{"id":393,"date":"2008-01-22T13:33:31","date_gmt":"2008-01-22T13:33:31","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blog.beliefnet.com\/viamedia\/2008\/01\/the-pro-life-youth-movement.html"},"modified":"2008-01-22T13:33:31","modified_gmt":"2008-01-22T13:33:31","slug":"the-pro-life-youth-movement","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/viamedia\/2008\/01\/the-pro-life-youth-movement.html","title":{"rendered":"The pro-life youth movement"},"content":{"rendered":"

An article from Stephanie Simon at the LATimes:<\/a><\/p>\n

At St. John the Evangelist, a Catholic church in Philadelphia, Father David Engo encourages the passion he sees in young adults for social justice.
\nEngo organizes volunteer work at an AIDS hospice and among the homeless. Then he explains that he sees the antiabortion cause as part and parcel of such work — yet another way to fulfill Christ’s commandment to serve the least among us.
\n<\/strong>
\nThat connection inspired Bill Gonch, a 23-year-old administrative assistant.
\n“I didn’t know any pro-life people before I joined the church. All I knew was what I saw on the news — a lot of noise, a lot of anger,” Gonch said. “It surprised me how caring and loving they were. . . . And it’s more of a youth movement than I expected.”
\nThe next time the church’s young-adult club gathers for peaceful protest outside an abortion clinic, Gonch plans to be there, praying.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Yes.
\nRelated…from the WaPo: an op-ed by Liz McCloskey and Peter Leibold:<\/a><\/p>\n

Today’s March for Life in Washington brings home this problem. The assumption of abortion opponents is that anyone serious about his or her desire to see an end to abortion will vote for the “pro-life” candidate. Yet there is rarely a candidate, and certainly not a political party, that embodies the consistent ethic of life that would make casting a truly pro-life vote a simple or straightforward choice. If the Democratic Party could adopt a much less disdainful, more welcoming, perhaps even “pro-choice” stance toward those under its tent who have conscientious objections to abortion, we would be much less squeamish about supporting its candidates, and we know that we are not alone in that conviction.
\nAs the 2008 campaign unfolds, we will look for a candidate who will not use rhetoric or a tone seemingly designed to alienate those of us who simply cannot cheer for speeches celebrating the availability of abortion.
\nWe don’t see the right to abortion as an example of everything that is right with our democratic system. In fact, we mourn the poverty of a culture that views it as an option to harm the most vulnerable, even in the name of protecting other vulnerable people such as impoverished women and pregnant teenagers. While we may disagree with one another on the correct balance of legal restrictions, social policies and moral suasion that would best reduce the number of abortions, we both hope and pray for its eventual disappearance.
\nA party and a candidate that truly respect this viewpoint are ones that can adopt these two political orphans.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

An article from Stephanie Simon at the LATimes: At St. John the Evangelist, a Catholic church in Philadelphia, Father David Engo encourages the passion he sees in young adults for social justice. Engo organizes volunteer work at an AIDS hospice and among the homeless. 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