Nearly every sixth, seventh and eighth grade student at St. Leo the Great School in Rohrerstown raised their hand when Kristan Hawkins, President of Students for Life of America, asked how many of them know what abortion is.
Those hands remained in the air, and were joined by the rest, when she next asked how many of them were repulsed or uncomfortable with the word abortion.
“I know it’s hard to hear about abortion, but it’s not something you’re going to be able to shy away from, especially as you grow older,” Hawkins said.
“That’s why we are here today – to arm you with the truth about abortion. We want to teach you now why abortion is wrong and how you can be confident in your pro-life voice, no matter your age,” she said.
Founded by Hawkins in 2006, Students for Life of America bolsters the pro-life movement on school campuses across the country. In a day and age where Planned Parenthood is spreading its pro-abortion message to younger and younger generations across social media platforms and at high schools and colleges, Students for Life is driving the narrative of the pro-life generation.
Hawkins – joined by Julia Sadik, Pennsylvania Regional Coordinator of Students for Life – made several stops in the Diocese of Harrisburg on Tuesday, March 18, where she spoke to students at Lancaster Catholic High School before rallying middle schoolers at St. Leo’s. In the afternoon, she visited Morning Star Pregnancy Services in Harrisburg and Women’s Care Center in York prior to serving as guest speaker for the Diocese’s Legatus group, an organization for Catholic business leaders.
The presentation at St. Leo’s comes just two weeks ahead of the second annual Pro-Life Day and Run for Resources to benefit A Woman’s Concern pregnancy resource center. A daylong event for middle school students from Catholic schools in the deanery, last year’s event raised more than $6,000 for A Woman’s Concern.
“You can make a difference, today, for unborn babies and for their mothers,” Hawkins told the students during her visit on March 18.
Sadik opened the presentation with an apologetics session, giving the students scientific and philosophical facts, data and arguments that point to human life in the womb and the dignity of every individual.
“Science tells us we are distinct, living, human beings from the moment of conception. That is a truth that can’t be argued,” Sadik said.
“Don’t be afraid to voice that you are pro-life. You are on the right side of history,” Sadik said.
While urging students to be a voice for the voiceless unborn, Hawkins also reminded them that to be pro-life is to be pro-woman.
“There are pregnant women who need help. There are families who are unprepared to be parents. That’s why we have pregnancy resource centers and services in our community to support pregnant and parenting families,” she said.
Urging the students to become the generation that will abolish abortion throughout all 50 states, she told them they can be active today in the pro-life movement in ways that are both simple and life changing. She encouraged them to wear pro-life pins, put pro-life stickers on their laptops, post pro-life messages on social media, and donate items to pregnancy resource centers.
“Women need to know they can find the support they need to choose lives for their babies. Speak up and save lives. It is that simple,” Hawkins said.
“We all have a unique purpose and calling in our lives. As Christians, how do you make the most of the time God has given you? Think about this: if you were born between 1973 and 2022, you survived legal abortion,” she told the middle schoolers. “As survivors of that gauntlet, we are called to speak out against the violence of abortion, to help mothers in need, to show them love and support and give them resources so she doesn’t have to choose abortion. We are also called to be the voice for the babies who have no voice.”
“As Christians, we are called to tell every person we meet that they are special and valuable because they were created in God’s image. As Christians, we know why we are valuable and should be protected – because God made us and called us each by name,” she remarked.
At the conclusion of the presentation, Hawkins and Sadik offered handfuls of pins, stickers and bracelets to the students, some of whom paused to speak with the Students for Life leaders before returning to their classrooms.
Jennifer Miller, Principal of St. Leo the Great School, told The Witness she is proud of the pro-life efforts her students undertake, especially as St. Leo’s prepares to host the second annual Pro-Life Day and Race for Resources in a few weeks, and hopes Hawkins’ message propels them into continued action.
“I hope the kids will come away from Kristan’s talk with a deeper understanding of their inherent dignity as individuals made in the image and likeness of God,” Miller said. “Through her powerful message, I want them to be inspired to embrace the pro-life mission with compassion, courage and conviction, recognizing the value of every human life and their role in defending it.
Learn more about Students for Life at www.studentsforlife.org and about St. Leo the Great School at www.stleoschool.org.
(Photos by Jen Reed, The Catholic Witness.)
By Jen Reed, The Catholic Witness
