By Camille McCarty

As the storm of the century loomed over the east coast, 20 SMU students flew directly into the blizzard with joyful anticipation. Some would call us crazy, but members of Mustangs for Life know the fight for life is important enough to risk getting stuck in Washington, D.C. for the weekend.

The New York Times posted an article titled “Hundreds Brave Snow for March for Life in Washington.” The Washington Post called us a “small, faithful crowd.”

On Jan. 22 I did not witness a small crowd. I witnessed thousands at the March for Life 2016 despite the impending blizzard. No, it was not the typical 750,000 peaceful protestors, but a powerful 250,000 pro-life warriors crowding the streets of D.C. Despite the freezing cold, I saw unbelievable joy.

The theme of this year’s march was “Pro-Life is Pro Woman.” As a woman, I believe the pro-life movement is not an angry group of people trying to take away freedom of women. The pro-life movement supports true empowerment of women.

Regardless of whether a woman ever bears her own children, every woman has this inherent ability, this inherent gift. It is a gift our culture shames, devalues and ignores. Imagine for a second that every woman understood their true dignity and every man honored that dignity. Human sex trafficking, STDs, the rape culture, etc. would be eliminated from our society. The sex without consequences culture devalues the sexual act, and takes it out of its rightful context.

This brings me to why I march. I march for women, for life and for love. I march for the millions of women suffering the pain of killing their own child. I march for the men who have lost their fatherhood or who suffer regret from encouraging a woman to have an abortion. I march for the 56 million who are not here. For the parents, the siblings, the doctors, the engineers, the teachers, the musicians and the religious people who are not here. I march for the friends I may have had. I march for my best friend’s sibling. I march for the aborted Mustangs. I march because I believe we all deserve better than abortion.

I march for love: to love every person whom I encounter, every woman in a difficult situation, and every baby in the womb. I ask my fellow Mustangs one question: Will you march with me?

Camille McCarty is an SMU junior and president of Mustangs for Life.