Articles

THE POVERTY OF ABORTION

Laura Antkowlak, “What Do 40 Million Lost Lives mean?”

Brian Clowes, “The Bitter Fruits of Abortion”, lifeissues.net

“The Economic Cost of Abortion”, The Cost of Abortion
www.thecostofabortion.com/fact7.php

ERLC Staff, “The Continuing High Cost of Roe v. Wade -- A Disturbing Fact Sheet”,

The Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission,
www.erlc.com/article/the-continuing-high-cost-of-roe-v-wade-a-fact-sheet/

“The Future Lost”, Abort73.com,
www.abort73.com/abortion/a_future_lost/

Dennis M. Howard, “Economic Impact of Abortion”, The Movement for a Better America, www.themovementforabetteramerica.org/ecomonicimpact.html

Steve Marr, “Abortion Hitting Social Security Hard”,

Bill S. , “The Economic Cost of Abortion: $202billion in Lost Taxes”, Life Site News.

Lynn D. Wardle, “Roe v. Wade: Effects of Twenty-five Years of Constitutionalized Abortion on Demand”, www.uffl.org/vol%208/wardle8.pdf

Featured Article

A Teen's perspective of the March for Life of 2011

More people have been killed by induced abortion in America since 1973 than all the victims of the Holocaust. The numbers weigh in at 50 million vs. 17 million. (Guttenmacher Institute. 2008, July) Neither group 'chose' their deaths. Someone else chose it for them. Both are very tragic circumstances. One of them is still continuing today.

On January 24, 2011, the 38th annual March for Life took place. It was freezing cold, in the 20 degree weather, yet an estimate 200,000 to 300,000 people, mostly young adults and teens, showed up to show their support for the Pro-Life cause.

With temperatures so low you'd wonder why anyone would want to be in that weather for a prolonged amount of time, but people from all walks of life and cultures showed up and filled Washington D.C.'s renowned Mall. "The sanctity of life is the basis of all human rights." stated Bishop John O. Barres of the Diocese of Allentown to youth from his Diocese at a pre-march gathering. While Catholics were out in force, there were also people from other Christian denominations, non-Christian religions, and other belief systems. For almost four decades the head count of people marching for life has continued to increase.

The March for Life, often called the Pro-Life March, first began in 1973. The procession makes its way from the Mall to the steps of the United States Supreme Court. It is traditionally scheduled around the anniversary of Roe vs. Wade which is January 22 of that year. At the first march, many estimate that there were approximately 20,000 pro-lifers in attendance. Since then the number has increased dramatically!

What inspires young people to come to the Pro-Life March? "Two years ago, I came for my first time and I was amazed to see all the pro-life people. I got excited about the March when I heard the speeches from all the people who are against abortions or who regretted the abortions that their family had experienced and consented to." says Mary Massari, age 18, a senior at Barnegat High School, from Barnegat, New Jersey.

Before the March, there are always different pro-life speakers including members of Congress, religious groups, and people who regret their abortions. The speeches start before the March to encourage the pro-lifers in their cause.

People from all over came to the March for Life this year. While I was walking among the mass of humanity to the Supreme Court, I saw people holding banners that had cities and states sewn or printed into them. I saw groups that were from Oklahoma, Ohio, Nebraska, Connecticut, Mississippi, Texas, and even Canada! "We came in a group from our college. There are 140 of us. We took 3 buses and drove 12 hours straight!" says Nikki Harris, age 18, a junior at Hillsdale College, from Hillsdale, Michigan. When I asked her if she thought she was making a difference by being in Washington D.C., she replied "I'm not sure if politically we are making a big difference, but I'm sure that we affect people individually by coming here to witness. We have to make a difference within the people before we can successfully effect our government."

The March for Life is a peaceful protest. Groups pray, chant cheers, and sing songs. I met a group from Miami, Florida that made up a complete song with verses and a refrain that supported pre-born babies on their own. Some supporters are louder about their conviction. A Church from Chicago wore all yellow and held yellow balloons with the word "Life" printed on them. They had their faces painted like sports fans and did the wave when my group walked by them. Then they did a thunderous cheer for life and let what must have been more than a hundred yellow balloons float away in the crisp winter air.

A group called Incarnate Word had a percussion and brass band that played music to march to. Another, unidentified, group had a drum line and played bag pipes. They led a small precession of people in uniform that held a mini coffin. The coffin had pro-life signs taped to it and honored the unrecognized, aborted babies that are usually just thrown away or cremated as medical waste without ceremony.

The multitude of marchers was huge! Most groups had color coordinating clothes or hats so that they could find each other more easily in the vast crowd. A group from Orange County, New York, wore green scarves and held green signs that said simply 'Defend Life'.

I interviewed Luke Riya, age 18, a senior at Chippewa Falls High School, from Chippewa Falls, Wisconsin. I asked him how and why he came to the March this year. "We took a bus to get here. There must be about 65 of us because we fill the bus completely and it took 18 hours to drive from Wisconsin to here. My youth minister inspired me to come. Also, I believe that after conception the baby is really there and alive. Abortion is always wrong even in situations of rape and incest because it's murder of the pre-born child."

"I'm pro-life because every child should have a chance and there are other more loving options like adoption." says Peter Loikits, age 16, a sophomore at Allentown Central Catholic, from Allentown, Pennsylvania.

People with different conditions showed up to march. I saw people who were on crutches and using wheel chairs! There were pregnant women that showed up to witness for life and parents brought their children, even toddlers and babies, in strollers. Some signs were given out to teens in particular that said "I AM THE PRO-LIFE GENERATION", "STOP ABORTION NOW" and "FACE IT, ABORTION KILLS". Some teen groups had matching signs to carry. Others made homemade signs. Mary Massari, a teen quoted earlier, came from a group that held signs that said "Cheerleaders for Life!"

My experience at the March for Life was one of family and unity. My mom and my friends came with me and our youth group. Even if I didn't have them with me I would have felt that. There was an atmosphere at the March of agreement where you knew that everyone had something in common, that being that everyone valued life and believed that human life deserved protection from the moment of conception to the moment of natural death.

A pre-born baby's life is terminated by abortion every 26 seconds. This is an issue that many believe is appalling and heartbreaking. Get educated about abortion. The next Washington D.C. March for Life is scheduled for January 23, 2012. Will you be there?

Mikayla Stratton

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A Teen's perspective of the March for Life of 2011

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