A Hugely Productive Summer for Youth Pro-Life Training.(National Right to Life Academy)

Traditionally, summer is a time when youth gather on beaches and work at summer jobs in the local Dairy Queen. While this may still be true for most teenagers and college students, there is a growing trend among pro-life youth that has them doing something quite unusual with their vacation time: studying and learning more about the pro-life issues.

In Washington, D.C., the first class of students at the National Right to Life Academy graduated on August 10, from an intensive six-week academic program entirely dedicated to pro-life issues. In addition to regular courses taught by Burke Balch, J.D., director of NRLC's Robert Powell Center for Medical Ethics, Academy students attended independent lectures by experts in all areas of the pro-life movement. This inventive new program plans to continue to provide a quality college-level education on the spectrum of pro-life issues for years to come. (See story, page one.)

At the same time, NRLC hosted this summer's class of interns who spent six to eight weeks working in the office in various departments, gaining valuable work experience. The interns also joined Academy students for some of the educational seminars and special guest speakers throughout the duration of the Academy.

A thousand miles to the west, Wisconsin Right to Life conducted two weeks of summer leadership camps, bringing together young people ranging in age from 12 to 21 (with a few cool adults thrown in for good measure) for intensive pro-life education and training. These camps, now in their fifth summer, combine education on issues ranging from abortion and stem cell research to euthanasia and health-care rationing with recreational activities like "The Human Race" and games like Pro-Life Clue and Pro-Life Taboo.

The focus of the entire camp experience is to equip young people to carry the truth about abortion and ...