Saint Anselm students attend March for Life in Washington

Anthony Mollica, Guest Writer

A delegation of students from Saint Anselm traveled to Washington, D.C. recently for the 46th annual March for Life.  The March for Life is held every January as an opportunity to peacefully protest the 1973 Roe v. Wade Supreme Court decision, which legalized abortion across the country.  This year’s theme was “Unique from Day One,” offering opportunities for speakers to defend the scientific bases for contraception as life’s natural starting point.  Speakers included political commentator Ben Shapiro, former Planned Parenthood worker, and author Abby Johnson, Democrat Representative Dan Lipinski, and Republican Senator Steve Daines, and there was a surprise visit from Vice President Mike Pence and Second Lady Karen Pence.  In addition, a pre-recorded message of affirmation from President Donald Trump was played. This year’s march was estimated to have drawn in several hundred thousand people, and the crowd was made up of an overwhelmingly youthful body of participants.

The students who attended the march were proud to participate, and many were impressed by this year’s trip in particular.  Regarding his experience, freshman John Pointer said: “it was a very positive and unified march, spearheaded by lots of young people” and described the turnout as “great news for the future of this extremely important moral debate.”  Freshman Neil Craffey lauded the politically “diverse” nature of the speakers at the march’s rally, stating: “Republican, Democrat, ex-Planned Parenthood employee, it didn’t matter,” and observed that the march did not attract many counter-protesters.

The trip was organized by Campus Ministry, who has been sending students to the march for many years.  Prior to the march, students attended mass at the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception.