It’s cold — colder than I would like, but not quite as cold as I expected for Washington, D.C. in January. Among the cacophony of the crowd, it’s difficult to hear anything distinctly, but the noise doesn’t feel like a burden. It feels like a tidal wave carrying me upwards — up Capitol Hill, past the National Garden and the Senate office buildings full of waving politicians, past the Library of Congress and finally to the Supreme Court with its looming pillars.
I’ve been on the trip three times, but experience doesn’t quite prepare you for the sense of awe and pride, but also the somberness that swells as the crowd begins to move, signs in hand. They spill out onto the street, me alongside the twenty-one other Union students with our matching Life 139 beanies. I hold my signs tightly as the March begins.
Each year, Life 139, Union University’s pro-life club, takes students to Washington, D.C. for the annual March for Life and the Pro-Life Summit. But what does a trip to D.C. have to do with students at a small Christian college in Tennessee?
Carmen Rubado, a sophomore political science major and the president of Life 139, was emphatic about the trip, both its impact on the students and the chance for Union to demonstrate support for the cause.
“It’s hard to make time, go out of your way, raise money and be different and face opposition,” Rubado said. “What is harder is to live with the fact that nearly a third of our generation is not here because of abortion. Lives have been lost. Families are broken. People are hopeless.”
The signs range from pictures of Charlie Kirk to “God Will Not Be Mocked” to “Love is Ending Abortion.” Some of them are homemade; some of them are printed by Students for Life or The White Rose Resistance. Next to me, Dr. Dub Oliver, Union’s President, holds a “Promote a Culture of Life” sign.
“This trip is an opportunity for the Union community to show the world that we stand for life because all life is worth protecting,” said Rubado.
“It gave us an opportunity to connect with others from across the country who are passionate about the same cause, whether they be fellow students or people in positions of power,” said Esther Rolsma, a sophomore nursing major.
The annual Pro-Life Summit is a little less chaotic and a little warmer. I’m extra appreciative of the comfy hotel seats as we settle in to listen to one last speaker: Riley Gaines, a conservative activist and an outspoken advocate for women’s sports. After a long day of breakout sessions, listening to policy experts, doctors and even former abortion workers, it should be harder than it is to sit still and listen to one last speech. Her white suit blazes out from the platform as she encourages us, and I find I can’t quite bring myself to divide my attention between her and my notes.
The Summit has always been my favorite part of the trip. Hearing from such incredible speakers with a range of expertise is such a unique opportunity — a chance for high school and college students to learn and train to enter the real world and the very real battle against abortion.
“I didn’t realize the breadth of work that is going on in every sphere of culture, medicine, and politics,” Rolsma said. “It was inspiring to learn of the efforts from the very people who have devoted their lives to this work.”
The Summit continues as we carry our notebooks and stories back to Jackson.
“Life139’s mission is to awaken and equip Union to love the unborn by praying, advocating, locally serving, and globally participating on their behalf,” Rubado said.
Life 139 trains its students throughout the year, using resources from the Pro-Life Summit and from Students For Life of America to learn and practice pro-life apologetics and keep up to date on pro-life news.
The trip is inspiring, but abortion isn’t an easy topic. By the end, exhaustion seizes hold of us, and as D.C. braces for the incoming winter storm, we reflect on the past few days: on the speeches and conversations we’ll take back with us.
“For me, the hardest moments of the trip were the most impactful,” Rolsma said. “Hearing the stories of former abortion workers filled me with sorrow and horror. Although I will forget the statistics I heard and the speeches by people of importance, I will remember those women’s stories and the conviction they showed to end abortion.”
Back home, Life 139 serves in the Jackson community at Birth Choice and local churches and organizations like YoungLives, doing everything from yard work to childcare to helping with fundraisers. Though most of Life 139’s impact is local, the March for Life is a reminder that we are a part of a national movement, that we are not alone in our fight.
“The trip is worth every moment of our time and each cent,” Rubado said. “Because it reminds us that the fight is not over.”
