Talk the Talk and Walk the Walk

So this past week, I was down at the Texas Capitol, there with Students for Life of America. We were there in support of the Texas bill that protects women’s health by requiring that abortion clinics adhere to ambulatory surgical center regulations, that the abortionist have hospital admitting privileges within 30 miles, and that all medical abortions adhere to FDA regulations. It also bans abortions past 20 weeks, the point at which science says that the fetus can feel pain.  The bill thankfully passed on Friday, and Gov Perry is going to sign it into law. You can read a good summary of it here.

One of the things that has really impressed me this trip is the number of pro-lifers here in Texas who not only talk the talk, but walk the walk. People who understand what it means to be truly pro-life. This people recognize that it is not just about being a political activist, or the way you vote. These people are helping to build a culture of life that will ultimately lead to victory.

I just wanted to give  a couple shout-outs to some examples of the people that I am talking about:

Thanks to the Austin Baptist Association and Hope Chapel for opening their churches to us and providing us a place to sleep as well as all the other host families who opened their homes to students.

Thank you to the Knights of Columbus for gathering air mattresses for us to sleep on as well as cooking and providing lunch for us on Friday. Standing behind a grill in 100 degree weather is an impressive feat, and we are truly grateful.

Big thanks to Representative Hughes, Representative Toth, along with many other of the Texas House representatives. When the YMCA kicked us out (here), Rep Hughes and Rep Toth took up a collection to pay for hotel rooms so that we could shower. They had also offered their own personal hotel rooms for showers. Rep Hughes and Rep Toth also took time out of their day to speak to us young people and pray over the SFLA staff. They truly are men of God. Rep Hughes also offered us protection during the riots at the Capitol by housing all of us, over 50 people, in his locked office.

Thanks to the Students for Life leaders who did so much to organize this trip and keep all of us safe during the journey. I am sure it was not easy, but the staff remained flexible, with cheerful attitudes, despite the difficult circumstances. Thanks to Brendan O’Morchoe, who even if he could not figure out his way inside the Capitol, lead our group with a certainty and confidence that put many people’s fears at ease. Thank you to Beth O’Malley, for writing everything down in her notebook, keeping track of million logistics at once, and remaining sane, with a smile on her face, even when the plan changed for the third time in ten minutes. Thanks to Missy Martinez, for being the voice for our group, both in media interviews and on stage at the pro-life rally, and representing our group with conviction and dignity. Thank you to Alexa Coombs for reminding us of the importance of social media, making sure that we were always in contact with the rest of the world and utilizing social media to promote our group’s activities. I am sure there are many other people behind the scenes at SFLA, including Kristan Hawkins, the president of SFLA, who made this trip a possibility and for that I am very grateful.

Thank you to all the donors who made this trip possible for over 50 college students. These donors helped give us the opportunity of a lifetime and made it possible for us to be a part of history being made.

Thanks to Brendan the bus driver, as well as all the other bus drivers, for being patient with us and getting us to and from where we needed to be safely.

Thank you to the people of Texas, in particular, Jason, Paul, and Thomas, for inviting us to join this fight for life with them, and for all the tireless work that they do in Texas. This was a huge victory for Texas and thank you for letting us be a part of it.

Last, but definitely not least, thank you to my fellow students who took a week out of their summer to come and fight for life in Texas. You provided an incredible, peaceful witness for life at the Texas Capitol. Your dedication and perseverance is truly inspiring and it is seeing my fellow students stand for life that gives me hope. We are the pro-life generation and I believe that we will abolish abortion in our lifetime.

These people, along with many many more, all provided a witness of life through not only their words, but their actions. Standing for life is much more than just saying that you are pro-life. Words are not enough. We must demonstrate this culture of life through how we act, and the way we treat others. Consistently treating others with the respect and dignity that all people deserve helps our cause just as much as taking a trip down to Texas to support a pro-life bill. Thank you to everyone who remembers that, and pushes me to hold myself to that standard. Now go out and remember if you talk the talk, you must walk the walk.