By John Jalsevac
Updated: 10/20/2010 14:36
October 20, 2010 (LifeSiteNews.com) – By all accounts Tuesday’s Pro-Life Day of Silent Solidarity, which saw students from around the world refusing to speak in commemoration of those unborn children who die through abortion, was a smash success.
For Bryan Kemper, the founder of the massive annual pro-life event, it isn’t just about the tens of thousands of students who braved the taunts of their peers, or even the disapproval of school officials, to stand up for the unborn. More than anything, it's about the lives that were literally saved through the students’ witness.
According to Kemper, so far the Day of Silent Solidarity team is aware of at least 31 babies that were saved on Tuesday. Over the years, at least 500 babies have been saved from abortion thank to the campaign.
Kemper said today that, "One thing that struck me this year was how many kids were doing this because they knew their own parents almost aborted them, but decided to give them life. They were now fighting for all those kids whose parents are in the same situation as their own were so many years ago."
Students who take part in the pro-life event typically place red duct tape across their mouths with the word “Life” written on it, and hand out pro-life flyers when asked for an explanation. While they strive to maintain silence throughout the day, in solidarity with the unborn child who is unable to defend himself, event organizers encourage students to speak to school administrators when spoken to.
One girl wrote in to the day of silence team, saying that when she arrived at school, a fellow student came up to her and said she was wasting her time and that no one would listen to her. “All I did was nod,” wrote the student, “and gave her the paper [flyer],” at which point she “threw it at me.”
But when the pro-life student walked away, she said that she saw the other girl pick up the flyer and put it in her pocket. Later that day, she said, “I saw her but her eyes were puffy, then she hugged me and said I was making a huge difference to a lot of girls, and that she was scheduled for an abortion later this week and that she will cancel it.”
The pro-life student concluded saying that she feels “happy to know that not even saying something made such a difference.”
Another student named Amanda wrote in that she talked to a girl in “my drivers ed class that just found out she was pregnant, and she decided on abortion. After we wrote back and forth, (because I was silent), she is planning on adoption.”
Other e-mails and letters from participants illustrate not only the often hostile reception that participants receive, but also their remarkable personal courage in standing up to those fellow students who mock their efforts – a silent courage that often leads to conversion.
One student named Liana described how she was “mocked” throughout her art class. “The next class,” Liana continued, “one of my peers said ‘Why the hell are you wearing this?’ and ripped the tape off my mouth! It stung, both physically and emotionally. I had been pretty good friends with this particular guy. I went on the rest of the day and ignored what I heard.”
Later on Liana says she bought “a present of baby supplies, dresses, onesies, bottles, socks, blankets, etc. for one of the girls at my school who chose to keep her child.”
Another student, Lyssa, described how when she entered the school wearing a pro-life t-shirt and the red duct tape, a bunch of students at a nearby table were murmuring about it, and “one of the guys came over with clear duct tape on his mouth, trying to mock me.” But by lunch time Lyssa had convinced 25 other students to join in the Day of Silence
effort.
The Pro-Life Day of Silent Solidarity began in 2004, after Kemper was asked by a student at McNeese State University what he could “do to work with other students around the country, in solidarity, to help end abortion,” a question that Kemper says set off a “spark” in his head.
That first year a few thousand students on about 300 campuses participated; by last year students on over 4,800 campuses in 25 countries were involved. This year there were reports of students participating in Italy, Czech Republic, Greece, Belgium, Africa, Wales, Germany and elsewhere.
Kemper says that thanks to the Day of Silent Solidarity, “Hearts are being changed, babies are being saved, and women are being spared the trauma of post-abortive pain. People are coming together in unity to promote a culture of life. Personhood is being restored on campuses across the nation.”
“I really cannot take any credit for the success of this movement,” says Kemper. “It is only God who grants us the power to do this.”
“I believe that, through Christ, we can restore personhood to the most innocent of our brothers and sisters: the children in the womb.”
“The stories that we are hearing from students who participated in pro-life day, are stories that we hear everyday from pro-life students across the country,” said Kristan Hawkins, Executive Director of Students for Life. “This is the pro-life generation, and they are making a difference on their campuses every day.”
To find out more, click here.
To read more stories from this years' event, click here.
