'We are Pro-Life!'

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St. John Paul II High School students joined thousands of pro-life advocates, from different backgrounds, religious views and ethnicities in the annual Texas Rally for Life on Jan. 23. Pro-life supporters chanted, “We are pro-life!” as they walked the streets of downtown Austin and ended their march on the front grounds of the state capitol.

The students have led the march for three years. Senior R.J. Delgadillo felt very privileged to be a part of the march as he held the Texas flag. “Out of everybody they chose our school, from Corpus Christi, to lead the march. It was really cool to lead thousands of people in something that we firmly believe in. It was cool to be a witness to that from the front [of the march],” Delgadillo said.

Senior Jacob Zamarron helped carry the main March for Life banner. Zamarron said he loved having the “opportunity to be in the front of the pack” and lead everyone to the capitol.

One of the speakers, Melissa Ohden had the crowd repeat, “The blessing of perseverance is success.” Ohden, an abortion survivor, was among others who spoke to thousands about the gift of life.

Pro-life advocates of all ages gathered on the capitol grounds and many of the speakers said they were proud to see so many young people. Many who symbolize the future generation of the pro-life movement. Dominic Nye, age 6, said he felt great participating to the march. This was his third year in a row.

Emily, Ashley, and Sierra, three students from the University of Texas in Austin, attended the march for the first time and were very hopeful and expectant. Prior to the march Emily said, “I’m really surprised and excited to see this many people, in a place as liberal as Austin, for a cause like this. I’m feeling inspired to see all these people in one place on a Saturday when they could be doing other things.” Sierra was also encouraged by the amount of people present. When asked what she would say to those who are pro-choice, Ashley responded, “Keep an open mind. I think this is an issue where if you really look at it, you might change your mind on it.”

Michelle Foxworthy, who attended the march with her family said she was, “very encouraged to see so many people…who have the same beliefs and are all working towards the same goal and doing something that can be seen by others.”

Others among the crowd were women who had once considered abortion. Claudia Turcotte said that after getting unexpectedly pregnant in college, reacting out of fear she decided to have an abortion. Part of the process of having an abortion was staying at the abortion clinic all day to attend counseling and fill out paperwork. When the wait was over and it was time for the abortion, Turcotte hesitated. She let others in front of her, but even later she could not bring herself to have the abortion.

Turcotte left the clinic, and since then she has been married to the father of the baby for 20 years, and now has four children. “I feel very, very, very blessed to have left that abortion clinic that day,” Turcotte said.

Her daughter, Taylor Turcotte, who was standing beside her mother said, “I found out my freshmen year of college that I was almost aborted. I had always been pro-life, but once I found that out–that spurred me to get involved in the movement. I’ve been working for Texas Right to Life and with Pro-life Aggies. I’ve become really active because it’s proof that the present circumstances—like when my mom was pregnant, and things looked really bad, and she did'nt see light at the end of the tunnel—can change and can turn out totally different. That’s why everyone deserves a chance at life.”

There were others that day that did not have the same perspective as these pro-life advocates. The supporters of abotion, commonly known to wear orange, were waiting for the pro-life supporters early on in the march and at the capitol grounds, but St. John Paul II’s chants drowned out the chants of some 50 abortion supporters, as they continued to lead the thousands in, “we are pro-life!”

St. John Paul II sophomores, Savannah Martinez and Dylan Garza, stepped up and took action at the march. Both have been to the march twice, but this time they led the chant. Martinez said she was unafraid of leading so many people. “I’m a cheerleader, so [chanting] was nothing different to me. I liked doing it, and I like people to be aware [of the pro-life movement]. I wasn’t nervous about starting it at all, I was actually kind of happy I was the one starting it. I felt good about myself, that I was actually contributing and not just standing there going for the trip,” Martinez said.

Garza said leading the chant was fun. "It was really cool just to yell and have everyone follow behind me. I would say ‘we are…’ and I’d hear everyone in the background say ‘…pro-life!’” he said.

The "pro-life" advocates’ voices were definitely heard. Some people came out of their businesses to applaud the crowd as they walked by them. St. John Paul II High School is dedicated to a culture of life; everyone is united to bring an end to abortion.