Nicholas Rabideau, from left, and Patrick O’Sullivan strategize about the formation of their new student group Students For Life on the campus of Texas A&M-University Corpus Christi. Rabideau, president of the local chapter of Students for Life, is looking for new students to join the organization.
Rebecca Esparza for South Texas Catholic
“I’ve been pro-life pretty much my whole life, but it wasn’t until my high school years that I began to connect with God,” he said. “It was a youth group I attended in my sophomore year back home in the Houston area. Ever since then, it’s been a calling in my heart.”
Fortunately, Rabideau did not have to start this group on his own. He has the support of a national organization, Students for Life of America. In almost 14 years, the organization has grown a pro-life grassroots movement on over 1,200 high school and college campuses across the nation.
Rabideau attended a training event in Washington, DC over the summer for young leaders in the pro-life movement. He had a firsthand opportunity to see how important his work is and believes he witnessed lives being saved.
“We did sidewalk counseling, where we’re able to stand right outside the door of Planned Parenthood in Washington, DC and give people resources for making other choices besides abortion. That’s where I experienced people screaming in my face, trying to tell me we were wrong, and we were evil. Actually, the evil coming from them was far worse than I have ever experienced before,” he recalled.
But his perseverance paid off. He and his group of 15 fellow college students were able to deter at least two or three ladies from getting an abortion that day.
“I knew immediately I was doing what God wanted me to do – what He put me on earth to do,” he said.
Sarah Zarr, Texas and Southern Regional Coordinator for Students for Life of America, said there is a lot at stake when students start a new chapter at a university. “It takes courage and compassion to start a group like this on campus.
“Many students fear their reputation will be wrapped up in this, and they wonder what their peers will think or they worry what their professors will think and if this will impact their grades,” she said. “There are definitely obstacles to overcome, so we work with the students to embrace that controversy and be able to say: ‘This is our right to stand up and talk about pro-life issues.’”
With so many societal issues to consider, students may be hesitant to join a campus pro-life group. Zarr said those issues are valid to consider, but noted the pro-life movement is gaining momentum, especially with young people.
“I remind students by joining the pro-life movement, and what we call the pro-life generation, they’re going to be on the winning side. Polls have shown that the Millennial
and Generation Z are more pro-life than any generation before,” she said. “Abortion is the greatest human rights injustice of our time.”
Zarr emphasized that because Planned Parenthood targets young people on college campuses across the country, it’s all the more important students get involved.
“We have a message of hope, resources, and support for pregnant and parenting students on campus that needs to be shared,” she said. “The goal is to interact with as many students as possible to spark dialogue and have conversations about the issue to change hearts and minds.”
TAMUCC student Patrick O’Sullivan decided to join Students for Life in August, as the organization’s treasurer. The 19-year-old Beaumont native said he recalls growing up in a Catholic household, but did not have a good grasp on what being pro-life meant until he traveled the country for a year with other young people doing missionary work after graduating high school.
“During that year, I developed a strong respect for women and learned firsthand what the pro-life movement is all about. We traveled 28,000 miles across the country in nine months and came across women who were struggling with the decision to have an abortion or not,” he explained. “The women on my team explained to me all the harm an abortion can do to a woman.”
O’Sullivan said his convictions about being pro-life are strong and he’s ready to stand his ground for what he believes in, even in the face of hostility.
“You have to be calm. When confronted with someone trying to start a conflict, our most powerful defense is prayer,” O’Sullivan said. “I believe it’s OK for someone to believe in what they believe, but they need to understand the devastating effects of abortion. I will stand firm in my own belief and not let them sway me.”
Visit www.StudentsForLife.org for more information on their goal of abolishing abortion.