Ball State students join March for Life in Washington, D.C.

Mary Kolar, 58, from Tequesta, Fla., listens to Vice President Mike Pence as thousands of pro-life marchers crowd the streets near the National Mall during the March for Life Friday, Jan. 27, 2017 in Washington, D.C. (Ken Cedeno/McClatchy Washington Bureau/TNS)
Mary Kolar, 58, from Tequesta, Fla., listens to Vice President Mike Pence as thousands of pro-life marchers crowd the streets near the National Mall during the March for Life Friday, Jan. 27, 2017 in Washington, D.C. (Ken Cedeno/McClatchy Washington Bureau/TNS)

About 25 members of the Ball State Students for Life traveled to Washington, D.C. Jan. 27 to participate in the March for Life.

The March for Life was formed in 1973 after the U.S. Supreme Court proclaimed that it is a woman’s right to have an abortion under the 14th Amendment. This motion by the court is known as Roe v. Wade.

The march is held annually every January with the goal of voicing the movement’s concerns about abortion to the federal government.

Nora Hopf, a junior telecommunications major and president of the Ball State Students for Life, believes abortion is a human rights issue.

“The main reason we were there is to let Washington know that we want to abolish abortion by overturning Roe V. Wade, but also by making abortion unthinkable," she said.

So far, Hopf is happy with the Trump administration and its stance on the issue of abortion.

On Jan. 23, Trump issued a memorandum that reinstated the Mexico City Policy, which bars funds to international nongovernmental organizations that perform or promote abortion as a family-planning method.

“[Trump] is fearless when it comes to the fact that he is pro-life,” Hopf said.

Hopf believes the presence of the Counselor to the President Kellyanne Conway and Vice President Mike Pence at the March for Life made it more evident that the anti-abortion movement has the Trump administration’s support.

Hopf said some students who attend Ball State were able to attend a Students for Life of America conference, where they learned how to have good dialogue with others on campus and how to be more inclusive.

Hopf also said Students for Life welcomes everyone regardless of religious or political beliefs and is open to questions from those who support abortion.

Alex Ross, a sophomore physiology and speech pathology major who is also a member of the Ball State Students for Life, attended the march because she wanted to “stand up for life and the human dignity of every person.” She believes that the movement against abortion is a fight against genocide.

Ross said she was glad to see people from throughout the nation and the world come together for the cause.

She appreciates the fact that Pence showed up to the rally because it was the first time presidential involvement was on display at the march. She also said there are some people in the anti-abortion movement who don’t want to be connected to the Trump administration.

“I know there is a lot of people in the movement who don’t necessarily want the pro-life movement tied to the Trump administration and to be part of that agenda, because it is very diverse and there are a variety of different people with different views," Ross said.

She believes that the best way to empower women is to send a message that they have the ability to take care of themselves and their children.

“The body of a child, that could be a woman, that could be a man, that is a disabled person, that is a black person,” she said, “It kind of involves all the movements we are facing right now in America.”

Sarah Hazen, sophomore biology major and member of the Ball State Students for Life, attended the march to promote human life from “its natural conception to natural death.”

She was happy to see the amount of young people at the march.

“It was such a blessing to be a witness to it," she said.

She is keeping an open mind about the Trump administration and is “excited to see what happens.”

Hazen believes the varying sides of the issue of abortion both have women’s interests in mind and understanding one another is important to move forward.

“Those conversations can go a lot of different," she said.  "I’ve been keeping an open mind and tolerating one another and actually listening to what the other has to say is the most important.” 

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