Hundreds of Thousands of Pro-Life Students to Stand in Solidarity on Abortion
by Steven Ertelt
LifeNews.com Editor
October 12, 2009
Washington, DC (LifeNews.com) — Hundreds of thousands of pro-life students are ready to stand in solidarity on abortion as the Pro-life Day of Silent Solidarity takes place a week from Tuesday. Last year, from over 4,700 campuses in 25 countries participated in the event and sponsors expect even more this year.
The day sees the students at middle and high schools and on college campuses wear pro-life t-shirts, sport red tape on their mouths to show how the unborn can’t speak up, and the distribution of fliers educating students and the public about abortion.
The event’s man sponsor, Stand True Ministries, tells LifeNews.com, one of several groups supporting the event, that at least 58 young women canceled appointments for abortions after the special day took place last year.
Bryan Kemper, the pro-life group’s president, says students are always excited every year to bring attention to the devastating travesty of abortion that is killing 4,000 unborn children and injuring women every day.
"The students are speaking loud and clear; they want an end to legalized child-killing," he said of the students and young adults involved in the effort. "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."
The students themselves notice the profound effect the event has each time.
"I got one girl to not get an abortion because I took a zero in class for this and she started crying," one student wrote. "She pulled me into the bathroom and told me she was pregnant and was going to have an abortion and she said because of how much this meant to me she didn’t! We both sat in the bathroom and cried for a few minutes and she put the baby up for adoption!"
Another student talked about a friend’s reaction.
"She’s about a month or so pregnant. I have her for a couple of my classes. She kept glancing at my shirt all day and she took a flier. But she didn’t say anything," the student related about last year’s event.
"Then today in 6th I was getting up and she came up to me. And in front of the whole classroom she began weeping and fell into my arms. She said she didn’t want to have an abortion anymore," the student said.
Students will not only remain silent but will also wear red armbands or red duct tape on their mouths where they can. Many home-schooled students will also participate in the event by visiting local malls and other public areas to distribute flyers.
Kristan Hawkins, the director of the university organization Students for Life of America, told LifeNews.com this is a necessary event.
"Thousands of American babies are permanently silenced every day by the violent act of abortion," she said. "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."
Timmerie Millington of Survivors, another co-sponsor of the event, agrees.
"They have an opportunity to stand with their fellow classmates and an obligation to be a voice for the voiceless. By standing in united solidarity across the world, students everywhere can identify with the preborn children, and our silence will proclaim ‘stop killing our generation,’" she said.
Some schools have tried to prevent students from participating and have tried to quash their First Amendment rights.
But, every year, attorneys from the Alliance Defense Fund defend these students and file lawsuits to protect their rights.
Related web sites:
Silent Day – https://www.silentday.org
Alliance Defense Fund – https://www.telladf.org
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