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Inspired and Activated at Viva La Vida!
01.11.2010
An international gathering of young pro-life leaders will take place in Dublin on 5-7 November, as activists from Ireland and a host of other countries participate in the second annual Viva La Vida! Pro-Life Youth Conference, organised by leading pro-life group Youth Defence. The conference aims to "inspire and activate" young people and to "produce a whole new generation of young pro-life leaders and activists".
"The mission of this conference is to inform, engage and motivate the next generation of pro-life leaders," according to Youth Defence spokeswoman, Rebecca.
"Last year, we hosted the first Viva La Vida! conference in Maynooth, which led to a significant increase in youth-led pro-life work on campus, in the public square, and in our online projects," said Ms Roughneen. "This conference is about ensuring that our generation is strongly, uncompromisingly, pro-life."
She said that Youth Defence was totally committed to investing in leading, training and motivating young people. "Our cause - protecting human life - needs that youthful energy and passion. And the pro-life cause needs the commitment of the next generation," she stated.
Following the great success of last year's conference, Viva La Vida! has now become an annual event for Youth Defence. This year's conference is will be attended by young pro-life leaders and activists from Ireland, America, Austria, Belgium, England, France, Italy, Scotland, and Spain.
"We regularly have interns and volunteers come to work with Youth Defence to learn the model for action that's keeping Ireland abortion-free," said Rebecca. "But at this conference we learn from each other, and the amazing speakers lined up this year are going to benefit everybody working for Life."
The speakers of the conference are experts in their particular field and will address important issues central to the ongoing battle for the right-to-life. This year's keynote speakers are Jill Stanek and Dr Colin McGuckin.
A nurse turned pro-life activist, Jill Stanek blew the whistle on the practice of leaving aborted babies, born alive, to die without care. Going public meant she also battled Barack Obama in Congress when she became a key supporter of a Born Alive Infant Protection Act. She is now an important and very popular pro-life blogger. Dr. Colin McGuckin is one of the world's leading scientists working in adult stem cell research and his work underlines that embryonic stem cell research destroys life and offers no benefits.
The conference will also hear from: Andy Pollard, who is one of the world's leading population experts; pro-life journalist Hilary White; Irene Van Der Wende, who speaks about her abortion following an unplanned pregnancy; Bryan Kemper, who uses the music industry to spread the pro-life message; and the A-team, which is made up of young people from all over the world who are active in the pro-life movement in various ways; plus many other amazing speakers
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