How did you
come about attending the March for Life, and the White House breakfast, this
year?
I am a third year law student at the University of Notre Dame. I was the
chaperone of around 180 of the 230 undergraduate students attending. The
March for Life board of directors and a handful of representative marchers
were invited to the breakfast at the White House. The representative
marchers consisted of 50 students from Christendom, a college in Virginia
that buses its entire faculty and student body to the March each year, and
25 from Notre Dame, which were the leaders of the Right to Life group and
selected to represent the different programs of study at Notre Dame.
What impact do you feel the March has on society and individual
participants?
The March for Life is a public witness about what occurs in
hiding. The unborn cannot speak for themselves. That is why it is so
important each of us who can speak for the unborn do so. Attending the March
is an unforgettable experience. Often we tend to feel alone and discouraged
when the media and even some of our neighbors reject the right of babies to
live. The March gives one the courage to persevere in prayer and pro-life
activity back home, knowing that he or she is one of many across the country
and the world who still believe in the sacredness of each human being from
conception through natural death.
Why is the protection of the unborn important to you?
As a law student, I study the laws of our great nation. At Notre
Dame, I am blessed to have professors who help us explore not only what the
law is currently, but its history and what it should be. If I do not stand
up for the natural rights of each person against unjust laws, what good is
all the legal training in the world?
Did you see some Fargo diocese people at the March? Any other people you
knew?
Like last year, by providence I ran into the group from the Diocese
of Fargo. It was great to see Rachelle Sauvageau, who has been so active in
promoting life in North Dakota over the years. Her son, Joe, is my best
friend from Shanley, who has just married a great girl and is training for
his second deployment in Iraq. I also had the joy of visiting with Father
Ross LaFramboise at the March. Another face familiar to Fargo was Father
Nathan of the Brothers of Saint John, who runs a week-long philosophy,
theology and camping retreat in Fargo each summer called Eagle Eye. I also
met a priest I knew from an Acton Institute Conference in Connecticut
earlier this fall. Last year I ran into Derek Rickens, a seminarian for the
Diocese of La Crosse, Wis., who also attended Cardinal Muench Seminary. My
girlfriend, Sarah Allmaras, is also from North Dakota and attended as part
of the Notre Dame group. It was her first time attending. She was not able
to attend the breakfast in the White House. Sarah enjoyed all the
encouraging speakers, different religious leaders and Congressmen who spoke
at the Rally before the March. "Seeing all the young people there were was
so encouraging!"
Share with us
what the breakfast and presentation were like.
This
was the first year a president addressed organizers and marchers in person
instead of just sending a taped statement. I was part of a handful of
students (representative marchers) invited to breakfast in the White House
along with the board of directors of the March. We milled about the State
Room and Red and Blue Rooms (and explored a few others), then met President
Bush as he addressed us in the East Wing. The President's staff gave each of
us a proclamation of National Sanctity of Life Day suitable for framing.
The
thing that surprised me most during the visit was the joy of President
Bush. A couple years ago at NDSU he was very serious. The past few days
we've seen photos of him obviously tired and frustrated after meeting about
the new bill to stimulate the economy. But that morning President Bush was
all smiles, truly enjoying himself. It was awesome to see him having fun
exercising the Office of President of the United States of America. He hit
the abortion issue right on the head, talking about the dignity of each life
created by God and the true solutions of changing hearts and making having
her baby an easier option for expectant moms.
The March, almost 250,000 people who stretch across the National Mall and
beyond, is a tremendous witness. Secular media is finally starting to
recognize this. The March also inspires future pro-life leaders. Most of the
Marchers are high school and college students from across the nation. The
Vigil Mass at the National Shrine with a 20-minute clergy procession and
packed in to every last inch of the side chapels and even the basement of
one of the largest buildings in the country is incredible. A rally in the
morning with various religious leaders and Congressmen shows the diversity
of the pro-life movement. During the March, Our Lady of Guadalupe and the
Knights of Columbus are all around. While the intent of the March is to
provide witness, it has perhaps even more value offering education and
encouragement to the millions of youth who have attended over the years.
