Students protest abortion in 'Walk For Life'

Thousands of students, adults and children gathered outside the State Capitol Saturday morning to protest abortion in a "Walk for Life."

For a small group of those students from the Newman Center Catholic Church, it was the second such protest in a week, following a massive demonstration at the nation's capitol.

A group of 90 University of Nebraska-Lincoln students attended the event in Washington, D.C. last week, and several from the group gathered at the Newman Center before the local one Saturday.

"We pray that we may change some hearts," Father Ben Holdren said before to the crowd of students. "Be with those who don't believe in life at conception and change their hearts so that we may fully respect all life."

After the prayer, Josh Santo, a sophomore finance and business administration major at UNL, gave a speech of encouragement.

"Let's keep this a prayerful time and remember what this is all about," he said.

With that, the group started out on 16th Street toward the State Capitol with a large, red "Huskers for Life" banner.

The sun was shining on the surprisingly warm winter morning as the Newman group meshed with the sea of people outside the Capitol. Round, white stickers that read "Support LB 675 – Mother's right to see her unborn child" were distributed.

The bill, if passed, would make it mandatory for abortion doctors to show pregnant women an ultrasound image of their fetus before performing the abortion.

Bishop Fabian Bruskewitz of the Catholic Diocese of Lincoln, wearing a black hat and coat, along with his sticker, was spotted in the middle of the crowd.

Anti-abortion signs freckled the crowd.

"Stop Abortion Now" was printed on a red octagonal poster.

"Stop the Obama Abortion Agenda."

"Pro-Life, Just like God."

"Take my hand, not my Life."

Samuel Krause – a brown-haired, brown-eyed smiley toddler – held a sign in his stroller: "A person is a person, no matter how small."

His mother, Anne Krause, said he is her fourth child.

"It's a really important issue," she said. "It's really exciting to see so many people here to support pro-life."

Gov. Dave Heineman and Attorney General Jon Bruning, as well as Sen. Tony Fulton, the introducer of LB 675, showed up to support the Walk for Life event.

"I'm proud to be the governor of this pro-life state," Heineman said in his speech. "We need to get LB 675 to my desk so I can sign it into law."

After speeches outside the Capitol, there was a somber releasing of blue and pink balloons to represent past abortions. A slow march to the Nebraska Union followed, as the Lord's Prayer and a rosary was recited in unison by the Roman Catholic students and adults.

On O Street, a line of cars stretched out of sight.

Once the group reached the Union, Michael Clancy, an anti-abortion photographer, gave the keynote speech.

Clancy took a famous photograph of a small hand reaching out of its womb and grabbing a doctor's finger during fetal surgery and has since dedicated his life to campaigning for anti-abortion issues.

"They called me a hero," Clancy said, "but I don't deserve any of the credit – God does."

Listening to the speech was Nikki Shasserre, assistant director of annual giving at the Newman Center, who accompanied the students to Washington.

She said the base of the anti-abortion movement is increasingly younger, because those generations have been affected more personally.

"We have a real feeling of ‘We survived' and we want to be the voice for the members of our generation who aren't here," she said.

Santo and Katie Gottschalk, a sophomore education and human sciences major, were two of the 90 UNL students who rode for 26 hours on a bus to the nation's capital.

"My mom had three miscarriages when I was little, so I really found respect for life when I was little," Santo said. "When I go to pray at the abortion clinic, to see women drive into the clinic makes me think of how much we wanted to have a bigger family and how it didn't work. It's hard to see life being disregarded like that. It's morally unacceptable."

Gottschalk also feels strongly about the issue.

"As a woman, I don't understand how anybody could make that decision to ruin their bodies like that and ruin a human life like that," she said. "It's your baby. Destroying it just seems ridiculous to me."

The Walk for Life is a protest against abortion and inspires those who unite together for the cause.

"You see 300,000 people who believe in the same things you do and are fighting for the same things you are," Gottschalk said. "It gives you a lot of hope."

Protesters have faith that they can set an example for the world, Santo said.

"It might not be today; it might not be tomorrow, but somewhere down the road, it's going to make a difference," he said. "Even if 300,000 people getting together changed one woman's mind on having an abortion, then it was worth it."

ellenhirst@dailynebraskan.com