by Benjamin Deeter, Student Public Relations Writer
Twenty-three Cedarville University students will travel to Washington, D.C. on Friday, Jan. 24, to attend the 2020 National March for Life.
The March for Life is held on the anniversary of the U.S. Supreme Court’s Roe v. Wade fateful ruling in 1973, which legalized abortion in the United States. Since then, approximately 62 million unborn babies have lost their lives due to abortion.
“The March for Life represents standing up for the defenseless preborn children and being their advocate,” said Nicholas Kallis, president of Cedarville University Students for Life, a pro-life organization. “We are going to stand up for the defenseless and be their voice.”
The 2020 theme for the March for Life Rally is “Life Empowers: Pro-Life is Pro-Women.”
— Nicholas Kallis
“We go to the March for Life as Christians,” said Kallis. “It's important that we go for no other reason than for righteousness, justice and compassion. Ultimately, this is what we are about and hope to imitate at the March.”
The day after the March for Life, the students will attend the National Pro-Life Summit, a one-day training event for grassroots pro-life supporters.
“This time in particular is a crucial time for our group to represent at the March as the nationwide pro-life movement has a strong wave of momentum right now,” said Kallis. “We want to push that wave even further by joining our voices with the rest of the nation.”
In addition to the National March for Life trip, Cedarville Students for Life will host a panel discussion on “The Christian Response to Abortion in America” in the lower Stevens Student Center on February 6 at 7 p.m.
The panel includes Dr. Marc Clauson, professor of history and law; Dr. J.R. Gilhooly, assistant professor of philosophy and theology; Dr. Heather Kuruvilla, senior professor of biology; and Lisa Smithers, assistant professor of nursing and certified nurse midwife. Also speaking is freshman Chris Ham, a two-time abortion survivor. You can read his story here.
“Attending the March for Life is a great way to meet new friends who are rallying against the same injustice. This is part of the reason we are doing a panel on campus,” said Kristina Peterson, board member for Cedarville University Students for Life. “Our goal is to educate the student body on how to respond to this injustice happening in our country.”
Located in southwest Ohio, Cedarville University is an accredited, Christ-centered, Baptist institution with an enrollment of 4,380 undergraduate, graduate and online students in more than 150 areas of study. Founded in 1887, Cedarville is recognized nationally for its authentic Christian community, rigorous academic programs, strong graduation and retention rates, accredited professional and health science offerings and high student engagement ranking. For more information about the University, visit www.cedarville.edu.