Freeburg eighth-graders take a stand at national March for Life in D.C.
They went and took a stand together.
Benjamin Berhorst, Abby Findley, Cody Mosley and Dawson Woodward — constituting the eighth-grade class at Holy Family School in Freeburg — traveled with their parents to Washington, D.C., Jan. 19-21 to take part in the 48th annual March for Life.
Knights of Columbus Monsignor Gerold J. Kaiser Council 9700 in Freeburg helped pay for their trip.
“We went because we are very pro-life and, there aren’t a lot of things that kids our age can do to help end abortion,” the students told The Catholic Missourian Feb. 1. “But this March is something we can do.”
Through their teacher, Erin Berhorst, the students discussed and answered several questions.
This was the first time any of them had traveled to the Nation’s Capital.
They said they enjoyed listening to the inspirational speakers at the rally before the March, including Father Mike Schmitz, whose online posts and podcasts such as “The Catholic Bible in a Year” help countless young people get closer to Christ.
Fr. Schmitz, director of Youth and Young Adult Ministries for the Diocese of Duluth, Minnesota, and the other speakers told the crowd to become active advocates for human life.
Fr. Schmitz said just being present at the march “changes you.”
The eighth-graders from Holy Family were also impressed to see how many people — especially how many young people — came to the March to fight against abortion.
Seeing pictures of babies who had died in abortions helped the students realize the urgency of what they were fighting against.
While flying back from Washington, they heard stories from people on the plane who had also attended the March.
“A priest was behind us, and he was talking about how someone who came up to him and said she was proud she had an abortion,” the students stated. “He said he talked with her for about 10 minutes and respected her honesty, but also told her his reasons for being pro-life.”
The students thought about what they can do now to help pregnant women who are in a crisis say yes to life for their babies.
“You can remind them that there are people and organizations that are there to help them with their pregnancy and that adoption is an option,” the students answered.
They noted that they could also help raise money to assist the mothers and, of course, pray for them.
When asked to consider how they might respond to someone who says a woman’s choice to have an abortion is none of their business, the eighth-graders responded: “It is the baby’s business, and God has a plan for all of His children. We need to remind them that no child is a choice.”
They said that if a friend ever confides to any of them that she is pregnant and does not know what to do, they would offer to help her in any way they can, and would put them in touch with people in the Church and the larger community who can help.
Mindful that being pro-life is a 365-day-a-year commitment that begins and ends with prayer, the students suggested praying for all pregnant women to choose life, and for all leaders to open their eyes to the reality of abortion.
“We should pray for the mother, the father and the baby, and we should pray for an end to abortion,” they stated.
