The winner of this year’s National Right to Life Committee (NRLC) speech contest is 9th grader
Rosalia Palumbo. Read her winning entry
below, posted on the NRLC website,
and you’ll quickly realize why judges awarded her the prize:
“Why am I pro-life? I
have never asked myself that question, I just knew I was. Before I answer it, I should define what being
‘pro-life’ means to me.
Being pro-life is protecting life, the lives of innocent,
defenseless unborn babies, and the sometimes dependent, and yet invaluable,
lives of the elderly. It means standing
up for that third of my generation that is missing because of abortion,
pressing the fact that equal rights, the right to life, belongs to the unborn,
too. Acknowledging that all are gifts
from God, and therefore are not burdens. Using our freedom of speech to stand up
against this modern world, which frowns upon pregnant women, using our words of
comfort, strengthen to reassure them. Being
pro-life is more than just saying so. It
is standing up for your beliefs and taking a stand against the injustice of
this world, setting our eyes on heaven, and doing the most good for those who
need it.
I am pro-life because I believe in equality. I believe all life is equal. From conception to natural death, all life is
special. God has a plan for everyone and
everything. It is not up to us to decide
that because of their stage in life, there is no need or purpose or plan for
the unborn. Selfishly choosing to kill
them because of this is wrong, and I will not stand by and watch it happen. I am pro-life to bring an end to this. Depending on their family, friends, and
caregivers does not mean the elderly are unable to do anything. Our selfishness is no reason to end their
lives. They can give us knowledge and
advice on those obstacles in life when we may think there is no one to help. Most likely they have been there before, and
we can learn a lot from their triumphs and mistakes.
I am pro-life because I believe a life is a gift from God. I believe that pregnant women and unborn children
are priceless in God’s eyes, and shouldn’t be any less in ours. I believe all life is in, and from, God’s
hand, and that He is in complete control of when someone's life ends.
I believe that we have no authority, whatsoever, in this
matter. It isn’t up to us to pick and
choose who lives and who dies. It is not
our place to decide that the unborn are ‘worthless,’ and therefore have no
place on earth. If they had no place on
earth, God would not give them to us. They are not ‘worthless,’ for God has a plan
for each and every one of us, and mercilessly killing the unborn is not part of
that plan.
I am pro-life because, as it has been defined, pro-life is ‘The
radical idea that the elderly and the unborn are people, too.’ I believe, and will stand up and fight for,
this truth to be realized by all.”
Though out of context, I can’t help
by remember the words of Isaiah who prophesied of the Day of the Lord when
Jesus (the Christ) will remove the curse of sin from our world and restore
peace to all of creation – “And a little child
shall lead them.” (Isaiah 11:6)
Rev.
Dr. Kenneth L. Beale, Jr.
Chaplain
(Colonel-Ret), U.S. Army
Pastor, Ft. Snelling Memorial Chapel
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