Meagan Lewis feels the pressure. As a 19-year-old elementary education major at the University of Texas at Austin, she is surrounded by the pro-choice culture and accompanying tension that go against her Catholic prolife beliefs.

But what makes a young woman of this day and age not succumb? Events like the Texas Rally for Life held Jan. 26 in Austin and the following Party for Life hosted by the Paulist-served University Catholic Center (UCC).

“It makes you realize you are not the only one who is prolife,” said the Dallas-area native. “And it is especially important that young women are involved in this movement because young women are the most targeted.”

And prolifers would argue that women have been targeted for the past 40 years, since the 1973 Roe v. Wade Supreme Court decision that legalized abortion. The Texas Rally for Life aimed to bring attention to prolife issues, and included a speech from Texas Governor Rick Perry as well as a march to the steps of the state capitol building. More than 1,000 prolifers then came through the doors of the UCC on what turned out to be a sunny and moderately warm January day to get refreshed with food and drink at the Party for Life.

“This has been going on here for quite a while,” said Father Edward Nowak, CSP, UCC director. “It has become a tradition.”

That tradition includes welcoming people of all ages to the UCC, from infants to seniors. It even means welcoming students from other sports-rival universities such as Baylor, Texas A&M and Texas State.

“I love how much energy [young adults] have for this cause,” said Marie Seale, director of Prolife Activities and Chaste Living for the Diocese of Austin.

“It is second nature to them,” said Ms. Seale, who attended the rally as a child. “They just get it.”

What Johanna Boardman doesn’t get is how people can agree on other social justice issues but not on life issues.

“Abortion is such a polarizing issue,” explained the 22-year-old linguistics major who is the current president of Catholic Longhorns for Life, the prolife student group at the UCC. “I just felt called to use my voice for the unborn.”

There is a stereotype that prolifers are older men who are “trying to keep women down,” Ms. Boardman said. “Hopefully when they see that young women are involved, they will think twice about this issue. But it’s not just a woman’s issue; it’s a human issue.”

As a pharmacy school applicant, prolife issues are something close to Ryan Popp’s heart. The 20-year-old who found a spiritual home at the UCC believes “it is important to respect the dignity of all life.”

“This is about standing up for the truth,” he said. “It’s about standing up for what is right.”

The University Catholic Center of the University of Texas at Austin was founded and has been served by the Paulist Fathers since 1908. Today, the UCC welcomes approximately 1,200 students and parishioners at its four Sunday liturgies.