How often have you heard, "Young people today are not like we were when I was growing up"? Or, "I just don't know about your generation."

Usually, it's adults saying such things as they sadly shake their heads. Too often, adults forget that it really hasn't been that long since older adults trembled at the thought of them taking over!

Not only do some people think you care only about yourselves, but others also want to protect you from harsh realities. What connects these mistaken ideas is the thought that you are too young to handle serious issues.

Facing Tough Issues

You face hard life issues all the time. You know the hazards of reckless driving, drinking, smoking, taking illegal drugs and having sex outside marriage (although society seems more concerned with "unprotected" sex). Many of you know someone who has been hurt in an accident, abuses drugs or alcohol or is sexually active. It's nothing new for young people to see firsthand that bad things can happen.

You can help to change what's wrong with the world. Students across the nation are active in organizations encouraging sobriety, gun control and abstinence. Thousands of young people participate in work camps every summer.

People your age take effective action on difficult issues. They help end suffering where and when they can. Teenagers can be proud of the actions they can and do take.

Your energy and courage make me confident that you are strong enough to handle the truth about abortion, one of the most controversial and important issues today.

Abortion is the deliberate, artificial, forcible destruction of an unborn baby. This differs from a miscarriage, which is a naturally occurring loss of a child not ready to be born. Abortion can be accomplished through a variety of procedures. Among them are the injection of a saline solution into the uterus or dissection of the baby in the womb with a surgical device.

Abortion became legal in the United States on January 22, 1973, when the U.S. Supreme Court said that women could not be prevented from obtaining abortions (in the Roe v. Wade decision). Since 1973 (before you yourself were born), tens of millions of abortions have been performed.

Protecting you by not revealing the truth about abortion and by not teaching you respect for life is bad for all young people—you and those not yet born.

Do unborn babies really need you? Yes! They need your enthusiasm, your belief in the need to change the world, your certainty that things can improve, your ability to see what's right and to speak out against what is wrong.

Abortions can flourish only in a society where selfishness seems desirable. Then people need not address responsibly the direct consequences of their sexual activity. They can relegate pregnancy and parenthood to the category of inconvenience. They need not change their lifestyles.

Abortion also appeals to people who are afraid and desperate, those who think they have no alternatives. It is easy to understand why a woman who is poor or abused or has been raped could be fooled into thinking that abortion is the best answer. Unborn babies need you to help shake up the world that puts them in such danger!

Ten Ways and Counting

You can do a lot to help the unborn. You have more power than you probably realize. Where does that power come from? In part, it comes from your own energy and ability to do what needs to be done. It also comes from God. Here are concrete ways you can support life.

1. Learn. Educate yourself. You'll be more effective in helping the unborn if you understand the issues at stake. There are many books and pamphlets explaining how babies develop in the womb and what abortion does to them. Your parents, parish priests or religious education teachers can suggest helpful resources available in your area. Research the Web sites listed on the last page of this issue.

Another good way to learn about life issues is to ask questions. Whom should you ask? The same people who can suggest books can answer questions, too. So can members of pro-life groups, youth ministers and school counselors. You don't need to be nervous about asking questions, but if you are, remember that it's better to be nervous about learning than about ignorance .

2. Pray. Prayer is first in order of importance, but learning supports and strengthens the sincerity and earnestness of your prayer. Prayer requires real commitment. You need time and mental space, as well as trust and belief in God. Remember, Jesus told us that with faith we can do great things: "If you have faith the size of a mustard seed, you would say to this mulberry tree, 'Be uprooted and planted in the sea,' and it would obey you" (Luke 17:6).

So many times during the day, it would be possible to say a short prayer for the unborn. Decide on one you can repeat when you get up, while you wait for a bus, before class, before or after homework or pausing a few minutes before watching television, logging on to the Internet or before falling asleep.

3. Spiritually adopt. A special prayer based on respect for life is spiritual adoption. All it takes is to say a prayer regularly, perhaps every day for a week or even as little as once a week, in which you ask for the protection of an unborn baby who is in danger of being aborted. That's it. It's simple but, like all prayer, it can be powerful. It's also a good way to remember that respect for life is about real people.

I was involved with such an effort through a Catholic community to which I belong. We contacted pro-life groups that help expectant mothers and asked them to describe anonymously women who were in crisis situations. We gave our youth ministries the profiles or descriptions, and asked the members to pray during each of their meetings for the people who now seemed very real.

After one month, we gave each youth group a card to sign which let the woman know that she had been in someone's prayers and thoughts (and making clear to them that their identities had been kept secret). We returned the cards to the organizations, and they gave them to the people who had been profiled.

4. Give. Hold a baby shower or collect donations of clothes and supplies for a group that helps expectant mothers who may turn to abortion as an answer to their problems. That would provide badly needed support to real people.

I was involved with an effort like this several years ago. A group of us contacted a local pro-life organization that helps expectant mothers who are in difficult situations. We asked what supplies they most needed.

We spread the word about these needs and asked young people to gather donations from their families, friends and neighbors. We gave them a couple of months to gather the donations, which they were to bring to a baby shower for that charity.

The results were wonderful. Teenagers arrived at the baby shower with carloads of clothes, toys, diapers and supplies. There were so many donations that the representative of the pro-life organization couldn't take them all in one trip. The young people who participated made a real contribution to the unborn.

5. Write. Mail really matters to elected leaders! Mail lets leaders know what one person is thinking and wants them to do, and it demonstrates your concern about an issue. A letter suggests that the writer probably will watch what the leader does which could influence the leader's choices and decisions. When leaders receive a large number of letters about an issue, they pay attention and think about what the letters express.

You can write the president of the United States at 1600 Pennsylvania Ave., Washington, DC 20502. The names and addresses of other elected officials are available in the front pages of your local telephone directory.

Don't stop there, though. Write letters to the editors of newspapers, too. Send letters to women at homes for expectant mothers. A note which expresses your happiness that a woman has decided to keep her baby and promises that someone is praying for her is encouraging, even if the note comes from a stranger.

6. Attend pro-life events. Attending events also shows respect for life. The annual January March for Life in Washington, D.C., is probably the most important event in which people express support for the unborn. If you can't make it to that event, there may be others like it near your home. Groups in many areas hold Walks for Life, rallies and other events in which people with pro-life views express themselves and exchange ideas.

It is important to remember to take part in peaceful events that emphasize respect for life, not its destruction. Do nothing violent or illegal. Not only would it be dangerous to participate in activities that destroy property or hurt others, it would be hypocritical. If you're really pro-life, you'll respect even those who have ideas different from your own.

7. Volunteer. Help groups that assist expectant mothers. This could mean spending a Saturday afternoon storing supplies, answering telephones or raising funds. You could also help to prepare outgoing mail. Babysitting for busy parents so that they can help is volunteering, too. Organize babysitting when you know an adult pro-life event is coming up.

8. Lobby. Visit your congressional representatives or your state representatives to let them know your views on abortion. It is most effective to know their records when you do this. You can do this when they are at home in your area—unless you happen to be visiting their state or federal offices anyway.

Try to organize your thoughts on this important subject. It is particularly effective to link your view to an action that your political leader could choose to take. Laws regarding abortion may be up for votes. Assistance for pregnant women may be the issue. Inform yourself. Your local pro-life office can help.

9. Speak out. Perhaps the most basic thing you can do is to let your views be known. Don't be afraid to let others know you think abortion is wrong. It makes a big impression when you take a stand, especially when that position may be unpopular. That may be just what others need to hear in order for them to express a pro-life view. By speaking out you could challenge someone's pro-abortion views enough for that person to reconsider that idea, and you could influence those who don't know what to think. Pope John Paul has said, "Our Christian conscience should be deeply concerned about the way in which sins against love and life are often presented as 'progress' and emancipation." Your statements on behalf of the unborn could help awaken others' concern.

Even if you don't hear right away that someone's mind has been changed, you still may help to do that later by planting a new idea.

If you do make your views public, be calm and polite when you do it. A shouting match will turn people away from your ideas. It's hard not to be angry about abortion, but when you talk about something that makes people emotional, the more effective way to have a positive influence is to stay polite and in control.

If someone disagrees with you rudely, remember what Jesus said: "Blessed are you when people hate you, and when they exclude and insult you, and denounce your name as evil on account of the Son of Man" (Luke 6:22). Small comfort? Not at all! If others mock you, you have just done something courageous.

When you express your pro-life views, you are bearing witness to the truth. That's something we are supposed to do as active, committed Catholics. It's not always easy, but it's part of trying to be holy and doing what we say we believe.

10. Respect life. Always respect life yourself. Let others see by your example that your beliefs about life come from love for others. "If I speak in human and angelic tongues, but do not have love, I am a resounding gong or a clashing cymbal," says St. Paul (1 Corinthians 13:1).

That means treating everyone with courtesy and respect, and trying to be considerate of others regardless of their age or health. Respect for life can be as simple as not making fun of a person with a disability or being patient with someone who walks or drives slowly. Respect for life can be as challenging as going out of your way to do something extra to help someone in need. Respect for life is a way of life.

By respecting life in all stages, you will help yourself remember that unborn life is sacred. You'll help others respect life through your good example. That's especially true if other people know that you oppose abortion. If they can see that not only do you respect unborn life but you also care for all human life, they may follow your example and be loving to others and maybe even adopt the pro-life view.

Lead Now

You've probably heard it already, but it's true nonetheless: You are tomorrow's leaders. As such, you must do all you can for the unborn. As Pope John Paul II said during his 1987 visit to the United States, "All the great causes that are yours...will have meaning only to the extent that you guarantee the right to life and protect the human person."

You will be leaders tomorrow, but you can begin leading today. You can't hold office, but you can have a positive influence and inspire others to do the right thing. The unborn will need you tomorrow—but they need you today, too.

John F. Iekel is a member of the Youth Apostles Institute, a Catholic community dedicated to youth ministry. He currently serves as editor of its publication Light, and is involved in pro-life activity. John lives in Falls Church, Virginia, with his wife and their two daughters.

Erin Amelia Brower (15), Eric Troidl (14) and Dawn Sizemore (15) met at the Troidl home over pizza to discuss this issue and suggest the questions which the author has answered. Julia Troidl, Eric's mother, is youth minister at St. Mary Parish in Dayton, Ohio.