Two weeks ago, I joined the March for Our Lives in Washington.
I, along with my peers in the city this semester, were joined by thousands of people, young and old. We marched to demand sensible gun control and reform. We marched to save countless young people, who had their young lives taken from them much too early. We marched to protest an unfair system that silences young voices, and a political system that responds to money rather than human lives.
There was one heckler that I experienced on my three-mile journey down Constitution Avenue. His sign read, “Rethink your outrage. Guns kill 18 youths daily. Abortion kills 3,500 daily.” He yelled at protestors through a bullhorn, drawing away attention from the issue being addressed by the march and changing the atmosphere from one of peaceful rebellion to charged tension.
This was the presence of the pro-life movement at the March for Our Lives. A heckler antagonizing both sides.
Support for these issues is by no means mutually exclusive. In fact, if the pro-life movement were to take a fully pro-life stance on a majority of issues, rather than seeing abortion as its primary focus, then just as many students should have been at the March for Our Lives as there were at the March for Life.
Unfortunately, this was not the case. Notre Dame’s pro-life student group did not organize a caravan of students to descend on Washington, or even on Chicago. They didn’t even organize a unified group protest to join the South Bend march.
They were quiet.
I have one question for those who identify as pro-life on our campus — where were you that Saturday? Supporting the students across America who have experienced the senseless loss of life, and fulfilling a true pro-life agenda? Or were you quiet?
Jackie O'brien
sophomore
April 2
