By Sean Cassar

Every year, seniors graduate and move on with their lives with nothing more than obsolete test grades and empty lockers to show for their four years in high school. Tuscarora graduate Lori Koska, however, left her school a legacy. Even though she is no longer a physical presence in the halls, the group of students who share her beliefs proudly show her achievement.

Towards the end of last school year, Kostka organized the Pro-Life Club with the help of Students for Life of America, a non-profit organization dedicated to supporting pro-lifers. She passed on the torch of club president to current senior Margaret Knapp.

Over the past year, the club has grown in size, but not as drastically as those involved would like. Some feel that this is possibly due to the sensitive nature of the topic. “It’s a private topic and uncomfortable to talk about,” said sophomore Emily Ford. When the topic of pro-life vs. abortion is brought into conversation, the faces of the interviewees changed from relaxed to uptight, and many began to reduce eye contact. Senior Danny Luu  hypothesizes that the awkwardness is caused by the sensitivity of the topic as well as the political and religious views of public supporters.

Girls dominate the active population in the club, and Luu and junior David Chalmer said boys seem to find it “unnecessary, pointless, inappropriate” and refuse to join. Chalmers finds that when mentioned, the club can cause passionate negative responses between the students.

“People don’t join because of public opinion and pure pressure. They don’t think its the cool thing to do, and even though they might share our beliefs, they will join in on the mockery of the club,” says senior Ben Fuhrmann, a club member. He poses a strong rebuttal against his male peers, saying that it is the responsibility of the males in society to respect and assist their “female counterparts and promote things that are morally right for them.”

At such a young age, most teenagers believe a lot of what they hear without a second guess. The viewpoints of teens’ parents, political parties, or religious leaders can cause their perceptions to be biased.

The Pro-Life club bypasses this problem by claiming itself as a secular club. In doing so, it separates itself from any political or religious group in order to open its doors to all. As Knapp explains, “You do not need any religious or political morality to believe that every human life has intrinsic value.”

Those that dislike the club and those that are strong supporters of it make up a small population of the school. However, the posters can be found on every wall of the school, so the name and meetings of the club are well known. The true actions of the club, though, are unknown by most. According to Knapp, the club works with the First Choice Women Health Center for Crisis Pregnancies. This health center provides many basic needs for any pregnant woman without cost. Pro-Life Club members volunteer after school at the  health center to support the work of that organization.

With this action at its core, Knapp says, “The Pro-Life Club spreads a message of hope.” In the future, Fuhrmann believes the club will continue “to rise above the barrages of persecutions [so] soon people will recognize how deeply our beliefs are felt.”