Sr. Helen Prejean upholds dignity of all human life

On April 7, Dominican’s Pro-Life Club had the honor of hosting Sister of St. Joseph Helen Prejean to speak to the student body.

Sister Helen, an advocate for the abolition of the death penalty and author of the books, “Dead Man Walking: An Eyewitness Account of the Death Penalty in the United States,” and “The Death of Innocents: An Eyewitness Account of Wrongful Executions,” spoke about her experiences counseling inmates on death row.

As president of the Pro-Life Club at Dominican, I was ecstatic to hear the news that she was available to speak to us and that we would all have the opportunity to meet her.

Her stance showed courage
The moment I met Sister Helen, I was captivated by her inspiring joy and warmhearted smile. Her story had an immense impact on me because of her unbelievable amount of courage and strength for standing up for what is right.

Hearing about her compassion toward the prisoners on death row confirmed my pro-life belief that everyone, despite his or her past mistakes, has dignity and the right to live.

“Sister Helen is such an inspiring woman who has been through so much; she continues to live out her faith during the hardest of times,” said Courtney Dauzat, Pro-Life Club treasurer.

Although the term “pro-life” is usually associated with the topic of abortion, Sister Helen’s visit gave our club the opportunity to call attention to the serious issue of capital punishment. She showed us that being pro-life means respecting the life of all people, even those who have done great evil in their past.

All of the Dominican students walked away from her talk with the truth that our past mistakes do not determine our value as a person.

After her talk, the students had the opportunity to meet Sister Helen at a book signing.

“Seeing the line for her book signing wrapped around the cafeteria was so inspiring,” senior Sarah Babin said. “Knowing that her talk made an impact on this many girls’ lives made me proud to go to a school that respects the dignity of all life.”

Abby Sticker is president of St. Mary’s Dominican High School’s Pro-Life Club.