March for Life trip seen from two perspectives

    My experiences on three March for Life trips to Washington, D.C., with the Archdiocese of New Orleans consistently change my outlook on life.
    As a member and this year’s president of the Right to Life club at the Academy of Our Lady, I have attended the march for three consecutive years. What I love so much about going with the archdiocese is that an increasing amount of teens and chaperons share a common purpose: to abolish abortion and be a voice for the voiceless in our nation’s capital.
    Along with our cause, a large number of priests, seminarians, religious brothers and sisters and adults also help teens focus on their faith. No matter what struggles we bring with us on the pilgrimage, each of us has a chance to find peace and rekindle that fire that burns between us and God. We stop to pray together constantly, whether it is on the bus, outside of Planned Parenthood, on the march or during the praise and worship sessions and adoration at the hotel.  
    In attending the March for Life so often, I can see the personal growth in myself as I deepen my faith and learn more about being pro-life. As a freshman, I can remember having a shallow, face-value idea of what it truly meant. I was there to save the babies like everyone else. But this year, I went with another purpose. I went to Washington, D.C., to stand up with the understanding that this was about respect. This march was for the dignity of the human person, both the mother and child in need. Being pro-life means standing up for the rights of everyone. Because, if we don’t respect life where it begins, what respect can we demand for life anywhere else?
    Faith Adams is a junior at Academy of Our Lady in Marrero.