"If we don't stand up for them, who will?" That was 16-year-old Luke Gutierrez's answer when people asked him why he was organizing a pro-life walk out for his school tomorrow. He's usually a shy guy, he admits, and doesn't like to get out of his comfort zone. But, he points out, "There are issues in life you have to stand up for." And at 10 a.m. Wednesday, he'll have a lot of company.
The idea started with Brandon Gillespie, a California student whose teacher got suspended for wondering what would happen if they walked out for 17 minutes like the kids protesting gun violence earlier this year. "I have officially announced the pro-life walkout that I am organizing," he posted on Twitter. "It is going to take place on Wednesday, April 11th at 10:00 am. The walkout will last for 17 minutes. We encourage students across the country to participate in a stand for #life." Since then, the protest has caught fire in schools across America, thanks to help from Students for Life (SFL) and other groups.
On last Friday's "Washington Watch," SFL spokeswoman Kristi Hamrick said she understood how some people might be reluctant to join in. "The point is not to say you need to walk out. The point is to say that we need to respect rights equally. And these pro-life students have every right to express their sentiment..." You know, she went on, "What's interesting about this -- and this is a tragic fact -- when you look at the causes of death of teenagers across the country, it's about 133,000 dead a year. And it's in the millions [for] those who die from abortion... For those motivated to protest death in that volume, this is an appropriate thing for them to do."
At least 140 schools and colleges are joining in. "I really want to test and see if there is a double standard at schools because the previous walkout on March 14 was school-sanctioned and it was for gun control," Brandon told Breitbart. "So, I wanted to test the schools and see if they would allow a more conservative topic." If any students do run into any legal trouble, Thomas More Society's attorneys say they will be there to help -- for free.
If you haven't signed up, check out the website ProLifeWalkOut.org!
