Wichita teens headed to D.C. to join March for Life

Nearly 600 teenagers, their chaperones and several priests have boarded 12 buses and are headed to Washington, D.C., to participate in this year’s March for Life.

Each year, the March for Life is in opposition to Roe v. Wade, the landmark U.S. Supreme Court case that established the constitutional right to abortion in a decision handed down on Jan. 22, 1973. The rally begins at noon Friday on the grounds of the Washington Monument.

“Generally it is hundreds of people who march each year …,” said Amy Pavlacka, director of communications with the Catholic Diocese of Wichita. “They are bringing with them a love for human life and faith.

“They feel very strongly about making the trip and showing up and being a voice for those who don’t have one.”

One of those teenagers making the trip is Jeffrey Birch, a senior at Bishop Carroll High School, who works each summer and after school to save money. He said he is spending $400 of his own savings to make the trip.

“I’ve had several of my friends who have made the trip, and they say it is a great experience,” Birch said Tuesday afternoon. “I wanted to go and support the cause.”

Sam Brand, chaplain at Bishop Carroll, said the school has been planning the trip for several months.

“The hope is to simply stand for life,” he said. “We wanted to show we are unsatisfied with the 1973 decision of Roe vs. Wade and are hoping it will be overturned.

“So, we will gather and march on Washington, D.C., in a peaceful protest to change the hearts and minds of those in power.”

Scheduled speakers at the march include Kellyanne Conway, the highest-ranking woman in President Trump’s administration, and Cardinal Timothy Dolan, archbishop of New York.

This story was originally published January 24, 2017 at 5:23 PM with the headline "Wichita teens headed to D.C. to join March for Life."