When you think of the March for Life, what do you imagine? You may imagine “Pro-Life” and “Pro-Choice” individuals lined up in front of the Supreme Court Building, shouting chants back and forth at one another. You may imagine signs asking you questions, or telling you why you should be Pro-Life or Pro-Choice. You may imagine individuals standing on the Supreme Court steps loudly speaking their minds on why abortion should or should not be legal. Speaking from personal experience, it can be a little overwhelming when you are standing amongst a mass of shouting people. What you may not imagine are the things that are happening just a few hundred feet away on the opposite side of the street from the Supreme Court. These are the things that you cannot easily find on your TV screen or in a quick Google image search, such as a nun bent down speaking gently to a little girl.
I attended the March for Life last Friday, January 27, just as I have been throughout my four years of college. Our campus ministry group takes a bus trip every year with anyone who wants to attend. Our first stop when we arrive is at the National Shrine, where we are free for two hours to walk around to various chapels, visit the gift shops, eat, and even attend a mass if we so wish. We load back on the bus, and head across town where we begin the march. You may now be wondering what our posters may say, what clever chants we may have come up with, or if anyone of us got to speak on TV that day. To answer your wonderings: we do none of those things.
Father Mac, our campus priest and “leader” of our campus ministry group, decided when he first started taking these trips that we would be a friendly, smiling face to others, clad with sweatshirts deeming us “Buddies”. Imagine a scared, pregnant mother huddled on the sidewalk watching the “Pro-Life” and “Pro-Choice” signs go by and chants going back and forth between them. She is not very likely to walk up to either side asking for help, but she may walk up to the friendly priest who, like her, stands off to the side and offers a smile in her direction. She may walk up to him, and they may start a conversation (knowing Father Mac’s friendly and approachable demeanor, they will definitely begin a conversation). After talking for a little while, he may then introduce them to another group of friendly, approachable individuals: the Sisters of Life.
From attending these marches, taking everything in and talking to God a lot, I have been confused about which “side” I am on. I have asked myself a lot of questions. Does Pro-Life really want to take away someone’s choice, or are they just so saddened by the death of a baby that they see no other way? Does Pro-Choice really want every woman in an un-ideal situation to have an abortion, or do they just want to make sure no one takes away her right to choose? What if there was a third option?
When a pregnant girl or young woman knocks on the doors of the Sisters of Life, they are invited inside to have something to eat. The young girl may have many emotions coursing through her: doubt, fear, confusion, and even hopelessness. She may be unsure of her ability to finish high school with a baby; she may have been abandoned emotionally or physically by those she would normally look to for support; she may have been raped or had a one-night stand or has no one to turn to for help. The Sisters of Life are there to reach out to this young woman with practical assistance, spiritual and emotional support in this great time of need. They offer food, clothing, and shelter to this girl and her unborn child. Their initial offering of food to the young girl allows them to give something to this young mother that she may not have felt in a long time: hope.
Of the hundreds of thousands of people that travel to the March for Life every year, of the thousands of signs and carefully constructed responses to interview questions, of the shouts and cheers and protests, I think the greatest part of the March for Life is the people who quietly reach out their hands without judgement to give a pregnant woman the help and hope that she so desperately needs. This outlet of help and hope can take away a little bit of the fear, hopelessness, and desperation. This outlet of help and hope gives women clothing, shelter, food and someone to turn to in a scary situation. This outlet of help and hope gives a young, pregnant girl the best chance: the chance to choose life.
Pregnant? Need help? You are not alone. Visit the Sisters of Life website at sistersoflife.org or call them at 877-777-1277 (US) or 877-543-3380 (CA).
