New York, NY (LifeNews/CFAM) — A new-media skirmish broke out today with pro-life students flooding the Twitter topics associated with the upcoming UN youth conference. Pro-life participants engaged the UN youth conversation starting at noon today and for an hour dominated the conversation.
Twitter is a new social media platform that allows users to broadcast instant messages of no longer than 140 characters. This is part of what may be an exciting few days at UN headquarters when the world meets to discuss young people and what they need.
A strong contingent of pro-life youth have organized under the banner of the International Youth Coalition. Pro-life students were largely frozen out of the official UN meeting. Dozens of young people from pro-life groups were given acceptance letters that were later revoked. Still, the group has found a way to have their voices heard, including through Twitter.
A number of nationally renowned speakers will join youth fellows and members of the International Youth Coalition in a series of events promoting life and human dignity at this year’s United Nations High Level Meeting on Youth.
Speakers at the events include Lila Rose of Live Action, who has become world famous through her undercover sting videos at Planned Parenthood offices. Kristan Hawkins of Students for Life of America, will also speak. Students for Life is the largest student pro-life group in with world with chapters in over 600 American universities. Former America’s Top Model contestant Leah Darrow is also coming, along with Catholic blogger Thomas Peters, and actors Jeffrey Azize and Michael Campo from The Human Experience film.
A daylong panel is planned for the day before the UN High Level Meeting on youth, which will focus on some of the major international issues that challenge human dignity including poverty, HIV/AIDS, and the attempt by certain agencies and administrations to change the concept of gender and reject the complementarity of male and female sexes. The speakers will also discuss how values based on the natural law and Catholic teaching can guide international development efforts, and how youth can get involved in supporting life and family across the globe through social media.
Sunday’s panel event will end with a Mass offered for youth attendees and UN delegates, celebrated by Archbishop Francis Chullikatt, Apostolic Nuncio to the Holy See Mission to the United Nations, and will be followed by a prayer vigil in front of the United Nations, directed by Catholic leaders from the New York area.
Pro-life leader Hawkins, former model Darrow, and the actors Azize and Campo will highlight a side event hosted by the Holy See Mission to the UN and sponsored by the International Youth Coalition. The event, entitled “Youth Protecting and Promoting Human Dignity,” will exhibit how the work of each individual recognizes and upholds the dignity and value of every person, no matter their sex, age, race, or socio-economic status.
A celebratory cultural event headlined by nationally acclaimed Celtic rock band Scythian in downtown Manhattan will close out the International Youth Coalition’s programming for the UN High Level Meeting on Youth. The concert is expected to draw several hundred youth delegates of all persuasions, as well as young people from the greater New York area.
The International Youth Coalition says they will engage the UN youth Twitter topics many times during the conference on Monday and Tuesday.
LifeNews.com Note: Lauren Funk writes for the Catholic Family and Human Rights Institute. This article originally appeared in the pro-life group’s Friday Fax publication and is used with permission.
