Cedarville University Starting Pro-Life Organization

‘Students for Life’ to Focus on Pro-Life Issues

by: Emily Doot

Cedarville University recently granted approval to Students for Life, an organization new this semester and focused on raising campus awareness of various issues pertinent to pro-life and human rights causes.

According to Students’ mission statement, the organization is viewed as a means of equipping students and faculty to take a united stand against the willful destruction of innocent life. The group will primarily focus on abortion; however,the Students want to be open to other human rights abuses that come to their attention, both nationally and internationally, said Murray Vasser, the president of the organization.

“We’re not convincing people that abortion is wrong,” explained Vasser. “We’re motivating and equipping them to act. We want to help students get involved with activism efforts.”

“Working together, I think we can brainstorm ideas and put them into action,” added Dannielle Albert, Students’ promotions manager.

Vasser said the ultimate goal of Students for Life is to see abortion eliminated. He compared abortion to the slave trade once so ingrained in society that people thought it could never be removed. Much like the 19th-century abolitionists with their radical vision to end slavery, Students for Life has a vision to abolish abortion today.

“Students for Life’s mission is not only to speak up for those without a voice, but also to encourage this body of believers to get involved in the fight for the right to live,” said Albert.

The idea for Students for Life took wing last semester when a representative from the national organization Students for Life of America came to Cedarville’s campus and urged students to start an independent pro-life group. Vasser and Albert, along with fellow officers Bethany Sibbitt and Karis Howard, agreed that a Christian campus offers a great opportunity to get Christians involved in standing up for the defenseless and determined to start a Cedarville pro-life organization.

Any group seeking official recognition as a Cedarville organization must proceed through the appropriate avenues; these include Jeff Beste, Associate Dean for Student Leadership Development in Student Life Programs; SGA; and administrators such as Dr. Carl Ruby, the vice president of Student Life.

“Students for Life is great because it seeks to educate and then enable students to get involved in the war of ethical issues our society faces today,” said Beste, who was instrumental in the endorsement of the organization.

Students’ first meeting, featuring the president of the Cincinnati Right to Life organization, will be held February 1 at 7:00 p.m. in ENS 245, and is open to all students of all majors. The organization hopes to host speakers, have letter drives to call Congress, and involve students in events with local pro-life groups.

“We want Cedarville University to know about these issues,” Vasser said. “We think students can make a difference.”