TRANSCRIPT
In our post-Roe era, pro-lifers in pro-abortion states must work extra hard to protect preborn children. Church Militant’s Paul Murano reports on the unique way students at one Michigan college are contributing to a Culture of Life.
College pro-life groups fight in the trenches in the great modern war over the unborn.
Madison Velez, president, Protect Life SVSU: “Our goal on campus is to raise awareness to the topic of abortion in the prevalence, really, among college students. We know that the vast majority of women getting abortions are about college-age women.”
Madison Velez and Matt Bartels of Saginaw Valley State University are cofounders of the new Hopeful Future Scholarship. They told Church Militant its aim is to assist pregnant women and new mothers in continuing their education while choosing life.
Matt graduated last year but not before making this dream a reality.
Matt Bartels: “I think abortion is one of those demons that Jesus speaks about that only can be driven out through prayer and fasting. But I was really, I was in my senior year in college, and I felt like we weren’t doing enough.”
Matt and Madison have worked hard to help young women and their children despite Culture-of-Death politicians wielding their power to discourage pro-life work.
Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass.: “Those crisis pregnancy centers that are there to fool people — we need to shut them down here in Massachusetts, and we need to shut them down all around the country.”
The scholarship was born out of Matt’s knowledge that, living in our abortion age, he had a responsibility before God to do something.
Matt Bartels: “Action was not backing my beliefs about abortion, and I just felt called to do more.”
The scholarship provides tuition assistance for women at SVSU and Delta College, but as the endowment fund grows, the hope is to expand it to all eight colleges in the Saginaw Diocese — and beyond.
In a recent homily, Saginaw bishop Robert Gruss delighted that, despite all the obstacles, younger people are becoming more pro-life.