From the annual March for Life to the Evangelicals for Life Conference, pro-life advocates swarmed the nation's capital this weekend.
While there were supporters from every age and background, one group in particular seemed to be a driving force: young people.
“The young people here is what is so inspiring because it tells us that this is a movement that is on the rise!” House Speaker Paul Ryan (R-Wis.) told the crowds.
Not just young people, but Millennials to be exact, and they don’t all fit a neat little package.
When it comes to the polarizing moral issues they are about as diverse as it comes.
While a record number support same sex marriage, and the legalization of marijuana, polling shows 53 percent of millennials believe abortion should be illegal in all or most circumstances.
Pro-life millennials like the Susan B Anthony List’s Mallory Quigley tells CBN News that their prolife stance is no coincidence.
“We’ve grown up with ultra-sound technology, we’ve seen our mothers and aunts and sisters print out their ultra-sounds and put it on their fridge. And what’s happening is the unborn child is welcomed and considered a member of the family long before they’re born,” she explained.
Quigley also says it goes beyond modern technology to the driving force that motivates many millennials: justice.
“They see it as an injustice. This is a generation that is driven by conscience,” she stated.
Kristan Hawkins, president of Students for Life says this generation isn’t only passionate, but politically driven, as well.
Students for Life boasts more than 1,100 pro-life groups on campuses across the country.
“We are there every day on the campuses. Right where the culture is formed. Right where those future voters are being created and we’re changing their minds about abortion,” she said.
A panel of millennials at the Evangelicals for Life Conference say while social media can be a powerful tool, the fight for life has to go beyond sharing a supportive tweet or two. Armchair activism isn’t allowed, it takes involvement and relationships.
“Once I got into college I got involved in a local pregnancy center and realized the important work that they’re doing, caring for women, loving on them,” panelist Lauren Green McAfee told CBN News.
McAfee is the daughter of Steve and Jackie Green. Their family took on the United States government when the Obamacare mandate required Hobby Lobby to offer contraceptives in their health insurance coverage.
She says that decision to stand firm comes from generations of pro-life convictions.
Across town, another historic event took place this weekend as thousands participated in the second annual Women's March.
McAfee says they aren’t necessarily dueling events and it's possible to be a modern woman and care for the unborn.
“I am pro-life and I am also pro-woman. I care for the life in the womb as well as the woman who may have a pregnancy that’s unexpected or at an “Inconvenient” time,” she proclaimed.
“To be a modern woman we value science, we value facts and there is a lot of modern technology we should incorporate into shaping our worldview. And that is what this generation, my generation, the millennial generation does,” she continued.
It’s a generation that’s being shaped every day and redefining what it means to be pro-life, to pursue justice and engage in active activism.
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