Blog staff attend 7th Annual Celebrate Life Conference

This past weekend, Charles Johnson and I attended the 7th Annual "Celebrate Life Conference" of California Students for Life (CAStL) at Stanford University. CAStL is an umbrella organization for pro-life high school and college student groups in California. Officially, we were present as members of Live Action at CMC and traveled with the UCLA Live Action chapter.

The conference's theme was "Empowering Pro-Life Groups." Speakers included Kristan Hawkins of Students for Life of America, Steve Wagner of Stand to Reason, Steve Bierfeldt of the Leadership Institute, and several others.

Also speaking at the CAStL conference was Lila Rose, founder of Live Action, current president of the UCLA chapter, and editor-in-chief of the UCLA student magazine The Advocate. Last year, The Advocate made headlines for its expose of Planned Parenthood's coverup of statutory rape, and this year, The Advocate has again made national news with findings regarding the inherently racist policies of Planned Parenthood. Rose conducted a workshop during conference breakout sessions on "Pro-Life Investigative Experiences," sharing with students effective tactics for investigating the abortion industry. "We are in a state of war," Rose emphasized, "and, as in any war, we need to go undercover to find out the truth."

Another inspiring speaker was Dr. William B. Hurlbut, consulting professor at the Stanford University Institute of Neuroscience and at Stanford University Medical Center. Hurlbut, also a member of the President's Council on Bioethics, delivered a powerful message on the uniqueness of the human person, the importance of natural law, and the dangers presented by the treatment of human life as an instrument rather than an individual.

It was truly encouraging to see so many passionate pro-life students engaged in the weekend's activities. I highly recommend the CAStL conference to anyone remotely interested.

Photos by Peter Chadri.