"I didn't understand being pro-life until my friend was pregnant"

This is the final post in a series of student testimonies following the SFLI trip the March for Life in Washington, D.C. Today's story comes from Maddie, a freshman at Columbia College. Before I participated in the 2015 March for Life, I was unaware that one-third of my generation was not given the opportunity to participate in the extraordinary joy of life. It is truly staggering to examine such a statistic.My pro-life journey began in my upbringing. I was taught that abortion was wrong at an early age, but I never understood why.I didn’t truly understand being pro-life until I was a junior in high school when one of my very dear friends found out she was pregnant.She is a big hearted and brave individual, and faced the world that shamelessly called her a disgrace. She never let that get to her.Nine months later she gave birth to a beautiful and healthy baby boy, Max. But that day she gave more than life to Max, she gave a child to a family who desperately wanted a baby but could not have one on their own.It hit me when Max was born- the potential of a life is untold.The baby carried by a mother on the subway could be the next president. The child the pregnant 16-year-old gave up for adoption could be the one who cures cancer. Or even that chunky baby you see at church could one day be someone’s spouse. If not given the chance to live, we will never know.Life is beautifully chaotic, it is unpredictable and scary, but every child deserves to live out their potential.Thank you, Maddie, and all the other students who shared their stories! SFLI is very proud of the over 100 students who traveled to D.C. to participate in the March for Life, and we are honored to serve you on campus.