The New Counter-Culture
By Richele Macht and April Holley

All the leading pro-abortion talking heads are lamenting: they are getting older, we are getting younger. ("They" are those who support the radical abortion on demand policy that has resulted in the deaths of over 38 million of our peers. "We" are those working to restore the sanctity of life and protect our children from the fate of our brothers and sisters.)

Kate Michelman, president of the National Abortion and Reproductive Rights Action League (NARAL), recently whined to the New York Times about the "graying of the abortion lobby." Frances Kissling, of the infamous Catholics for a Free Choice, called pro-life youth "the counter-culture movement."

National Right to Life Commit-tee's Youth Outreach (YO) is mobilizing this pro-life counter-culture to take an effective stand for the defenseless and the vulnerable. Combining the efforts of National Teens for Life and National College Students for Life, the Youth Outreach program is providing teens and college students with the information and skills they need to spread the pro-life message.

Every high school student and the vast majority of college students were born into the abortion culture - - that is, since the 1973 Roe v. Wade decision. Almost one-third of this generation has been killed through abortion.

They have also witnessed the devaluing of those already born: from "Baby Doe" - - the Down Syndrome baby who was starved to death - - to Jack Kevorkian and his crusade to legalize assisted suicide. To those born after Roe, the idea of legal protection for life is as foreign as eight-track tapes.

Yet, it's much easier to recruit young people than even many pro- lifers realize because, fortunately, more and more young people reject the "culture of death."
The 1998 American Freshman survey found that freshman support for legal abortion had fallen to 50.9 percent, from 53.5% in 1997 and 64.9% in 1990 (see NRL News, 2/19/99, page 21). Thousands of high school and college students from across the country converged on Washington to demonstrate their support for life at this year's March for Life.

College students and teens are on the forefront of the abortion debate. More than 50% of the over 1.3 million annual abortions are performed on women college-age or younger. Through organized groups and in informal discussions in classrooms, dorms, and libraries, pro-life students bring the message of life to their peers.

Most students have been raised in a culture of death where pro- abortion propaganda is reinforced through popular media and expounded on by mostly pro-abortion teachers and professors. When pro-life students talk to their peers, it may represent the first time they have ever been exposed to our perspective - - certainly it may be the first time many students have heard our position without the filter of pro-abortion bias.

Given their demanding mission, pro-life students need to be equipped with the knowledge, tools, and skills to effectively educate their peers and to reach out to their friends who may be considering abortion.

The Youth Outreach program of National Right to Life is designed to meet these needs. YO offers starter manuals for both college and teen groups, as well as brochures and other educational materials. This past fall, college students from across the country participated in VOTE '98, an education and registration project.

This year, the pro-life movement will see the additional evidence of the strength of the youth movement when over 30 colleges are represented by 150 students at NRLC's annual Proudly Pro-Life Awards Dinner April 21. Pro-life college students from as far away as Seattle, Washington, will have the opportunity to boldly express their pro-life convictions and meet with other student leaders.
In June, teens and students will meet in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, at NRLC's 27th annual convention. Youth Outreach will hold a concurrent convention, offering separate tracks for college students and teens.

The convention has proven to be a wonderful opportunity to share experiences and to learn from other students. Workshops offer basic starter information for those beginning new groups as well as providing the advice of "veterans" whose first words were "pro-life." Young pro-lifers also have the opportunity to hear nationally renowned speakers and pro-life experts on topics ranging from stem cell research to euthanasia in the Netherlands.

Students also have the opportunity for "hands-on" training through the NRLC internship program. In addition to being involved in the cutting edge of the pro-life movement, interns are schooled in topics from basic pro-life philosophy to effective tools for changing a nation. Many students devote themselves to full-time pro-life work after completing their internship.

The pro-life youth movement is rapidly growing. National Right to Life's Youth Outreach invites you to help them meet the challenges they face in advancing the cause of life. The post-Roe generation may be the generation to restore respect for life.