A Second Experience at "March for Life"
May 11. This was the day I had been waiting for. This was the day I was going to Ottawa to march alongside with thousands of Canadians who supported the justice for the unborn.
My friends at BR’s LIFELINE — a pro-life club I created after attending my first march last year — my school teachers, and I were all very excited to attend the march. We had prepared a couple months before to post posters around the school, make posters, and recruit students to sign up. With our hard efforts, we made 6 posters and recruited a total of 8 people to come on the trip.
We gathered at our school at 5:30 am and boarded the bus. I was so tired because I never woke up this early. I closed my eyes and took a nap for a few hours into the trip. When I woke up, I looked out the window and saw a bright sunny day. My bus was noisy with chatter and excitement. The 5 hour trip to Ottawa was long but talking to friends made it worthwhile.
After 5 hours of travel, we finally arrived at the Parliament building. We walked over to the hill and saw thousands of people gathered and holding up posters. We were amazed at the great turnout. On the hill, we heard speeches from politicians and organizers of the march. We also heard testimonies from women who regretted their abortions. Like last year, listening to these speeches was one of the most memorable moments on the trip. These women spoke about how their parents and their society pressured them to abort their child because they got pregnant at a young age. Ever since the abortion, they suffered from depression and substance abuse. They always had their aborted child in their hearts. I admired their courage to speak about their experience and their tremendous effort to do something about their mistake.
After the speeches, it was time for the march! We grabbed the posters we made at our club and followed the crowd to the streets of Ottawa. This was a silent march; we did not want protesting and debates, we wanted to respectfully march together and promote awareness in a friendly way. As we walked, we saw civilians stop and stare and film us. Some even picked up a sign and joined us. I felt happy to march with so many Canadians who decided to stand up and do something for the thousands of unborn children aborted each year.
After the march, we were exhausted but happy. We felt good to be in Ottawa to spread pro-life awareness. We waited for the bus and went to our hotel to get ready for the youth banquet dinner.
The banquet was really fancy. We dressed up and sat in fancy tables. The food was absolutely delicious; the chicken was well-cooked and the apple pie was just a blessing! After eating, we listened to speeches from a pro life advocate who talked about his experience at 40 Days for Life, an international pro-life campaign that has saved thousands of lives and closed down hundreds of abortion facilities. We also listened to the Transform DJs who played excellent electronic dance music that shared the message of the Gospel and rights for the preborn. The banquet ended around 10 and we were exhausted. We went to our rooms, hung out for a bit, and then went to sleep at 12.
The following morning, we attending a youth conference that had several speakers and workshops for students to attend. I attended two workshops that taught me ways to get involved in the pro-life movement outside of the March and some ideas for pro-life clubs at school. There were two memorable speakers at the conference: a politician from West Virginia and a OB/GYN doctor who worked in the pro-life movement. The politician was Saira Blair, an American student and a politician at the House District who campaigns on a pro-life platform believing that every human life is to be protected and valued. She was very inspiring; at age 18, she was the youngest person elected to state or federal office in the United States. At such a young age, she was determined to speak out for the justice of the unborn. The other speaker was Dr. Christina Francis, a board-certified OB/GYN who currently works at Fort Wayne, Indiana. She is the board member of the Pro-life Obstetricians and Gynecologists. As a speaker, she offered her medical expertise, knowledge of bioethics, and pro-life reasoning both in Canada and in America. I had the pleasure of talking to Dr. Christina after the conference to introduce myself as I was entered in becoming a physician. I never knew that doctors and worked in the pro-life movement; Dr. Christina inspired me and gave me interest in pursuing a career as a pro-life advocate in the medical field. This is currently my dream and I hope to become as successful and humble as Dr. Christina one day.
After the conference, it was time to go home. We boarded our bus and drove back to Milton. On the bus, we talked about how much fun we had and how much we learned. This was my second time at the march and I had learned even more this year. Some of my friends who was at the March for the first time this year said that they are now fully pro-life and understood the values of the pro-life movement. They said they were pro-choice before the trip but after learning about the need to protect the life of the preborn, they were instantly pro-life. When I arrived to Milton and walked outside of the bus, I felt like a different person. I don't know how to explain this but I remember feeling this last year as well. I felt like a better and more educated version of myself. When I told this to my friends, they told me that they felt this as well. Whatever it was, it was a magical feeling. I think it was the work of God.
If you’re interested in learning more about the march visit:
Canada:
United States:
Article on the 2017 March for Life in Canada:
AN ARTICLE WORTH READING: