While hundreds of other St. Louis students participating in the march departed last Wednesday, SLUH’s group left for D.C. Thursday morning after activity period to board the Metro to the airport. After meeting the seniors who had left project at the airport, the 50 members and four chaperones flew to D.C.

“Just the fact that we fly gives us a lot more freedom. We get more time to explore city and attend the conference. I like that we don’t go with the other groups in the area,” said junior Daniel Hogan.

Before the start of the march Friday morning, the Men for Life heard President Donald Trump speak at the Pro-Life rally, which took place before the march. President Trump is the first president in American history to speak at the event.

“This was a moment where I think a lot of people were able to set aside certain things to accept the fact that we’ve got somebody on that stage that we’ve never imagined we would have on the stage,” said moderator Dr. David Callon. “For those who have been marching for decades, I don’t think it matters so much who that president is, rather the fact that we’ve got the respect of the highest office, and even really sympathetic presidents prior have not shown the suppport of their presence. People got excited about that.”

Following the rally, the Jr. Bills in attendance joined the ranks of hundreds of thousands of other pro-life individuals participating in the march from all over the country.

“My favorite thing about the March was having the opportunity to meet people from all around the nation and learn why they’re pro-life,” said sophomore Luke Pierson. “It was very powerful to know that I’m not alone in this belief and to be marching with hundreds of thousands of like-minded folk was incredible.”

After the march, the Men for Life attended a reception originally meant to be hosted by Missouri Congresswoman Ann Wagner. Unfortunately, Wagner was unable to attend due to conflicts involved with her job, but her legislative aids presented on two proposed bills, one outlawing gender selection abortion and one enforcing a rule that would guarantee protection for babies who have survived abortions.

“Every year it is inspiring to see so many young students of our next generation fighting for unborn children. You have the ability to change hearts and minds, and every one of you can be a leader on this issue,” said Wagner via email. “My best advice to you is to be fearless when advocating for pro-life policies. Don’t be afraid to talk to your friends about what being pro-life means to you and why it matters.”

The following day, the Men for Life attended the Cardinal O’Connor Conference where they heard from keynote speakers Sister Bethany Madonna, S.V., a vocation director for the Sisters of Life, and Dr. Jonathan Reyes, the Senior Vice President for Evangelization and Faith formation for the Knights of Columbus, to start off the day.

The keynote addresses centered around the dignity of every person. Sr. Bethany talked a lot about an individual’s personal dignity and how they need to care for it. Dr. Reyes talked about our duty to go out and uphold the dignity of ourselves and others because it is such a free gift from God.

“I really enjoyed hearing both of them talk because it articulated the purpose of our movement: to uphold everyone’s dignity because they are a holy creature of God,” said Hogan.

After the introductory speeches from the keynote speakers, the members of the Men for Life club split up and attended various presentations from a variety of experienced pro-life speakers. The speakers ranged from ex-abortionists to philosophy professors to pro-life feminists.

“I went to a talk put on by Jesuit Refugee Services. I wish I could’ve stayed there forever. I was so quickly informed and she offered things that I could do right now to make a difference,” said Pierson. “After that breakout session I went to one on gene editing and bioethics. There I learned about how people are going to be capable of pretty much designing their kid by the time I’m in my 20s or 30s. I always knew that this was coming along eventually, but I never thought it would affect me when I’m having kids.”

“My first breakout session was about the problems refugees face. We have an all-time high number of displaced persons and there really aren’t good systems to help them move on to new homes and communities,” said Hogan. “My second breakout session, I got to hear George Weigel speak about J.P. II’s Gospel of Life. He detailed how the Holocaust and communist takeover of Poland formed the future Pope’s ideas on human dignity and evil. He also discussed how the Gospel of Life encyclical is relevant today.”

After the conference, the Men for Life celebrated Mass in the Georgetown chapel with the school’s Jesuits and other students at the conference.

“Mass was the perfect way to end off the day,” said senior Peter LaBarge. “I think it was a great way to sum up all the love and joy we shared over Friday and Saturday as a whole.”

To cap off the trip, the Men for Life took a tour of the illustrious African American History Museum. After the visit, the group was given the option to tour any of the Smithsonian Museums they had time to see before heading off to the airport.   

“Walking through the National Museum of African American History and Culture was extremely moving. To see how terrible young children and even the elderly were treated just because of the color of their skin was terrifying,” said Pierson. “I walked into that museum thinking the hardest part of the history to hear about would be slavery, but I walked out of that museum knowing I was wrong. The part of the Museum that dealt with segregation brought me to the verge of tears multiple times.”

For senior Tay Wiley, the only four-time marcher among the 50 SLUH students, the march has been particularly memorable and important. Along with growing and learning about himself, Wiley has been able to see others grow with him.

“Sophomore year, one of Ann Wagner’s assistants came up to me, (senior) Dominic Nguyen, and (senior) Ethan Joly and asked us for advice on how to raise a boy because she was due to deliver in about a month or so. We talked and said our goodbyes, but I didn’t think much of it,” said Wiley. “We went back to Ann Wagner’s reception the following year, and her baby, now named Jude, had been born. She said our advice was very reassuring and helped her get over the initial nerves of having a baby.

The March for Life has left a lasting impact on his memories of SLUH.

“Most importantly,” Wiley said. “I got to see how much the club has grown over the past four years, and I know that when I leave SLUH, the Men for Life club will be stronger than ever.”