The Pro-Life Ursuline Students Club, or PLUS, remains active throughout the school year, participating in activities that promote pro-life awareness on campus and in the greater community. (JENNA TETER/The Texas Catholic)
By Michael Gresham
The Texas Catholic
With a mission to promote pro-life awareness on the Ursuline Academy campus and in the greater community, the Pro-Life Ursuline Students Club is dedicated to protecting the sanctity of human life in all stages.
“We want students to become educated in life issues so that they can be informed advocates for those in the most vulnerable stages of life and be able to take action to help these individuals,” said Annie Smith, a math teacher at the school who serves as the PLUS Club’s advisor.
The group claims around 30 members and has been involved in numerous activities throughout this school year. The PLUS Club led pro-life prayers in morning announcements during October and attended the March for Life in January. PLUS students also volunteered in November at a breakfast hosted by Heroic Media, an international faith-based non-profit group that utilizes media to connect women with hopeful alternatives to abortion and build a culture of life.
Urusline pro-life students attended the Bishop’s Pro-Life Dinner in April. As a club, members also watched “October Baby,” a Christian pro-life themed film, during a movie night with Cistercian Preparatory School as well as heard from 1985 Ursuline graduate Shana Druffner, a Catholic Pro-Life Committee speaker and former National Right to Life Attorney.
In addition to raising awareness, the PLUS Club students also volunteer at various pro-life functions that benefit local crisis pregnancy centers.
“PLUS has taught me that all pro-life issues, especially abortion, affect everyone,” Club President Clairemarie Buskmiller said. “And because they affect us all, we all must work tirelessly to end them.”
Katie Gross, vice president; Alexandra Muck, treasurer; and Cecilia Weigman, secretary; and freshman officers Bernadette Weigman and Sneha Kurian join Buskmiller on the club’s leadership team.
Muck credited her time volunteering at club activities for helping her gain a better understanding of the challenges pro-life advocates face in today’s society.
“While I have always been pro-life, PLUS Club has helped me become more educated and passionate about the issue,” she said. “It is especially inspiring to work with pro-life groups at other schools.”
As the Ursuline Academy club strives to achieve its mission, Muck said she sees a growing need for the club to remain active in the coming years.
“Through group events, I can see just how many teens my age are stepping up to end abortion, and I can’t help but be motivated when I see how dedicated everyone is to the pro-life movement,” she said. “Many teens today are definitely seeing the need for pro-life legislation in the world, and they are willing to work for it.”
