“Margot, how could you be part of a party that doesn’t even respect life?” Mary (not her real name) asked.
These words will remain forever in my mind and heart. Mary was upset. I was the leader of the minority caucus of the Idaho Young Democrats. I was only trying to do what was right. My parents had emigrated to the U.S. from Mexico, sacrificing a lot so my siblings and I would have more opportunities. I only wanted others to have the same experience.
Mary had a forced abortion at Planned Parenthood when she was very young. She didn’t even know Planned Parenthood was an abortion facility. The nurses insisted that it was the best for her and her boyfriend’s future. Mary conceded. While they prepped her for the procedure, she saw the ultrasound out of the corner of her eye, and on it, her child. She begged the nurse to stop, but the nurse pressured her, likely because she was worried she’d be fired if anyone found out her patient had seen the ultrasound.
To this day, Mary hurts and pines for her lost child. Her story is tragic and painful, and it ignited a fire inside of me. I believe the pro-life cause is the most important cause to fight, for without the right to life, any opportunity for a brilliant future is completely obliterated. My hero, Saint John Paul II affirmed the value of pro-life work when he explained, “It is impossible to further the common good without acknowledging and defending the right to life, upon which all other alienable rights of individuals are founded and from which they develop.”
United we will make abortion unthinkable. My mission is to increase communication about pro-life issues in Latino communities. I plan to hold workshops all over Oregon and increase the pro-life presence on digital platforms, creating more advocates for children in the womb and strengthening existing advocates. I ask that if you have any contacts in the Latino community who would like to be part of this mission, please send them my way. Also, if anyone has requests or suggestions to reach the Latino community in your own community, I would be more than happy to hear from you. I look forward to meeting and working with you all.
[Margot Loza, a recent graduate of the University of Idaho, is the newly-hired director of Oregon Right to Life’s Latino Outreach Program.]
