On Saturday, Jan. 28, a group of concerned citizens attended a landmark public meeting at the Federal Way Regional Library to hear Jon Russell, Northwest Coordinator of Students For Life of America, deliver an inspiring and informative presentation about a rapidly growing nationwide pro-life movement on college and high school campuses.

As reported by the Alan Guttmacher Institute, a pro-choice research group, nearly one out of four pregnancies in the U.S. ends in abortion. Over half of all abortions are performed on women under 25.

Students for Life, a non-profit organization dedicated to protecting unborn babies, gives young women — and men — straightforward facts and science-based information about life in the womb. Students For Life provides young women who may feel trapped by an unplanned pregnancy support and guidance in choosing to keep their unborn babies along with referral to parenting resources in the local area. Students learn how parenting can be a viable option. Young expectant mothers are shown they can have and parent their babies without disrupting educational goals and career plans.

Students For Life assists students in forming on-campus pro-life groups. A recent national Students For Life conference in Washington, D.C., was attended by more than 2,000 young people, many saddened by the fact that one-third of their generation has been eliminated by abortion. According to Russell, “Sixty-two percent of Generation Y are pro-life.” He showed an inspiring video about Students For Life in which Alveda King, niece of Martin Luther King and staunch pro-Life advocate declares: “When youth get involved in a movement, victory is on the way!”

For more information about Students For Life, see www.studentsforlife.org.

Jon Russell will return 1 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 25, to the Federal Way Regional Library to present “Pro-Life Apologetics: Training on the Pro-Life Debate.” The meeting was hosted by Pro-Life Connections, a local group that brings together pro-life organizations to share resources. For more information, see www.meetup.com/South-King-Pro-Life-Support-Network.

Richard Conant, Federal Way

(Richard Conant is a writer, teacher and researcher currently employed as a regulatory affairs and quality assurance specialist in the dietary supplement industry. He lives in Federal Way.)