In a first, AMAC provided a donation to the Students for Life at the University of Idaho to attend the annual Right to Life March in Washington DC in January 2019. Below is an excerpt of the report that Zachary Spence sent to us after the March’s conclusion.
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This January, I had the opportunity to attend the National March for Life in Washington, D.C., and the Students for Life National Conference in nearby Maryland. It was an adventure of a lifetime. I am so glad I went. The trip was life changing.
We had a powerful rally with speakers such as Ben Shapiro and several leaders of Congress. Their words were inspiring. Shapiro declared at one point that he had heard it said that the pro-life community was out of touch with the culture. But what place does supporting life have in a culture of death? Vice President Pence attended our rally, marking one of the first times the second highest-ranking member of the U.S. lent physical support to our cause. He also brought with him a video message from President Trump who declared his support for the pro-life movement and vowed to veto any bill brought before him that is not life-affirming.
In short, our movement has the President and Vice-President fighting beside us. Interestingly, our march was barely covered by any news agencies. Hundreds of thousands of people marched down the streets by the U.S. Capitol and the Supreme Court, and hardly anyone beyond the pro-life community heard about it. This was still inspiring for me. Perhaps some in the media and our opponents are scared. So, let it be known, the pro-life movement is coming!
The National Conference of the Students for Life of America was also an amazing experience, especially the value placed on people. It has been said one of the mistakes most commonly made by pro-lifers is focusing on the personhood of the unborn but forgetting that the pro-choice person we are talking to is also a person. The speakers reminded us to acknowledge and honor the personhood of our opponents, not just the unborn. We seek to change minds, not alienate them. If we are going to argue all human life has worth, that includes those who do not agree with us. This was powerful, and humbling.
I learned so much, too, about apologetics, about the power of showing the actual process of abortion to women, and about taking the stand and being the light in the darkness. The symbol of the Students for Life of America is a candle lighting another. My candle has been lit, and now I want to light the world.
None of this would have been possible without the support of AMAC, who kindly provided the funds to assist us in covering our plane tickets. I am proud to have been supported by such an organization. My fellow members of Students for Life at the University of Idaho proudly displayed our AMAC stickers throughout the conference. Without AMAC, we could not have attended this event. Thank you.