For College Students:
Students for Life of America Successfully Launches 3rd Annual Wilberforce Leadership Fellowship
Teens, The Pro-Life Movement Needs You!by Sue Cirba
Today, after a visit to my grandmother in the nursing home, I stopped in the chapel to read the
Bible. I opened to Jeremiah Chapter 1:5 "Before I formed you in the womb I knew you and before
you were born I consecrated you a prophet to the nations." Active in the pro-life movement since
age 18, I read that verse many times. Lately, I have been re-examining the direction of my life.
What does God want? Opening to that verse today seems to confirm He wants me where I am. Part of
the plan for my life is to be engaged in the struggle to end abortion.
God knew Jeremiah before He formed him in the womb of his mother and had a plan for his life.
God knew us before He formed us in our mother's womb and has a plan for our lives. God has a
plan for each child He creates in a mother's womb, including the more than 43 million children
who have been killed in the United States since the Supreme Court legalized abortion in 1973.
How it must pain God to have these precious gifts, His children, thrown back in His face!
Teenagers can identify with uncertainty over the direction and plan for one's life. During high
school they make plans for college, seek employment, and form relationships. All of these things
will lead them in a particular direction. In a teen's efforts to discover his path in life, I
hope he will ask if God is calling him to participate in the battle to end abortion in our land.
I hope the adults in his life will encourage him to get involved. There are many opportunities.
Teens can participate in the Youth for Life Art and Essay Contest, or make plans to attend the
Pennsylvania Pro-Life Convention to be held in Scranton (October, 2009). Teens can speak
out in their schools. Do a report on a pro-life issue. Join or start a pro-life club. Write
about pro-life issues in the student newspaper.
Abortionists and mothers who abort are not the only ones responsible for the continuation of
abortion. Persons who are apathetic to the plight of the unborn bear responsibility. When we
reject the unborn, we also reject their potential contributions to the world. It is impossible
to estimate the love and joy these children could have brought to the lives of millions of
adoptive couples, but it is possible to estimate the economic impact of abortion on our land.
Laura Antkowiak of National Right to Life wrote, "Abortion slows the labor force. A Federal
Reserve report described the labor market as "very tight" to the point where worker shortages
constrained economic activity in some fields." If abortion were not legalized in 1973, in 1998
alone more than seven million additional workers would be in the labor force."
"Abortion drives the Social Security crisis. The main reason for Social Security's long-range
financing problem is demographic. In 1998 alone, the billions of dollars that the victims of Roe
v. Wade would have contributed to Social Security could support over 785,000 retired workers for
the entire year," states Antkowiak. Abortion is harmful to our nation.
Abortion kills babies and hurts women. Olivia Gans stated at a "Silent No More" rally in
Washington D.C., "We are mothers with empty arms." Dozens of women described abortions harmful
effects in their lives on January 22nd. An unplanned pregnancy may pose an immediate problem for
a woman, but these are surmountable problems. Alternatives to abortion groups offer
compassionate counseling and real help.
Giving birth also brings the mother potential for spiritual growth in addition to the many
intangible rewards motherhood offers. Fr. Frank Pavone writes, "Christ laid down His life for
me, so we lay down our lives for one another." A young woman can choose love or selfishness,
good or evil, life or death. Scripture tells us "Choose life that YOU and your
descendants may live."
We should care about the unborn child and his mother, because the business of a Christian is
love. In his day Jeremiah answered God's call, "Sovereign Lord, I don't know how to speak I am
too young." Perhaps he did not have enough confidence in himself to do the job. Perhaps he hoped
God would send an adult. God said to Jeremiah, "I will give you the words." Jeremiah trusted
God.
Abortion is an overwhelming problem. We can scarcely comprehend the numbers. It may seem too
complicated for a teen. How can we help to end abortion? What can we say to convince others?
Like Jeremiah, God will give us the words if we pray, and trust Him.
(Note: This article was printed in a past edition of The Pro-Life Reporter. Events mentioned
in this article are held annually, except for the PA Pro-Life Convention which will be held
in October, 2009 in Scranton, PA.)
Teens needing further information about pro-life events, pro-life issues for reports,
or advice on starting a pro-life group at your school can contact Mrs. Cirba at
lifeissues@hotmail.com
