every day. I always wondered what it would be like to have an older brother or sister and I'll never know."

-- "All I want to say is I once was pregnant and didn't even think about what I was doing when I had an abortion. At the time it seemed like a good idea, but then I realized what I had done and felt so horrible. I just couldn't help it, I started crying. Then I heard about this and wanted to be a part of it. I want to give a voice to the child I didn't have, so I really take this to the heart and will do this with much amore!"

Kristan Hawkins, the director of Students for Life of America, a national organization that oversees hundreds of college and university pro-life groups, is helping Stand True promote the event.

"Thousands of American babies are permanently silenced every day by the violent act of abortion," Hawkins says. "This is a day for pro-life students to honor those children as they stay silent as an act of solidarity with these innocent victims."

Over the past few years many schools have tried to stop students from participating and quash their First Amendment rights. Every year, attorneys from the Alliance Defense Fund defend these students and file lawsuits to protect their rights.

Many home-schooled students will also participate in the event by visiting local malls and other public areas to distribute flyers.

Related web sites:
Stand True - http://www.standtrue.com
Silent Day - http://www.silentday.org
Alliance Defense Fund - http://www.telladf.org

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