Yellow hoodies, yellow balloons, drumming and chanting: this is the Crusaders for Life, a teen and young adult group with the passion and vibrancy necessary to fight for life. Who are those Kids in Yellow? explains more about where they come from and what they do. The Crusaders consists of several chapters, but the one that will be highlighted in this article is Crusaders for Life of Volo.
The Crusaders for Life of Volo is a thriving chapter of the Crusaders consisting of teens and young adults ranging from ages thirteen to twenty-three. With the restrictions the pandemic has brought, this first month of their meetings this fall consisted of creating a video that interviews different members to explain what the Crusaders do.
“I understand the dignity of human life from conception to natural death,” explains the Vice President. “Everyone’s entitled to life, especially babies who can’t protect themselves,” another teen member announces. Many will claim that the youth of today have different concerns, or they don’t want to deal with the complexity of the abortion argument, but these teens and young adults prove that theory wrong.
“Abortion is murder, and murder is not okay,” one of the younger members asserts. In that simple, clear explanation, he has shown why he never will advocate for abortion under any circumstance.
When asked why they are a part of this rapidly growing group, one member explains, “I go out feeling like a hero.” He says that after the marches and the rallies he feels so good because he knows that he has done his part to protect the most vulnerable among us. Another member explains her experience when she first participated in the March for Life in Washington D.C. “It really struck me, seeing all the millions of people showing up, trying to defend everybody.” This is an important part of these events: pro-lifers coming together and uniting in this cause. They are showing the world that we are here, and we will fight for all Americans, from conception to natural death.
One young woman explained the impact that the pro-life movie Unplanned had on her stance against abortion. “When I watched Unplanned, it gave me a new perspective of the mother, that hit so deep especially as the woman.” She goes on to explain that she realized anew how, “It’s so sad that we allow mothers especially to kill their own children, and then say that it’s a good thing… it’s so physically and emotionally damaging.”
A large part of what Crusaders do is rallying and marching, and they are known for their vibrant chants. One Crusader explains why they do this, “If we want to be heard, we have to be loud, and we have to really be out there, and I think Crusaders does a great job of that.” Another teen said that, “The energy of the group is just incredible, so many people fighting for the same cause, they’re all so happy, but they are also very serious about it.”
To have so many teens and young adults passionate and vocal about this cause is priceless, and Crusaders for Life of Volo partners with chapters in Chicago and Springfield. Illinois to go to pro-life rallies and give a voice to the voiceless. We are the pro-life generation, and this group of passionate teens is proving it!