The End of Abortion as We Know It?

Depending on how closely you follow the news or how tight you are to my text and Facebook blasts, you may have heard that Justice Anthony Kennedy of the Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS) is retiring. Kennedy who has been described as a bi-partisan pivot, is vacating a spot that will likely give the right a majority. This is a BIG deal. So big, in fact that, that many liberals are FREAKING OUT.

Exhibit A- The Executive Director of Entertainment Weekly:

Don’t we all deserve friends like her? <brb vomiting>

Exhibit B- Salon writer MaryElizabeth Williams:

Let’s all go take a sec to thank our moms…then take another to thank God that this woman is not your mom!

Need I go on?

Anyway, this is clearly very great news for the Pro-Life Movement! On Monday, July 9, President Trump will be announcing his pick to replace Justice Kennedy. According to the Chicago Tribune, he has it narrowed down to three finalists; federal judges Brett Kavanaugh, Raymond Kethledge and Amy Coney Barrett. Once the President announces his nominee, the judiciary committee of the U. S. Senate will hear the nominee testify and answer questions from the American Bar Association and a unanimous decision will push the candidate on to a vote from the full Senate.

Various left-leaning civil rights groups are pushing Senate Democrats to hold off the vote until after November elections as all three branches of the United States government are currently in the red. These groups are undoubtedly hoping that Democrats will take over a majority in the Senate after the 2018 elections, a feat that could lead to a long, drawn out process for replacing Justice Kennedy.

This is why it is SO important for all pro-life members of the Senate to vote for Trump’s nominee early on. WE HAVE THE POTENTIAL TO STRIKE DOWN ROE v WADE ONCE AND FOR ALL. This is, perhaps, the closest we’ve come to revoking this faulty law since it’s creation in 1973. 45 years of killing babies could come to an end now. Let’s put this disgusting era of American history behind us and move forward with the memory of and compassion for the horrible effects this mistake has left on the men, women, and children of our generations. It is with this memory and compassion that we will not allow such a mistake to re-occur in our great nation.

While all of this commotion and partisan rallying certainly has me excited to live in an America without legal abortion, it is worth noting that Justice Kennedy’s retirement does in fact mark the end of an era on the SCOTUS. The past few decades, and particularly the past few years, have shown our nation developing more and more bi-partisan hate. This is the very reason that I am registered as an independent voter.

Our Founding Fathers did not create America as the land of the Democrats and Republicans, or Liberals and Conservatives. It was to be America the land of the free and home of the brave. We are supposed to be free thinkers who are brave in the face of controversy and not afraid to stand up for what we believe in. Somehow, we’ve let this great nation slip toward more of an “us versus them” mindset in which we constantly tear each other down and threaten those who cross partisan lines.

In his Farewell Address, George Washington warned against political parties stating that, “And sooner or later the chief of some prevailing faction, more able or more fortunate than his competitors, turns this disposition to the purposes of his own elevation, on the ruins of public liberty.” What a wise man we had looking forward and predicting the path of his peer’s actions for over 200 years!

I’m not saying that it’s wrong to align with one “side” on most or all issues. I’m saying it’s wrong to have “sides” at all! Is it true that many times people believe mostly conservative or mostly liberal ideas? Yes, that makes complete sense. BUT it’s also true that there are many people, such as Justice Kennedy, who fall somewhere in the middle. That’s a HUGE part of what makes America so great…ya know, the whole freedom thing!

Friends, it has never been more important to think for yourself and form your own opinions! I urge you not to pick a party and blindly go along with everything they say. Take in every matter on an issue by issue basis and form your own opinion on each topic. It’s okay if you align mostly with Republicans, or mostly with Democrats, but make sure that you aren’t a puppet that is being controlled by that alignment. Think for yourself and vote based off of the issues that you deem most important. (I don’t necessarily recommend single issue voting, unless it has to do with the modern day genocide of the most vulnerable among us being watered down into a debate over “women’s choice.” I’ll single-issue vote the hell out of that one, and it’s my right as an American to do so!) So basically, I only recommend single issue voting when a major right is being infringed upon…like LIFE. #nbd #jk #itsaverybigdeal

It is going to take a serious culture change to end the level of partisanship that we have come to accept in America. Therefore, there is a lot riding on who takes Justice Kennedy’s place. My top pick, Amy Coney Barrett, has been quoted saying, “If you’re asking whether I take my faith seriously and I’m a faithful Catholic, I am, although I would stress that my personal church affiliation or my religious belief would not bear on the discharge of my duties as a judge.” BECAUSE THAT’S HOW AMERICA IS SUPPOSED TO BE! Judges are supposed to interpret the Constitution and not let factors from their personal lives influence those decisions, and that is what Amy Coney Barret says she’s going to do.

We all have the right to believe whatever we want to and worship in whatever ways we want to, but that shouldn’t compromise our ability to participate in government. But it would be very badass to have a pro-life female on the SCOTUS. #amiright?

I hope that what I’m saying isn’t getting drown out by my default sarcasm and natural tendency toward common sense. This is the main point: Don’t let politicians, family members, media sources, random pro-life girls on the internet, or ANYONE else tell you what to think. God gave you a brain and a conscience for a reason and you should use it to form your opinions on what is the correct way to handle our government. That’s the great thing about America, you get a voice (in the form of a vote) to help determine how our country runs and is governed. So please use it!

Before this turns into a rant about our abysmal voter turn out, I am going to conclude with a few thoughts:

• Abortion is the unrighteous killing of a human being in the fetal stage of development and labeling it “women’s choice” is a cop out intended to take consequences away from a serious situation.
• Abortion hurts not only the child, but also the mother and father in the situation. Research proves that the effects of an abortion are long lasting and negative. Suicide rates of post abortive women are higher than all women or women who have previously given birth or had miscarriages.
• If your conscience is telling you that abortion is okay, I urge you to dig deeper and analyze the sources that are making you feel that way.
• Read, watch, listen to, and decipher as many opinions and media pieces as you can and form your own opinions on issues. Just don’t infringe on the unalienable rights of other human beings, ahem: LIFE, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.
• You have a voice and right to use it. Not doing so is a disservice to your country and voids the weight of your complaints about how things are getting done.
• Amy Coney Barrett, a pro-life mother of seven, would make an excellent addition to the SCOTUS. [personal opinion]
• Be nice. I don’t care what “side” you’re on for any issue, don’t be mean. Just don’t.

 

 

-Lindsay

Many Good Reasons for the Fetal Heartbeat Law

Some of you may have seen a recent post in the MSU Exponent titled “No Good Reason for the Fetal Heartbeat Law” by staff opinion writer, Tahnie Johnson. It was published in the November 9th (2017) issue of the Exponent and those who missed it can read it here.

Our president, Lindsay Langhals, wrote a response in the form of a letter to the editor and although we are unsure of whether or not this letter will be published, we wanted to post it here. Lindsay’s letter is as follows:

“When Johnson mentions the term “a woman’s right to abortion,” I am forced to ask myself about this woman’s child and his/her right to life. Johnson and other abortion advocates would likely argue that an unborn child is not a human, as a quote in her article refers to a fetus as a “yolk sac.” What those that make this point are failing to consider, however, is that at the moment of conception a human sperm cell joins a human egg cell to form an individual human being with a completely unique DNA. This is a human that only needs proper nutrition and the right environment to grow and thrive, just like the rest of us. Fetus is simply a stage of development, such as infant or toddler.

Johnson also mentions rape in her article and while it brings up quite the predicament, killing an innocent child in no way erases the actions of the offender. Abortion has actually been linked as the cause of many negative effects on women, such as decreased fertility and an increased risk of suicide. So a woman who seeks an abortion to end a pregnancy that was the result of rape likely does more harm to an already bad situation. It is also important to consider that rape is the reason for less than one percent of all abortions and as such should not be the primary basis for a law.

Johnson then goes on to discuss how abortions are most often performed on college-aged women and that being a student and a parent is daunting and difficult. While this is undoubtedly true, is terminating a pregnancy really the best alternative? Adoption is a viable option and various organizations are also actively working to make college campuses more accommodating to pregnant and parenting students nationwide. [Ahem, us with our endowment goal] Perhaps instead of creating an environment in which those that face unplanned pregnancy feel that abortion is in their best interest, we should work together to empower these students.

A final point about Johnson’s article is that when she mentions that the Fetal Heartbeat Law would take away a woman’s right to choose what happens to her body and life, she’s failing to consider the children that are not getting that right because of abortion. She concludes by claiming that a ban on abortions would cause more unsafe procedures to take place, however, the number of abortions that occurred in the United States skyrocketed after abortion was legalized in 1970, according to the CDC, suggesting that the law would help to deter women from this procedure. Rather than worrying about making abortion illegal, though, I suggest that we all work together to make this objectionable procedure unthinkable. Let us stand together to support pregnant and parenting students, and men and women, to promote and protect the value of human rights.

What do you pro-lifers at MSU even do?

So you’ve finally caught onto the buzz about Students for Life at MSU….FANTASTIC! You probably know that we are a pro-life, student organization at Montana State University, but what exactly is it that we do? Have I got a list for you!

Currently, our biggest project is the endowment goal we are working toward. What is this, you may ask. Well, here is a blog post that explains it in pretty good detail… and a video, but essentially, it is an ambitious fundraising goal that will result in an endowed scholarship for pregnant and parenting students at MSU. The purpose for initiating an endowment is that it creates a fund that gets invested and earns interest. This interest gives the scholarship the ability to replenish and never dwindle away…soooo…

Why a scholarship? Well, our research shows that the top three factors that impact a parenting student’s ability to finish school are

1. Affordable, quality childcare

2. Money (for tuition, books, fees, etc.)

3. Emotional support

While all three of these factors are very important, we have decided to focus on money for a few reasons. One is that there is quality childcare and emotional support already pretty available for parenting students on our campus. You can read about these resources such as our campus daycare and the services offered by Zoe Care and St. Catherine’s on our page of the Pregnant On Campus website, hosted by Students for Life of America.

Another reason we have decided to focus on money is that providing a scholarship to be applied toward tuition and fees frees up some of these student’s personal money to be put toward funding childcare and emotional support. While our club members are ALWAYS open and ready to be there for pregnant and parenting students to lean on, we recognize that sometimes professional counseling is much more appropriate for the struggling student and we hope that by eliminating some of the financial pressure of college, the student will have more resources to put toward their mental and emotional health.

Here is a look into the lives of those we are trying to help. And you can donate to this endowment fund here by entering “Parenting Student Endowment” or “93313” into the “Other” box.

The other large project we have undertaken is to host the Bozeman March for Life every year. This is about a two-hour event held in front of the courthouse in downtown Bozeman every January. It is always either the Saturday before or the Saturday after the National March for Life in Washington D.C., which is held on the anniversary of Roe vs. Wade every January 22nd.

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The Bozeman March for Life is a great opportunity for Montanans that cannot make it to D.C. or the Walk for Life (also held in January) in San Francisco to stand up for the rights of the unborn and voice their dismay at the injustice that is legalized abortion. The event typically starts with a welcome from our club president and a prayer from the Bozeman Knights of Columbus. Then, we have a few key speakers lined up to take the mic. After hearing from local pro-life activists, as well as some brave souls willing to share their abortion or adoption stories, we begin a peaceful procession down Main Street and end back at the courthouse with a group photo like the one below.

Bozeman March for Life 2016

What else does Students for Life at MSU do? That depends mostly on what each year’s members hope to accomplish. One popular event is what we call The Clothesline Project for Babies. It involves stringing a clothesline between trees on campus and hanging up baby onesies with stats about adoption, parenting students, and abortion.

Another fun and effective event we enjoy is pro-life chalking. This involves getting a group to meet up (usually after dark) and using side walk chalk to write pro-life messages all over campus. This is one of my favorites because you often hear people talking about it the next day and see many people looking down reading your messages as they walk. It’s usually a great conversation starter or at the very least, it seems to get people thinking!

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Beyond these common events, we also host tables, where we make ourselves available to talk to students as they pass by. We usually have a specific purpose for our tabling events such as promoting a pregnancy center, informing people about our club, or having a display such as Cemetery of the Innocents. We’ve also attended trainings to improve our leadership and apologetics skills, helped judge the Gallatin Valley Right to Life’s essay and oratory contests, supported local organizations like Zoe Care, St. Catherine’s, and Love Inc., made and sold MANY pancakes for fundraisers, and so much more!

Cemetery of the Innocents 2016

Here is Jacob at our Catapalooza table before the 2016-17 school year.

Jonathan, Jacob, and I attended a training hosted by SFLA at Seattle University in April of 2016.

From left is Shai, Jonathan, Jenny, & Rosana judging the GVRTL Oratory Contest

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All the pancake breakfasts!

So hopefully now you have a better idea of what we do and how you could be of assistance to our club. We are always looking for new members at MSU and also have a great appreciation for any community members that offer up their help and talents! Visit our contact page to let us know how you’re interested in helping out!

The More You Know: What are a father’s rights when it comes to abortion?

 

One of the biggest criticisms of the Pro-Life Movement in America today is that we are pro-birth and not actually pro-life. Like most ideas that involve #LiberalLogic, this doesn’t make much sense to me. I am the president of a club that’s working ridiculously hard to raise the money for a scholarship that will make a lasting impact on young parents and their ability to get a degree while parenting their children. WE ARE HELPING PEOPLE TO DO BOTH, HAVE BOTH, AND BE BOTH. No “choices” necessary. This project is going to help students stay in school, be incredible parents, and avoid the stress and heartache of feeling like they have to make one of the hardest decisions of their lives. Bonus points for no post-abortive depression!

That’s not all, I know of multiple other groups doing similar projects and working tirelessly to make sure that moms and dads experiencing unexpected pregnancies not only know their rights, but also have all the resources they need to take on life’s greatest adventure: parenthood. They’re encouraging people to do this while still excelling in other aspects of their lives (careers, education, hobbies, etc.). Tell me again how that’s only being pro-birth? I’d actually call it pro-not-having-to-make-a-hard-sucky-life-altering-decision. Which, ya know, is pretty neat. And stuff.

Wanting to do anything other than empower these men and women (cough cough promoting abortion as the only option) is SO not pro-choice. Well, it is, but only by our society’s ridiculous standards. Why wouldn’t you want to empower your peers to have it all? Why shoot them down and tell them they can’t handle something instead of showing them all of the reasons that they can? Wasn’t the “Women’s March on Washington” <insert eye roll here> all about empowering women? And instead you people are trying to convince them that they can’t be a student and a mother? Be a successful career woman and mother? Puhh-lease.

So, long story short, activists on both sides of the issue should be supporting these women. However, this post isn’t really about women. It’s about men.

Though often overlooked in these situations, men play a pretty big role in the whole unexpected pregnancy thing. So big of a role, in fact, that pregnancy can’t exactly happen without them…but that’s all I have to say about that.

What I do want to talk about is the rights that men have when these circumstances arise. Did you know that men don’t really have any say at all when it comes to the life of their unborn children? Most people don’t, but in 1976 the Supreme Court ruled that because “a husband’s refusal to consent would in effect veto a woman’s choice to terminate a pregnancy,” the woman’s opinion prevails. Case closed. (Source)

I can understand the logic that if two people disagree on a matter, the opinion of the person more closely affected by issue should carry a little more weight. HOWEVER, that’s not even close to all that there is to consider here. Whether or not to have an abortion is not just a matter of two people disagreeing about what to do. There’s a third person involved; a third person that deserves the chance to live.

If you’ve read much from this blog, you know how I feel about a baby’s right to life, and again, this post is about the men involved so let’s circle around to reason number two that these laws are senseless and unjustifiable: the damage this woman’s decision can have on the man. It’s undoubtedly a stereotype in our culture that the man is typically the one that wants the woman to “take care of it,” and there are plenty of dads out there that don’t really want to be dads, but I personally know plenty of stand-up guys that would GLADLY keep and parent their children, whether or not the mother wanted to be in the picture. They are respectable, responsible, hard working men that recognize the value of their unborn child’s life and would do anything in their power to provide for said child. So why aren’t we letting them do that? WHY, WHY, WHY are we standing in the way of men that are trying to do the right thing?!?!?!?!

Proponents for these laws are surely screaming at me that I must not care about the woman’s part in all of this but I assure you that I most certainly do. I am a 21-year-old woman that desperately wants to be a mom to a whole handful of kids SOMEDAY. However, I am in no way, shape, or form ready for children of my own any time soon and I honestly don’t ever see myself wanting to be pregnant or give birth (I wanna adopt ALL the babies). I know a lot of girls around my age that look forward to it, and yes, I know I am quite often the exception to the rule. Having biological children does not look like any fun to me whatsoever. So, yes, I get not wanting to go through with it.

Trust me when I tell ya: I get that the woman’s body undergoes drastic changes, I get that nine months of not feeling great and getting bigger by the day isn’t much fun, and I totally get that the postpartum effects when you get to keep your child are difficult (much less when you never get to see your child again). I can’t imagine having to give up a baby that I carried to term and gave birth to. But I also can’t imagine making a decision that would end a human life, no matter how vulnerable or small that human happens to be. Is that what we should do every time someone is weak or defenseless? Kill them? Hard nope. And ESPECIALLY when there is a good man ready to take on the responsibility of raising that human life!

The laws that take any and all say away from fathers don’t even make any sense. The rationale is that it’s better for the mother but do we really believe that? What about the negative effects abortion has on women? There are plenty of physical AND emotional impacts left on post-abortive women. See here, here, and here. Just to name a few…

So let’s get this straight, we need to take away a father’s right to parent his child because the mother does not want said child. Even if the father agrees to take full responsibility of the child, we can and should still take away his ability to do so because of the effects it will have on the mother. In allowing this woman to go through with an abortion, we are subjecting her to a process that not only has comparably bad effects on her physical and emotional health, but also devastates the father, AND KILLS AN INNOCENT HUMAN LIFE. It makes sense if ya don’t think about it. Truly.

Honestly ladies, so many of y’all sit around and complain that men today don’t care enough about their futures and aren’t family-oriented enough, so why are we penalizing the men who are? I will be the first to defend you if you’re facing an unexpected pregnancy and he’s not on board. I will fight for your right to carry that baby to term and parent, or put it up for adoption. I will do everything in my power to eliminate any pressure he might be placing on you to terminate the pregnancy. So why wouldn’t I do the same for him? Don’t tell me it’s because having a baby is hard on you emotionally or physically, because ABORTION. IS. TOO. It’s not a quick fix. It’s not a good solution, or a safe option. It’s detrimental to the health of every single person involved, especially the baby.

I hate that this is even a conversation that needs to be had. Abortion should not even be an option because, not only is it dangerous, it’s unjustifiable, AND it’s killing, which, according to my understanding, is illegal in the U.S. of A. However, until we can get rid of the ridiculous precedents set forth in Roe v. Wade and Doe v. Bolton, this is a conversation that we NEED to have because we are ruining the lives of so many men by not having it. The laws that are supposed to be there to protect our citizens are actually damaging to them and I am so not okay with that. Our men deserve the right  and the opportunity to step forward and do the right thing. It’s a crying shame that our government wants to stand in the way of that, and accepting it is only contributing to the problem. If women were forced to have abortions because the man didn’t want the child, both sides would be screaming about it. How’s that for a double standard?

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Here’s my dad, being a dad, because he was allowed to be a dad…

 

XOXOXO Lindsay

Club Member Spotlight: Jake Winkler

Jake Winkler is our last (but certainly not least) club member spotlight star! I can NOT put into words how awesome it is to have such a level-headed, hard working, pro-lifer on our team! I met Jake during my first semester as president. This was his freshman year, when he became super involved with our club from the get-go.

Jake is a great guy to have around. He always shows up ready to work with the knowledge and know-how to get a job done and whenever I need a tool or rope or something, Jake is always someone I can count on!

Here he is helping me set up our clothesline display!

When asked why he’s pro-life Jake will point to his religious beliefs, as he was raised Catholic and an alumni of Gonzaga Prep. However, if you really get him talking he will tell you that his pro-life views also stem from moral and philosophical convictions. He told me, “I believe that the embryo is a human fundamentally and human from conception to natural death, therefore he/she is entitled to the same basic rights as any other human being outside the womb.”

One of the interview questions I asked all of our club members as I was preparing to spotlight them on the blog was what was the best thing they’ve taken away from their involvement in SFL. Jake’s answer might just be my all time favorite. He said, “A sense of confidence in being pro-life. Students for Life has instilled in me an ability to state that I am pro life honestly, unapologetically, forthright, and without doubt, hesitation, or mediocrity. I would be hard pressed to find another organization where such qualities are fostered.” I’m so happy that this is the confidence and atmosphere we’re giving our members! One happy president right here!

Jake says that he’d encourage other people to be involved with the club because it presents opportunities to impact people and leave a pro-life impression with them, as well as to interact with other like-minded students who are also passionately pro-life!

Another question I asked Jake was how he intended to stay involved in the pro-life movement after college. This was when he presented another answer that made me smile from ear to ear. He said, “I see myself helping counsel people who find themselves in a surprise pregnancy, providing support for those in need, and by voting. My conscience tends to lean towards one on one service. I plan to continue living out my beliefs in my actions, decisions, and thinking.” How lucky are we to have him on our team?

Beyond just being a pro-life, hard working, mechanical engineer-to-be, Jake is interested welding and woodworking and really just wants a job where he can blow things up. Haha! Anyway, a random fact about him is that he loves construction, as he grew up doing it with his family’s business and also really loves the outdoors, especially snowmobiling. Asking Jake about his favorite SFL activity gave the following answer, “I’m torn between the March for Life and the clothesline project. The March really lets us be involved with the public, but the clothes line project sends a very powerful message. If I had to choose, I’d go with the clothesline. I helped a lot with the project, so I might be a bit biased.”

In closing, I just really want to thank Jake for all of the times he’s sacrificed time and obligations or jumped at the last minute opportunity to lend a helping hand. He’s a great guy and an awesome asset to our team and we are very blessed to have him around! Jake is going into his junior year, meaning that he will hopefully be involved in our club for at least two more years, so if you see him around be sure to give him a smile, handshake, and big thank-you for all he’s done to help foster a culture of life on our campus! Thanks Jake!

 

Club Member Spotlight: Jonathan Dupea

It’s only appropriate that Jonathan Dupea is our next Club Member Spotlight Star, as yesterday was his birthday! Happy belated birthday from all of us, Jonathan!

What a year this guy has had! Not only did he get engaged last summer, he also added a second major to start out his senior year, got married over Christmas break, and graduated with a mechanical engineering degree in May! Congratulations!

Jonathan and his wife, Elisabeth

On top of all of those other major life events, Jonathan continued to be the treasurer of our club and help out with the events we planned. Having him and his wife, Elisabeth, helping at our pancake brunch was awesome! It speaks volumes to the type of people these newly weds are when they gave up a chunk of their Sunday morning to help us out when he was about to graduate and she hadn’t even attended MSU. Their dedication to the Pro-Life Movement is incredible and I am genuinely so thankful to have these guys around!

Jonathan first heard about the club at an involvement fair on campus and was involved for all four of the years he attended MSU! We’ve been so lucky to have such a committed contributor! Jonathan is pro-life because he believes that it is the “logical position in take in light of [his] beliefs on morality, ethics, theology, anthropology, and science” and he says that the best thing he’s taken away from his involvement in our club was becoming more active in The Movement and meeting other people that care about protecting the lives of the innocent. Now that he’s graduated, Jonathan plans to stay involved in the Pro-Life Movement by participating in fundraisers and supporting pro-life legislation.

Some fun facts about Jonathan are that his favorite hobby is to tinker with stuff in the garage, he has been sky diving and loved it, and his favorite activity with Students for Life was the Bozeman March for Life.

I cannot fully express how essential it has been to have this incredible, pro-life supporter in our club. Jonathan is very intelligent and was always a great person to bounce ideas off of. He kept us grounded in practicality and made sure we were using our resources efficiently and adequately. I was especially grateful for his unique balance of sensibility and optimism when we were examining scholarship options and decided to pursue or endowment project! I am so thankful for his service to our club and am excited to see where his newest life adventures will lead him. Thank you for your patience, dedication, and determination, Jonathan!

Club Member Spotlight: Jenny Sinrud

Congratulations to past president, Jenny Sinrud, for being selected as our second ever Club Member Spotlight Star! And a star is exactly what she is, folks! Jenny is one of the strongest, most caring, and kind-hearted women I have ever met.

In May, Jenny graduated from MSU with a Bachelor’s of Science in Food and Nutrition. Less than a week after she, and her fiancé Derek, graduated, they got married at Resurrection church, near campus. That’s right, not only did Jenny spend her senior year of college studying hard and planing a wedding, she also worked and helped out with Students for Life. Like I said, she’s a STAR!

Before handing over the reins in Fall 2015, Jenny was the president of SFL for the 2014-15 school year. During her time as president, Jenny learned a lot about herself and the Pro-Life Movement. She heard about the club her freshman year, when she was asked to help make signs for the 2015 Bozeman March for Life. By that fall, she was president of the club and planned the 2016 march. During the year that Jenny was president, our club held a diaper drive where we accepted donations of supplies that would be useful to new moms and dads and then gave them to Zoe Care, the local pregnancy resource center.

Students for Life at MSU also completed the Pregnant on Campus Initiative under Jenny’s leadership. The Pregnant on Campus Initiative involved completing a long survey, provided by Students for life of America, that was then translated into a useful, online guide listing all of the resources our school has for pregnant and parenting students. These resources include things like family housing, diaper changing station locations, scholarships for pregnant and parenting students, and more. Thanks to Jenny’s direction and example, pregnant and parenting students can now go to pregnantoncampus.studentsforlife.org and click on the state of Montana and then MSU to find all of these resources in one handy guide!

As if that weren’t enough, Jenny also jumped through the institutional hoops to organize a free showing of October Baby on campus. Jenny also kept club members engaged with fun events like a game and pizza night. I think her accomplishments speak for themselves, but if you’re not convinced that she’s a complete pro-life rockstar, let me tell you about her baby saving background and reasoning for being pro-life…

Jenny’s grandmother was the Assistant Director of Birthright in Rapid City, South Dakota, while she was growing up. Jenny remembers going with her mother to visit her grandmother and seeing the fetal models that represented the actual sizes of babies at different stages of their mother’s pregnancies. Jenny says she loved to think about the little babies growing inside the mothers she saw enter the clinic. Now, as a recently married woman and college graduate, Jenny’s dream job is to be a mom. Let me tell ya, I’m pretty darn excited to spoil those little ones!

Jenny and her husband, Derek, on their wedding day

 

A big part of Jenny’s passion for The Movement stems from her memories of listening to her grandma talk about the families and individuals that she helped at the clinic. Jenny’s grandma explained the importance of meeting these people where they were at, ensuring that they had the support they needed to prioritize the lives of their children while also balancing their goals and responsibilities to achieve success for themselves and their new families. It is important to Jenny that people dealing with unplanned pregnancies know that their goals and dreams are important and that is why she supports the SFL@MSU Endowment Project.

When asked what was the best thing she has taken away from her involvement in SFL, Jenny emphasized that she learned how difficult it could be to do the right thing. She said that even though sometimes it was hard and discouraging to fight for life, this was a fight that would always be worth it. Can I get an AMEN!? It’s not easy to fight the good fight, but the fight for life is the good fight regardless. Standing for life can be UNCOMFORTABLE but it is oh so worth it, and Jenny saw that from a young age!

Jenny and her grandmother that worked at Birthright

If I were to make a list of the top 10 women I hope my future daughters look up to, Jenny Sinrud would easily be on it. She is one of the most gentle, passionate, faithful women I’ve ever met and that, my friends is worth celebrating. I wish that I could remember the moment I met this amazing woman. It was some time during my freshman year at MSU. We ran in the same circles with SFL and women’s group at Resurrection, but I can’t remember exactly how we became friends. Those of you that know Jenny know that it doesn’t take very long after meeting her to see her kind heart and want to spend more time getting to know her and be around her, so it’s not surprising that I can’t remember a certain moment because it was probably all of the moments I spent with Jenny that made me want to be her friend. Those of you who don’t know Jenny can probably tell by now that I could go on for days about how wonderful she is, but I’ll just leave this post with a direct quote from Jenny.

When asked what reasons Jenny would give a prospective club member for why they should be involved in SFL, Jenny said, “It is extremely rewarding and important. Being in SFL helped me stay true to myself and my faith a lot during my college years. It was uncomfortable at times, but when you are pushed out of your comfort zone, amazing things happen. I really see the future of SFL being so wonderful and you have the power to help students on our campus who are experiencing an unplanned pregnancy. Even if you don’t have time to dedicate to weekly meetings or events, because college gets really busy, you can always pray for the group and students at MSU, and you can ALWAYS encourage someone!”

Derek, you are ONE LUCKY MAN, and we are one lucky club to not only have had one year of Jenny’s leadership and three and a half years of her involvement, we have a lifetime of support from this prayer warrior. Now THAT is what I’m talkin’ about!

In conclusion, I’d like to personally extend a HUGE thank you to Jenny for her years of dedication and support for the Pro-Life Movement and her continued prayers as she moves in to the next chapter of her life. We love you Jenny and please never forget the impact you’ve made and continue to make on our campus and in our hearts! Congratulations on your new adventures and on being our second Club Member Spotlight Star!

For Life,

Lindsay

I love you, but I don’t want you to be comfortable.

It’s a beautiful Saturday morning. I’m sipping coffee and soaking up the sunshine, reflecting on my past week, the third at my new job. A month ago I finished my junior year of college. I’m a business major and have an awesome internship with a great company in a place that I can only describe as paradise.

I’m living in the heart of the gorgeous Flathead Valley in Northwest Montana and spending my free time hiking, kayaking, and playing with the horses that live on the farm where I’m staying. I currently have more opportunities for things I love to do in my day-to-day life than I ever could have fantasized about.

It’s funny to think about my younger self. I was a dreamer, that’s for sure. I’ve always loved animals, especially horses, and admired adventures like hiking and kayaking, which in my mind were to be reserved for only the best of vacations. I was going to enjoy my time in college and go on adventures (I’ve always been really fascinated by the west), then become a vet (this was before I started going weak in the knees around needles), settle down, and build a beautiful house next door to my daddy in the little village of Columbus Grove, Ohio, where my father, and his father, and even his father too, raised their families and lived the majority of their lives. I was going to be comfortable and happy.

So basically, right now I’m living my dream. Heck, I’m living a life that’s better than any dream! I’m being presented with opportunities to live out my ideal vacation on the daily, and life is so good! I’m living in a photographer’s heaven (which those of you who know me well, know that I officially have all I’ve ever wanted), meeting new people regularly, and relishing in the independence that comes with being a single, twenty-something, young woman. I’m LOVING my life!

The view from my driveway, my new kayak, and a post-hike selfie.

Something that strikes me daily in this new life I’ve found is how easy it would be to get too comfortable. Comfort is a strange thing. It’s something that I think everybody wants, and nobody really needs. Last week, I was assigned to interview all of the interns at my new job and write a feature article on each of them for the interior webpage I’m designing. When I asked one gal the best piece of advice she’s ever been given, she answered, “My basketball coach always told us, ‘You should be happy but you should never be comfortable.'”

“Woah, hold the phone,” I thought. I just spent the last five months of my life struggling through a tough semester of school and other life issues and now it’s summer and I’ve got a lot going for me but I shouldn’t be comfortable? Yeah, right! I’m taking this chance to relax, re-charge, and prepare to hit the ground running for my last semester of school. I’m soaking up all of the comfort I can find, and then some!

Then it hit me. How am I ever going to get better? How will I improve my weaknesses, develop my strengths, and grow myself as an individual if I stay within my comfort zone? How will I reach my goals? What about surpassing them and setting more?

Comfort, like anything else, is great in moderation. Hell yeah, you are entitled to a Saturday morning sipping coffee on the deck. Go ahead and take a day off work when the opportunity arises, you’ve earned it! But don’t let comfort become a way of life.

Friends, we live in a world where 125,000 babies are killed by abortion every day. That’s disgusting. Do you really want to be comfortable when we’ve lost over 132,000 babies to this tragedy just in America since January 1st? Millennials, there are 92 million of us in America, and 61 million of our Gen X parents and friends. Since Roe vs. Wade, we’ve lost 59 and a half million others from these generations due to one common cause alone. Think about these numbers for a moment. America currently has 153 million citizens from these two, prominent generations. We are the ones working most of the jobs, building most of the infrastructure, and getting shit done. We are the population aged 20-52 and because of that, we are at the appropriate ages for taking responsibility for the decisions and policies of our country and the well-being of our nation and, in a sense, our world.

Think for a moment about those almost 60 million other individuals we’ve left behind. Those that slipped through the cracks and didn’t get the chance to contribute to our society, to live their dreams, or even to have dreams at all. THAT’S ALMOST 40% OF OUR PEERS. It’s just below the number of people in an entire generation in America (Gen Xers). Two out of every five have been left, forgotten, and ignored, all because we didn’t do enough. We didn’t stand tall enough, shout loud enough, or fight hard enough to protect them from the America that we’ve settled for. We didn’t try hard enough to ensure that scared, uncertain women knew what their REAL options were, or to protect the dignity of human life in its most vulnerable form.

We may not have been at voting age, or even alive, when these laws were put in place, but we sure as hell are old enough to do something about it now. Why are we comfortable with this? Why have we let this genocide become a part of our culture? We are living our day to day lives comfortable with the fact that sex and drugs are a predominant part of our society, and as such, come with “quick fixes” when things don’t pan out. Some of us are taking solace in being “pro-life” or “anti-abortion” because we aren’t the ones choosing to have the abortions. We hold back, bite our tongues, and hesitate when opportunities arise to start a conversation, all because we “don’t want to force our views,” or “can’t relate to their situation.”

Being against abortion is not a matter of a “religious view” or being able to “relate.” I’m not pro-life because I’m a Christian, or because I’ve never been pregnant or raped. This is a matter of human rights. Up until the 1860s, enslaving humans because they were black was accepted, until someone did something about it. In the early 1900s, not giving women equal rights was accepted, until someone did something about it. In the 1940s, holding people of Asian descent in internment camps was acceptable, until someone did something about it. IT IS 2017 AND THE UNBORN STILL DON’T HAVE EQUAL RIGHTS, and they won’t until the someones of today do something about it.

Ask just about any Joe Blow off the street and they’ll tell you that the Holocaust was wrong. They’ll say that it was genocide and Hitler had no right to go around killing people for his own perceived benefit. So why does any other human being EVER have the right to kill another human being? Why are we accepting today’s genocide? 1,200 babies have already been aborted in the US today, and it’s not even noon. What are we doing? Why are we comfortable with this?

Now, I encourage you to stretch your brain. Think back to that day in elementary school when you were tasked with writing about someone whom you admire. What were common names that came up when you participated in this exercise with your class? Abraham Lincoln? Likely. Martin Luther King Junior? Probably. Susan B. Anthony? Potentially. Now, what do these people have in common? I can tell you with 100% certainty that the answer to that question is NOT that they were in the right place at the right time. They saw an injustice, happening near them daily, and decided that it made them UNCOMFORTABLE. They decided to stand taller, shout louder, and fight harder until the injustice was over (or in some cases, they died trying).

What is it going to take for you to be someone’s “who I admire most”? Don’t waste any more time sitting around waiting for the opportunity to do something. Find the opportunity. Do the right thing. Fight the good fight.

“Injustice exists because men either abuse the weak or fail to defend the weak.”

-Tony Merida

Friends, let’s stop abusing the weak. Let’s stop failing to defend the innocent. Let’s get uncomfortable with the genocide that our generations are accepting every single day, and let’s stand together and decide that America and our world deserve better than what we have. Women deserve better than abortion. Men deserve better than abortion. Children deserve better than abortion. This world deserves better than abortion. REAL options exist.

What if the person your child was going to write about for who they admire on that day in elementary school was aborted? What if the person that was going to cure cancer was aborted? What if our next military hero, president of the United States, or inventor of the latest and greatest technology was aborted? What could America be with those other 60 million people? What could the world be with the billions we’ve lost to abortion?

In a culture that seems to want to do nothing but complain about climate change, politics, and “first world problems,” we sure aren’t doing much to become uncomfortable. There are currently a million issues to become passionate about, and I have immense respect for anyone who does anything to stand up for what they believe in. But how can any of those things matter more than the billions of lives that should be standing next to us, helping fight for a better world? When we band together and abolish abortion, once and for all, then let’s take a day’s rest, and come back to fight the next injustice of our time.

Until then, however, I challenge you to become uncomfortable. When something isn’t right, speak up. When someone needs love, love them. When you feel needed, give your assistance. This is my public pledge to make my summer in paradise the hardest, most challenging, most growth-filled three months I’ve ever experienced, and then continue that pledge of discomfort throughout wherever life should take me. Who’s with me?

For life,

Lindsay

Note from the author: Thanks for reading and for pledging away your comfort! To find ways you can help within the pro-life movement, reach out to Students for Life at MSU or show young parents they have options by supporting our endowment project. Enter “Parenting Student Endowment” or “93313” into the “Other” box to support our endowment!

Club Member Spotlight: Jacob Burgo

CONGRATULATIONS to our FIRST EVER Club Member Spotlight Star (CMSS), Jacob Burgo! I can’t think of a more deserving individual! If there is one person that I can always count on to help me with any club-related matter, it’s Jacob!

Jacob just completed his second year studying Paleontology at MSU. He transferred to Bozeman in 2015 and has been involved with Students for Life ever since.

Jacob won the honor of being our very first CMSS by showing up to every single meeting this past school year and always being generous with his time. He is reliable and dedicated and I feel so blessed to have him on board!

When asked why he is pro-life, Jacob responded with the following:

“I’m pro-life for a lot of reasons. In part, it’s simply because I was raised that way. Being Catholic is another major reason, because the Church teaches that all life has value and abortion is an objective moral evil. In part, it’s because I’m a scientist, which makes it clear that human life begins at conception. The “capstone” reason, the one that ties all these together, is compassion for the most vulnerable people of all. Knowing right from wrong and fact from fiction is important, but to act on that knowledge requires that you care enough to put in effort to help others, even when it means taking fire from your peers.”

And when we had SFLA’s Cycle of Corruption Tour on our campus, taking fire from peers is EXACTLY what Jacob did! Needless to say, when a group of conservatives stand out on a college campus with a display that proves the corrupted cycle between Planned Parenthood and the Democratic Party, “fire” is a bit of an understatement.

I had a pretty open schedule that day, but there was a small span where I had to go turn in an assignment. When I left, Jacob, our regional coordinator, Katie, and I had just finished setting up the display and were getting the awkward eye contact avoidance we usually do from this type of campaign. When I came back, only 20 minutes later, you would have thought that Cecile Richards and Mike Pence themselves were out there having a debate. There was so much shouting and more and more people were gathering around by the minute! I panicked. Usually, we can expect 3-5 harsh conversations from a display day, but this. was. ridiculous. I was surprised nothing (and no one) was actually on fire!

I scanned through the crowd to find the two I had (apparently) left on the frontline of battle, and eventually saw Katie. She was getting screamed at by a visibly upset male student, armed with sticky notes. He was being absolutely inconsiderate, selfish, and rude and began plastering sticky notes all over our display, claiming that we were lying.

This guy was cutting Katie off and screaming in her face and, as I watched from a few people away, I remember thinking, “Man, ya hear about these things happening at other campuses, and hope you can make this big of an effect, but now I regret ever wishing that!” (Which isn’t actually true as this is easily my favorite SFL memory of all time.)

Pretty quickly, I stepped in and respectfully asked that this guy either take turns listening as we were to him, or kindly step away from the display and allow us to dialogue with others that were willing to do so. You can probably guess what he chose and the argument he launched into with me took up about the next hour of my life.

Once I (finally) got him to realize that I wasn’t interested in having a conversation where I couldn’t get a word in, I was finally free and turned around to watch the dialogue I had been overhearing off and on for the last hour or so. There was a group of very upset, presumably pro-choice, individuals that were participating in a rather intense conversation with none other than our very own Jacob Burgo. Never in my life have I watched someone keep it together while being screamed at and interrupted so viciously. He was under verbal attack and the few pro-lifers that had gathered around weren’t succeeding at helping him out any.

To add context to the story, for those of you that don’t know Jacob, he is the nicest, quietest, most pensive guy around, and to see him standing his ground and even raising his voice (just enough) when the situation called for it, shocked me. I stood and I watched and slowly, my little pro-life club president heart started to beam with pride. Jacob didn’t need the help the other students were failing to give him. He was handling this situation, defending life, and treating EVERYONE involved with the same respect I presume he shows his mother. I wanted to shout YES! and pump my fist into the air (totes not appropriate when someone is screaming at your friend about how great Planned Parenthood is, by the way).

I have been blessed with the ability to speak in front of people and confront controversy with little fear. I actually kind of enjoy it. I know that these things are much more difficult for other people, and Jacob’s quiet personality and interests in scale model building and becoming a museum’s fossil preparator, demonstrate that he is more on the behind the scenes side of the show. HOWEVER, the way he stepped in that day and stood up for what he knows to be right, show so much character and class that there can’t be a person in the world who doesn’t respect that. Jacob is a quality guy and we are so lucky to have him in SFL@MSU!

When asked for a random fact about himself, Jacob answered, “I’ve never had a broken bone. Does that mean I’m not adventurous enough?” No, Jacob, you are brave and strong and such a hero for so many! We need more people like you in this world!

Here’s another quote from this class act guy:

“I’m glad to see the pro-life movement alive and well on college campuses. The fact that our generation is predominantly pro-life gives me hope that abortion will be abolished in my lifetime.”

How could one ask for a better peer, club member, or friend? Thank you so much for all of your hard work, Jacob! So many, many people greatly appreciate all that you do! You’re a rockstar!

 

Sincerely,

Lindsay

 

Are you thankful for all that Jacob does to protect the dignity of human life and the unborn? Let him know by sharing this post and donating to our endowment goal here.

A look into the lives of those we are trying to help: Broughton Edition

It was the first Tuesday of fall semester in August of 2015. I was sitting in a multi-cultural education class on the third floor of Reid Hall on the campus of Montana State University. I kept feeling a tug in my heart that seemed to be telling me I wasn’t supposed to be there.

Finally, I listened and packed up my school supplies to make my quiet escape to the hallway. That class was not for me, but I needed to fill my Diversity Core Requirement, so what now? I sat down and pulled out my laptop to drop the class and find a new one that filled this requirement.

Introduction to the American West, a Monday, Wednesday, Friday class that fit my schedule perfectly, enticed my eye. Of course this class was for me! I moved to Montana partially due to a curiosity revolving around the cowboy culture. I quickly added it and made plans to attend the next day. Then I went on my way, feeling so much more peace than I had earlier that day.

Eight’o’clock rolled around the next morning and I found myself in a medium-sized lecture hall with about a hundred other students that had been able to attend the first class that Monday. As a sophomore that took school almost too seriously, missing the first day of class made me anxious and it quickly became apparent that I had already missed a section of notes. A glance to my left confirmed my suspicion and also drew my attention to the beautiful, neat handwriting of the girl sitting next to me.

After class, I introduced myself and discovered that her name was Mikayla. She had been in class on Monday and very kindly agreed to email me her notes. I was relieved to get the notes and happy to have met such a sweet new friend. The rest of the semester consisted of Mikayla and I sitting next to each other and chatting before class. Over time, I learned more and more about her and her family. She told me about her upcoming wedding to Corey, and stories about her little boy, Briar, who was born in June of that year.

Isn’t Briar just the most precious little boy?

I was amazed by this classmate of mine. She’s seriously super woman! She was going to school, working, parenting a 3-6 month old, planning a wedding, and still willing to take the time to send a complete stranger a copy of her notes! Did I mention how kind she is?

Briar and Mommy

That same fall was my first semester as president of Students for Life at MSU. A new position that I was excited for and spent a lot of that semester learning the ropes to (who am I kidding, two years later, I’m still learning the ropes!) Planning long-term projects for our club wasn’t necessarily on my mind at the time, but thankfully, Mikayla and I kept in touch via Facebook and when summer approached in 2016, she reached out for me to photograph Briar’s 1st birthday! I was beyond excited! (You can see some of my favorite shots at the end of this post)

Later in the Spring Semester of 2016, our club started discussing scholarships, and in July we decided on our endowment project, which you can read more about here. We felt that this would be a great way to help students like Mikayla, for the rest of MSU’s history.

Something that Mikayla has shared with me since we started this project is that she enrolled in college only two weeks before we first met. When she found out she was pregnant, she didn’t think going to college was going to be an option for her. Thankfully, Mikayla had help and support from Corey and her parents.

Mikayla also shared that at first she felt guilty going to school and letting that take up a significant portion of her time and money. She soon realized that it would be better for her and her family in the long run and was grateful for the opportunity to get a degree.

Today, Mikayla is progressing towards her Associate’s degree in Accounting Technology, and still working, while raising this little cutie:

I can’t get enough of that smile!

Mikayla also told me that financial aid and scholarships have made a huge impact on her ability to attend college, and that without these awards, she wouldn’t have been able to make it work. According to Mikayla and our research, the top three things that parenting students need to succeed are:

1. Access to quality, affordable childcare
2. Money
3. Emotional support and help with their little ones

We are so proud of Mikayla for, first of all, choosing life for her son, and secondly, for working so hard to attend school and strive for the best life possible for her family! We are also grateful for her generosity in letting us use her story to promote our cause. Thank you Mikayla and keep up the great work!

Briar at his 1st birthday party

What a fun Jungle themed party!

Briar and his dad, Corey

Unfortunately, many college-aged women don’t have the support Mikayla did when they find out they are pregnant. If you are passionate about helping us create a scholarship for these students, or want to honor one of the many beautiful lives lost to abortion, please consider giving to our endowment project. You can donate online here. Enter “Parenting Student Endowment” or “93313” into the “Other” box to direct the gift to our particular endowment fund.

The mission of this goal is to empower students to not have to choose between their child and their education. Money doesn’t have to be a factor in whether or not these young people can get an education.

If you or someone you love is struggling with a decision involving abortion, or is experiencing post-abortive trauma, please contact our club here. We desperately want to help you through this difficult time.

For life!

Lindsay