****The author is a sixteen-year-old sophomore who attends Bishop O’Connell High School in Falls Church, Virginia

The March for Life was an amazing experience, just as it was last year. It really builds up one’s confidence to be part of something so big and inspirational. My day began at 6 a.m. when I woke up to get ready. I left at 7 with my mom to meet up with my junior friend at O’Connell High School, where we also saw some others walking inside to meet everyone going on the bus – for example, my freshman friend Sarah. My friend Erin had gotten dropped off, and we left for D.C.

We went to Old Ebbitt Grill, where breakfast was served in a private room.  Tammy Ruiz gave a presentation about perinatal hospice.  Perinatal hospice is a preparation of parents who choose life for their babies with life-threatening conditions that give them less than a day or an hour to live. It made me feel even more supportive of the Pro-life Movement to find out that such a thing existed.

After the speech, the Democrats For Life of America group, my friend, and I left for the March. We went to the front of the crowd, near the stage, and listened to the speeches. Some of the stories were very entertaining and positive. We regrouped and started walking towards the countless people already marching. We saw some other O’Connell students on our way. For many hours we walked, and finally, we reached the Capitol and then the end. We took pictures in front of the Supreme Court Building.  It was 3 p.m. by the time we reached the Supreme Court Building.

We celebrated the movement we had just participated in by going to a late lunch. It was the Private Democrat Club we decided on to eat our second meal of the day. We went around a building towards another building, through an alley, and walked to the front. We entered a door to a beautiful restaurant. We ate very delicious food. My friend and I shared French onion soup and a bacon grilled cheese.

After a long day, it was time to go, so we said our goodbyes. When I got home, I started my homework, but before I could finish my English, I saw a pro-abortion post my friend posted on Instagram, and I felt the need to respond. Spending the day with people who respect life gave me the courage to stand up for the babies.

Since my mom’s job is working to save the many babies aborted, she helped me respond to my friend about how her reasons to support abortion were not valid. Being “pro-choice” doesn’t mean giving a choice to women because it may result in a woman being forced to kill a human being who could one day be someone to achieve something amazing.

I hope that one day we can all agree that we should respect all human life.