Within minutes of the Supreme Court’s decision to overrule Roe v. Wade, sophomore Rachel Schroder stood on the steps of the Court in Washington, D.C.
“We have waited for this decision for almost 50 years,” said the Hillsdale College for Life board member. “I went to my hotel room, changed, and went straight to the Supreme Court. Everyone was jumping up and down and screaming and crying out of joy.”
Schroder has been involved in the pro-life movement since she was 13, exploring both the legal and political side of the movement. She testified in Texas’s state legislature before the Senate and House Committees on the Human Life Protection Act and on a bill that restricts chemical abortion in Texas.
While Schroder considers June 24, the day Roe v. Wade was overturned, to be “the most exciting day of her life,” she also believes the battle is far from over.
“It doesn’t mean our fight is over. We need to make sure that abortion is not only illegal, but also unthinkable,” Schroder said.
Three days before learning the gender of her unborn child, junior Sabrina Nardone heard about the court’s decision.
“Last semester, I was pregnant and going to protests, and I could talk to people about my experience,” Nardone said. “I am young, I was unmarried, and I’m literally going to have a baby during the semester. I am one of the key hypotheticals that the pro-choice side talks about.”
Before Nardone became the Hillsdale College For Life President, she studied her beliefs in abortion more closely during the 2016 election cycle. Before that time, she was opposed to the pro-life movement.
“Abortion was presented to me as something that women do, and men want to control,” Nardone said.
Nardone reconsidered her stance after deciding science supports the pro-life position. Now she’s committed to defending her cause.
“From there, I decided that I should begin advocating for human life,” Nardone said. “It became my sole focus.”
In her first two years of college, she participated in the Klusendorf Fellowship, a pro-life apologetics program through Protect Life Michigan.
Nardone and the Hillsdale College For Life Club are planning to increase their outreach programs in Michigan itself, as the power to legislate on abortion has been returned to the states.
“The state of Michigan has proposed a constitutional amendment ballot initiative to legalize abortion, so we’re going to do a lot of door knocking and go off campus more,” Nardone said. “The overturning of Roe v. Wade is the first step.”
Sophomore and Klusendorf Fellowship member Michayla Henes first got involved in the pro-life movement in her freshman year at Hillsdale College.
“I was raised in a pro-life family, but they weren’t really involved in the pro-life movement,” Henes said. “I joined the pro-life club here on campus, and went to every single meeting.”
Henes then joined the Klusendorf Fellowship, and participated in the Susan B. Anthony List Weekend in the Spring semester, which is a non-profit pro-life organization.
Henes first learned of the overturn of Roe v. Wade through Instagram.
“The announcement was exciting and good, but there is a lot more left to go,” Henes said.
Henes believes that the pro-life movement is just beginning to take root.
“The overturn of Roe v. Wade is great, but it’s not as big as people think it is,” Henes said. “It’s a turning point, but we’ve just started the turn. We need to keep going, or else we’ll go back to where we were previously.”
Henes sees herself increasing local outreach opportunities, and continuing to educate people about abortion.
“I assume that I’ll be doing more outreaches, because we need to talk to people, show people life in the womb, and get them to vote,” Henes said. “Now change can happen.”
