Students congregated at Union Station in Washington D.C. on Monday evening to sing “Amazing Grace” as the Senate voted whether to advance legislation ending federal funding of Planned Parenthood.
The demonstration at the busy station, servicing both Metro and train travelers, started at 6 p.m. following the 53-46 Senate vote, which failed to reach the 60 votes needed to move forward.
The student demonstrators, many of whom are currently interning on Capitol Hill, said they wanted to provide a positive image of the pro-life movement, and allow young people concerned about the topic to have the opportunity to connect as congressional members decided on the proposal.
“My hope is that those who join us are encouraged and meet like-minded people and just have people to witness and change the way people think about faith and life and the pro-life movement,” said co-organizer Kayla Murrish, a recent graduate of Grove City College.
Millennials make up the vast majority of Planned Parenthood’s clientele, one of the event organizers Clare McCallan pointed out.
“I think this is a younger person’s issue,” McCallan said. “It’s our generation that has been targeted in so many ways… our peers make up a huge portion of those who were lost in the abortion Holocaust.”
McCallan is a junior at Franciscan University of Steubenville, a Catholic university in Ohio.
Tia Westhoff, a senior at Benedictine College, agreed that pro-life Millennials need to take a stand on the issue.
“I really feel like we have to put our money where our mouths are in the pro-life movement,” Westhoff said. “We have to stand within the Senate form, but also as a country in our communities, and this is the best way to do it.”
Most passersby at the station didn’t know the reason for the singing. While some stopped to stare, others ignored the young singers altogether, and a few expressed discontent.
“I don’t think they should defund Planned Parenthood,” an onlooker told Red Alert Politics. Nonetheless, she added, “They have a right to [demonstrate.]”
The Senate bill was a response to the four videos published by the Center for Medical Progress of Planned Parenthood employees discussing the sale and donations of fetal body parts after abortions are performed.
“I’m thankful those at the Center for Medical Progress were brave enough to bring it to light,” Murrish said.
This article is from Red Alert Politics’ Campus Correspondent Program. Would you like to contribute a story from your school? Apply here to be a Campus Correspondent for RAP!
