Back to School for Chapters Too.(pro-life education for students)(Brief Article)

With Labor Day behind us and the school year already underway, this time of year presents many opportunities to educate local students on the life issues. (See stories, pages 12-14.) I draw almost unanimous guffaws whenever I broach the subject of right-to-life chapters working with local public schools.

While I understand that many public schools are non-cooperative as soon as you identify yourselves as members of the local right-to-life group, we have to be persistent and creative in order to reach the audience most affected by our culture of death. We have a long and successful track record; unfortunately not many pro-lifers know that.

You can line up local "experts" who are willing to educate students on specific issues relating to the protection of the unborn and have them contact the school.

For instance, ask your local pro-life obstetrician or general practitioner to volunteer to talk to students about human development. The school will likely be enthusiastic to have the town doctor as a guest teacher for their students. The doctor can humanize the unborn child by showing fetal models and ultrasound pictures, along with sharing anecdotes and his or her expertise.

Your pro-life state representative or state senator can volunteer to talk to students in social studies, government, debate, and American history classes about how a bill becomes a law or how things operate at the state capitol. Then, he or she can use pro-life bills as examples.

By explaining a commonsense piece of protective legislation, how it moved through committees and to the floor for a vote, why and how certain amendments were defeated, conference committees, and the governor's action, students will get a great education in how our government works. This has another effect of demonstrating the good sense and necessity of pro-life bills.

Crisis pregnancy center counselors or pro-life psychologists could talk to psychology classes. Identify the classes offered in your schools and be creative in matching up a community member with the expertise to speak on the subject.