“I am pro-life because I believe that God gives everyone a chance to live, a gift that should not be taken away,” said senior Taylor Gibney, regarding her views on abortion after attending this year’s March for Life in Washington D.C.

Gibney, along with 60 of her fellow Mercy sisters, rode a bus approximately 530 miles to support the anti-abortion cause and become a voice for the near 60 million babies killed since Roe vs. Wade declared abortion legal.

Although the group from Mercy spent almost 10 hours together on a large bus, Gibney thinks the long trip was well worth it.

“This experience is by far one of my best high school experiences,” Gibney said. “This is my third year attending and I am so lucky to have been a part of it.”

This year is the forty-second annual March for Life, and around 500,000 people gather to support this cause.

“It is so amazing that so many people from all over the country can get together like this to make a difference,” Gibney said.

The Mercy group left around 8 p.m. on Wednesday night. They drove through the night, arriving in Washington D.C. around 6 a.m. on Thursday. They then attended the Youth Rally and Mass for Life. The march began around noon on Thursday. Around 3:30 p.m., protesters gathered at the U.S. Supreme Court. Congress members who support the pro-life cause spoke at the rally.

On Friday, a Wreath-Laying Ceremony took place at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. Later, Mercy’s protesters toured the monuments and museums of Washington D.C.

Senior Brooke Ottaway was a part of the action as well. This was her first time taking part in the March for Life.

“This experience was very worthwhile for me,” Ottaway said. “[The march] made me appreciate how much this issue isn’t talked about and how it needs to be promoted.”

Both Gibney and Ottaway agree that choosing life is the way to go, no matter what.

“I support [the pro-life cause] because I want to speak for those who can’t,” Ottaway said.