By: Shara Guengerich, Students for Life’s 2012 Missionary for Life
Our time as missionaries for life is now 1/3rd complete. What a whirlwind time it has been for us here in the D.C. area! Today as I write, Students for Life is present outside of the Supreme Court building waiting to see what the HHS Mandate decision will be, and praying that the Court will come down on the side of life, freedom of religion, and individual conscious. It’s great that we can operate day-to-day so close to Capitol Hill, so that if there is something going on in the political realm, we can make our voices heard in the public square, right where the action is happening!
One thing I have quickly learned as an intern is how important it is to stay connected with the news if we are to be a relevant voice for the preborn. I always have my Google newsfeed open in my browser with my special alerts for “Students for Life,” “Abortion,” and “Planned Parenthood” constantly updating throughout the day. That way I know right away if there is a relevant story concerning abortion that needs to be brought to the attention of not only my coworkers, but the broader pro-life community as well. It is a tremendous blessing for our cause that the time between the mainstream news getting a hold of a story and pro-life organizations accessing the same story has been cut to a minimum because of the internet.
It is not only exciting that we have access to this information, but it is exciting because what we are able to do with this information. For example, as we await the decision coming down from the Supreme Court, we are keeping an eye on SCOTUSblog.com, which gives us the same instant update on the decisions being given in the Supreme Court building in real time! This is the same source that every other news source and organization, including Planned Parenthood, is looking at to find out what is happening with the HHS Mandate decision. The leveling of the playing field in our favor is evident in this and so many other areas!
We no longer can say that the mainstream media consists of the “liberal elite.” As I’ve witnessed both in the classroom and during the course of this internship, WE are the media. Yes, there still exists large news organizations, but they no longer wholly encompass what “media” is any longer. We have just begun to utilize this fact in the pro-life movement, and we must continue to pioneer a path in all forms of new media so that our cause for LIFE will succeed!
