Pro-Life Day on the Hill experiences a youth movement

By The East Tennessee Catholic

The 2025 legislative session has ended in Nashville, but not before key legislation of impact and interest to the Catholic Church in Tennessee was addressed.

A significant development was passage of the Education Freedom Act, which Gov. Bill Lee signed into law on Feb. 12. The school-choice legislation was supported by Tennessee’s three bishops and was approved during a special session of the General Assembly in January.

The legislative session also dealt with sanctity-of-life issues, some that resulted in new laws and some that did not.

On March 25, sanctity-of-life supporters from across the state, many of them Catholic, convened near Capitol Hill and met with lawmakers to lobby for legislation that will promote life. They were participating in Pro-Life Day on the Hill, which is sponsored annually by Tennessee Right to Life.

Among them were Ian Collins, who is 28, Rebekah Snyder, 22, Joseph Shouse, 27, and Maria Atencio, 28. The young advocates are members of Holy Ghost Parish in Knoxville.

After observing efforts by the faithful around the Diocese of Knoxville to promote the sanctity of life and how life is being attacked in many quarters of the country, they decided to elevate their concern into action.

So, what did they do?

They boarded a van in Knoxville, joining a group of like-minded individuals, and traveled to the Musicians Hall of Fame and Museum in Nashville, where 350 pro-life supporters gathered for a day filled with legislative updates, inspiring talks, a luncheon, a live auction, and keynote addresses by Lacey Buchanan, who shared the story of her son’s efforts to overcome a rare, overwhelming birth defect and her family’s effortless love and support for him, and Paul Vaughn, a pro-life advocate who was prosecuted and convicted by the Biden administration Justice Department for peacefully witnessing in the defense of life at a Mount Juliet, Tenn., abortion facility.

After receiving a legislative update from Will Brewer, legal counsel and director of government relations for Tennessee Right to Life, the four young Catholics converged on the Cordell Hull Building in Nashville to meet with legislators and let the lawmakers know of their unwavering support for legislation that upholds the sanctity of life.

At this point in the legislative session, which ran from January through April, bills under consideration included increasing the civil liability of abortion-pill distributors and prescribers who provide abortion pills in Tennessee illegally, clarifying the Human Life Protection Act, weakening the Human Life Protection Act, legalizing assisted suicide in Tennessee, erasing nearly every pro-life provision in Tennessee law, and creating an expectation of respect for the sanctity of human life by regulating in vitro fertilization, or IVF, and limiting the number of embryos that can be created and prevent unnecessary destruction of human life.

Mr. Brewer provided an overview of the legislative session after it adjourned on April 22.

“The 2025 legislative session has ended with mixed results for the pro-life cause in Tennessee. Because of the continued involvement and contact with legislators by our pro-life supporters, several pro-life measures were passed by the General Assembly, while five pro-death bills were soundly defeated,” Mr. Brewer said.

He expounded on the sanctity-of-life bills that were addressed by lawmakers:

• “During the final days of the session, the Medical Ethics Defense Act (HB1044/SB0955) passed and has since been signed by the governor. The law creates conscience protections for doctors who are morally opposed to certain medical practices, including abortion. HB0327/SB0503, which designates June as Celebration of Life month in Tennessee, passed overwhelmingly in the House and Senate and only needs the governor’s signature to go into effect.”
• “The bill that would have had the greatest life-saving impact in Tennessee was left awaiting action by the House Health Committee, where it will be taken up in the 2026 session. HB0005/SB0419 would increase the civil liability of abortion-pill distributors and prescribers who push abortion pills into Tennessee illegally. It would give standing for wrongful-death lawsuits to more people than just the mother who took the pill and would increase the possible amount to recover at trial to $5 million.”
• “Tennessee Right to Life carefully watched HB0990/SB1004. … The bill clarifies without weakening current pro-life provisions in the law. It clarifies that previable preterm, premature rupture of membranes, inevitable severe preeclampsia, mirror syndrome associated with fetal hydrops, and an infection that can result in uterine rupture or loss of fertility could be considered exceptions under the law. The bill clarifies what was already assumed in the law. It has been signed by the governor.”
• “Although several attempts were once again made by pro-abortion legislators to remove protections from unborn children, they all failed. They were either voted down or taken off notice by the sponsor. An attempt to legalize assisted suicide was also defeated early in the session. Defeating these measures is a victory for life.”
• “The most disappointing action this session was passage of HB0533/SB0449, the Fertility Treatment and Contraceptive Protection Act. This bill will allow, as a right under the law, the destruction of ‘unwanted’ human embryos as well as screening/testing that would identify certain traits and characteristics that could target these tiny humans for destruction. After a contentious floor debate in the final days of session, the bill barely passed in the House.

Tennessee Right to Life, pro-life legislators, and many other pro-life Tennesseans asked the governor to use his veto power to stop this dangerous measure, but unfortunately, he signed it into law, allowing it to take effect on April 29. Several legislators are already planning to address this when they return in 2026, according to Tennessee Right to Life.

Mr. Brewer emphasized that since Roe v. Wade was overturned by the U.S. Supreme Court in 2022 in the Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization case, efforts to kill pro-life legislation across the country have dramatically risen.

And that has been true in Tennessee, which has the strongest pro-life laws of any state in the country.

“The blessing and the curse of the post-Dobbs era is that we have changed from a time of clear victories (waiting periods, post-viability bans, trigger bills, etc.) to a time of ‘whack-a-mole’ defense against bills that threaten to undermine our expansive ban on abortion in Tennessee. We were blessed to have killed several anti-life bills, including and especially a bill to create a gaping exception to abortion for babies with life-limiting diagnoses in utero. This bill was a grave threat…,” Mr. Brewer said.

“The silver lining on HB0533 is that there is a passionate appetite to amend it or repeal it completely next year, especially among pro-life legislators who unknowingly voted for its passage this year,” he noted.

Mr. Collins, Ms. Snyder, Ms. Atencio, and Mr. Shouse quickly understood that the sanctity of life, a foundation of the Catholic faith and a key tenet in Church teaching, was on trial in the state legislature, as it appears to be in every recent legislative session.

Mr. Collins pointed out that Pro-Life Day on the Hill was appropriately held on March 25, the solemnity of the Annunciation of the Lord.

When asked why he traveled to Nashville to attend Pro-Life Day on the Hill, Mr. Shouse replied that it was not the first time he had encountered that question.

“My parents asked me the same thing: ‘Why did you go?’ They had the impression we had already won. But if 100 percent of the legislation is not pro-life, then we haven’t won,” Mr. Shouse said. “I went to hopefully, by God’s grace, help increase that to 99 percent to 100 percent.”

Like her friends, Ms. Snyder takes the sanctity of life to heart. She was excited by the opportunity to help make a difference.

“Life is one of the most attacked things in our culture. As one who has been given the gift of life, I feel obliged to be present for those who can’t be present and speak for those who cannot speak,” Ms. Snyder said.

Mr. Shouse and Ms. Snyder agreed that spending the day influencing pro-life legislation at the point of approval or rejection exceeded their expectations.

“I didn’t completely understand that the battle wasn’t over. The battle is definitely not over,” Ms. Snyder said. “How important our presence was and our voice to make that known to legislators.”

And then there was the unexpected.

“We didn’t expect that the day would involve lobbying,” Mr. Shouse said.

He believes that through God people can be made to understand that abortion is something that the United States should be rid of. And he knows that the Holy Spirit is working through those who understand the evil of abortion, those like the people who attended Pro-Life Day on the Hill.

“We feel we were noticed. I feel that us just being there kept the idea in their minds that this is something we shouldn’t allow,” Mr. Shouse said.

Ms. Snyder believes her generation had an impact on Capitol Hill, letting lawmakers know that the defense of life isn’t restricted to those who remember when Roe v. Wade became the law of the land in 1973.

“I think we had the gift of being young. Our youth is a symbol that we’re not going anywhere. We’re going to work hard to change hearts and minds. Our job is to be present for those who can’t be present. Our mere presence was enough to change hearts and minds,” she said.

Ms. Snyder is hoping others in the quartet’s age group will join in the effort to defend life from conception to natural death.

Mr. Shouse understands that changing those hearts and minds can be a monumental effort, but like Ms. Snyder, Ms. Atencio, and Mr. Collins, he believes those prayers will be answered, especially if all generations join hands.

“For a lot of young people, this is a secondary issue. I hope by being there (in Nashville) and our age demographic, we can change minds,” he said. “This is the highest issue. This is life.”

In addition to Pro-Life Day on the Hill being a sanctity-of-life cause, Mr. Collins noted that the special day is a Christian cause that is dear to God.

“‘What you did for the least of these, you did it for me,’” he said, quoting from the book of Matthew. “It’s saving the lives of the defenseless, and I wanted to be a part of this if I could.”

Ms. Atencio could feel the Holy Spirit leading her to make the journey to Nashville.

“It was very providential. I haven’t been that involved, but I wanted to be open to it,” she said. “It really opened my eyes to be a part of it. It was inspiring to be there. It gives people hope for the future.”

Mr. Collins’ front seat for a day to the political process was an awe-inspiring experience, and one he hopes to repeat.

“It was great to see so many pro-life politicians and to show the importance of voting pro-life people into the legislature. It is important to have a part in that as pro-life Tennesseans,” he said.

Mr. Collins shared the views of Ms. Snyder and Mr. Shouse on the role Gen Z can have on the sanctity-of-life issue.

“We had an impact, as much as we were young people who were involved in this,” he said.

And Ms. Atencio felt the strength of so many pro-life supporters converging on Capitol Hill at once on a single day.

“We were strengthening each other for the battle. We are a team. We are a family. You learn a lot from fighting together for this issue, for the children,” she said.

“It’s important for women to know they’re not alone and for people to stand with them for life and for children. This cause really shows the strength of all who are fighting for life,” she added.

Diocese of Nashville Bishop J. Mark Spalding gave a moving opening prayer and talk for the event.

And Stacy Dunn, president of Tennessee Right to Life, expressed gratitude at the turnout for the annual Pro-Life Day on the Hill and to those who spoke to the large group.

“This year’s Pro-Life Day on the Hill was an amazing look into the precious gift of life in all its ages, stages, and conditions. Every speaker and every topic beautifully proclaimed the theme of the day: ‘It’s Simple. Life Is Worth Protecting.’ That means every life. No carve-outs and no exceptions,” Mrs. Dunn said.

She thanked Bishop Spalding for his inspiring remarks that helped set the sanctity-of-life tone for the day.

“It was a great honor to have Bishop Spalding at this year’s Pro-Life Day. He called attention to the fact that the event coincided with the feast of the Annunciation and encouraged the audience to imitate Mary and say yes to protecting and nurturing the gift of life,” Mrs. Dunn pointed out.

Euthanasia was top of mind for the organizers of Pro-Life Day on the Hill since state lawmakers were considering a law to legalize the controversial practice in certain medical circumstances.

“The theme and speakers were chosen to specifically address a bill that was filed in the Tennessee legislature … that would have removed protection from children who receive a life-limiting diagnosis while in the womb. If passed, it would have allowed these children to be euthanized. Fortunately, that bill did not advance this year. Thanks be to God,” Mrs. Dunn exclaimed.

Rosetta Graham, a member of St. Henry Parish in Nashville, said she has attended Pro-Life Day on the Hill for 25 years and enjoys taking part in the daylong event with her sister, Dot LaMarche of Farragut.

Mrs. Graham agreed with her younger counterparts from Holy Ghost Parish about the importance of being present to change hearts and minds about abortion.

Mrs. Graham was especially moved by the keynote speakers and their tireless advocacy for the sanctity of life.

Mr. Vaughn, a Tennessee resident, detailed his Oct. 5, 2022, arrest by the FBI at his home on charges stemming from his peaceful pro-life ministry at the Mount Juliet abortion facility in March 2021.

Mr. Vaughn said he broke no law during the March 2021 event and he pointed out that he even had a positive experience with police officers who were monitoring that event.

However, he said the Dobbs decision by the U.S. Supreme Court in June 2022 prompted the Justice Department in July 2022 to create the Reproductive Rights Task Force, which was charged with enforcing the federal government’s protection of abortion despite the fact abortions were illegal in Tennessee.

He described how he was taken into custody by armed FBI agents as the agents secured his children at gunpoint as he was whisked away.

Mr. Vaughn was presented with Tennessee Right to Life’s 2025 Lifetime Advocate Award.

In his talk, Mr. Vaughn spoke of Psalm 145, which describes how one generation will declare the stories of God to the next generation.

“God listens to His people,” Mr. Vaughn declared. “It is an amazing time. And those stories are part of who God is in us.”

He pointed out that the pro-life movement in the United States is the only one that has a federal law aimed at prohibiting its speech (the Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances Act, or FACE Act).

“My hope for you, each and every one of us, is that we say, ‘God, what is the story that You are telling in my life? What is the narrative that You are telling in this broad picture, and where do I fit? And how can I be used by You to advance Your kingdom and to stand up for the unborn and identify and represent You as the image of God in this world,’” Mr. Vaughn said.

Mrs. Buchanan spoke about her fight for life as she and her husband are raising two teen boys, Christian and Chandler, who accompanied her to the Pro-Life Day on the Hill event.

She explained how abortion is foreign to her, even when doctors informed her and her husband that Christian, who is now 14, had an extremely rare genetic disorder called Tessier Cleft Lip and Palate.

“My child was wanted and loved from the moment of conception. The pro-life side of my story didn’t even begin until after Christian was born. My eyes were open to the fact that my child was a target of the pro-abortion movement simply because of his diagnosis,” Mrs. Buchanan said.

“Christian’s diagnosis is so incredibly rare that he is about one of 60 in the world born with his condition. When you Google his condition, all of these pictures of him pop up. He has written the book on his condition,” she shared.

As part of the condition, Christian is blind.

As the young family (in their early 20s at the time) was introduced to the world of disability and was searching for a new normal, they didn’t expect to face challenges from people upon them seeing Christian.

“We didn’t know that the world viewed disability in such a different way. I guess we took for granted that because we saw Christian as our child, as any other human, that everybody else would, too,” Mrs. Buchanan said. “I was certainly young and naïve in that respect, that people would look at Christian and just see this sweet baby like I saw him. But I learned really quickly that that wasn’t the case. And that’s really where my pro-life advocacy started.”

As a new mother, she encountered strangers who pressed her to see the new baby and were aghast at his appearance that is part of his disability.

And an acquaintance of Mrs. Buchanan’s told her that she was a “horrible mother” for letting Christian live. The woman then began to lecture Mrs. Buchanan that the compassionate and empathetic stance to take was to abort Christian once she received the prenatal diagnosis.

“I was confused. I thought, where does she see suffering? I haven’t seen suffering. It was so bewildering to me that she could look at my child and how loved he was and see suffering. That’s when I knew that I didn’t want Christian to live in a world where people looked at him and that was the first thought that they had,” Mrs. Buchanan said.

“I wanted people to look at Christian and the first thought they had was his humanity and his value,” she added, receiving an ovation from those in attendance.

She decided then that she would not be quieted by the pro-death crowd, and instead she was going to become an advocate for life and persuade the world as best as she could to share her belief about the value, humanity, and dignity of Christian and others with disabilities.

“Every life has value. And that does not change because a doctor adds a diagnosis to a medical chart,” she said, noting that babies in the womb are increasingly targeted for abortion because of an abnormality diagnosis.

Mrs. Buchanan believes her vocation was divinely inspired.

“I don’t think it was a mistake that Christian was born while I was in law school, and that I was able to become a lawyer to defend the rights of disabled people,” she said. “Their humanness and their value began the moment they were conceived.”

Pro-Life Day on the Hill proved inspiring to all who attended and illustrated the effectiveness of sanctity-of-life advocates when they join together for the important common cause.

The daylong program had a lasting impact on Holy Ghost Parish’s young adults who decided this year to join the fight for life. They plan to return to Nashville in 2026.

“This experience solidified my feeling that my presence is impactful, and our prayers can change hearts,” Ms. Snyder said.