October 17 is observed in silence for babies lost to abortion.
Author’s Note: All research is credited to National Today, National Day Calendar, Oyez, and Center for Reproductive Rights.
A moment of silence for those who lost their lives and had no means to fight for themselves.
Every year, thousands of innocent lives are killed and have nothing to say in the matter. They are victims of a situation they did not create and, sadly, they lose their futures and lives.
These are the babies that are lost due to abortion. Every day, approximately 3,000 babies’ lives are forever silenced from the horror of an abortion.
The third Tuesday of every October is a day of silence to remember the babies whose lives have been silenced. This year, the day falls on October 17.
The history of the day dates back to 2004. Bryan Kemper, an advocate for the pro-life movement, was asked by a student at McNeese State University about what other students around the nation could do to try to end abortion.
Kemper encouraged interested students and faculty to wear red duct tape over their mouths with the word “LIFE” written on it to symbolize the lives forever silenced by abortion. Students would create posters and pass out fliers explaining their silence and support for pro-life. Red armbands are also worn in support of the national holiday.
Abortion in the first trimester was first legalized nationwide in the landmark case of Roe vs. Wade in 1973.
Jane Roe, the pseudonym of the plaintiff in the original case, filed a lawsuit against Henry Wade, the current district attorney in Dallas County, Texas, where she was living at the time. Her complaint was that the laws restricting abortion violated her right to privacy that was given in the first, fourth, fifth, ninth, and fourteenth amendments in the Constitution.
The outcome of the case ruled that states may not regulate abortion in the first trimester, as that is a situation to be kept solely between a woman and her doctor. Abortions in the second and third trimesters depended on the mother’s health and the viability of the infant.
The case was famously overturned in June of 2022, allowing states to regulate abortion for themselves.
In North Dakota, as of April 2023, all abortions are illegal except in the case of serious health risks. Cases of rape and incest may permit abortion up until six weeks of pregnancy.
Until 2022, there was only one abortion clinic in North Dakota. Following the overturning of Roe vs. Wade, the clinic moved to Moorhead on the opposite side of the Red River. Pro-life activists rally outside the clinic weekly to pray and protest for the loss of life.
In Fargo-Moorhead, there are numerous resources for single mothers if they choose life for their children. The Perry Center and the Jeremiah Program both house and support expecting mothers in need. They provide parenting classes, resources for addiction, and other forms of counseling, as well as help mothers attend school or hold jobs to try to make the best life they can for their child.
The Women’s Care Center located in downtown Fargo offers free ultrasounds and pregnancy tests, more parenting classes, counseling, and other resources. They have 34 locations in twelve states.
On campus at NDSU, we see organizations such as Bison Catholic and NDSU Collegians for Life speak out in support of mothers choosing life for their babies. Across the community, organizations and private citizens rally to support life for those who cannot speak for themselves.
Life is precious, and Brad Kemper realized this nearly twenty years ago. In 2014, demonstrators for National Pro-Life Day of Solidarity demonstrated outside of the U.S. Supreme Court with red duct tape over their mouths to show their support for unborn babies and the pro-life movement.
October 17, 2023, is National Pro-Life Day of Silent Solidarity, but you don’t need to lose your voice to be heard. Whether you are silent or not, let the world know that life is sacred.