This week, Saint Mary's club Belles for Life is presenting their annual “Respect Life Week.”
The club’s social media commissioner, sophomore Morgan Chichester explained that “Respect Life Week” is designed to honor life.
“Respect Life Week” is put on by Belles for Life and is just a week to celebrate all stages of life, starting from natural conception, on campus and present opportunities and information to cultivate a culture of life," she said.
There are a variety of events planned for the week, including talks and movies, senior Katherine Dunn, president of Belles for Life, said.
“Yesterday Suzy Younger came and gave a talk about and NaPro technology and how to track women's cycles,” Dunn said. “Today, we are showing a documentary called ‘I Lived on Parker Avenue’ about adoption at 8 p.m. in Spes Unica 145. On Wednesday, we will be having a talk from a representative from Students for Life of America called Apologetics 201 in Vander Vennet at 7 p.m.”
Other events will include tables where students can learn about various resources pertaining to the club’s mission.
”Today, there will be tabling event with information for pregnant and parenting resources for Saint Mary's students,“ Dunn said. ”On Wednesday we will have a tabling event in the student atrium and it's going to ask people when human rights begin. We'll have a timeline from conception to birth and we'll just have conversations with people. On Thursday we will have another tabling event on library green or in Spes Unica if it’s cold outside, where we will have a chalkboard and people write why they are pro-life. We are also encouraging all club members to wear their apparel on Thursday. On Friday, just to celebrate life there will be free balloons.”
The planning process for this year’s “Respect Life Week” was a team effort.
”The Belles for Life commissioners came together and everyone took an event and we bounced ideas off each other,“ Dunn said. ”Some events we've done in the past and others are newer.“
When planning, the club also tried to make sure the events focused on a variety of issues concerning the pro-life cause.
”We don’t want to solely focus on abortion all the time, so we tried to have a variety of events,“ Dunn said.
Dunn said that students should attend the events to form new perspectives on what it means to be pro-life.
”If you don’t identify as pro-life, I think you should attend to see what the pro-life cause is because I think most of these events people could get on board with,“ she said. ”If you’re pro-life, I think you need to be pro-life in more facets of your life than just going to the March for Life or saying that you are pro-life.“
Chichester said students should attend the events to expand their perspective.
”Students should attend these events to show support for being pro-life on campus, to gain different prospectives, to learn from different people, and overall just empowering women and celebrating life,” she said.
Dunn said she believes the week is great way to ponder what it means to be pro-life.
”I think this week is a great way to reflect on what being pro-life actually means and what it means to pro life in every day life,“ she said.
Chichester said that the week is important because it provides support for community members.
”It is an empowering week learning from different people but also standing up for what you believe in and cultivating life on campus,“ she said. ”It is also important to let pregnant and parenting students on campus know that they're not alone, that we stand by them and that there are resources to help them.“
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