Pius X students gathered in the gym on Tuesday, September 28 for their annual Pro-Life Day assembly.

The students listened to two different speakers, Yvonne Howington and Katherine Burow.

Howington, mother of Pius X campus ministry director Claire Maly, gave her account of having an abortion during her time in college

“Within that same week, I flew home to Houston, I had an abortion, and I was back at school the next Monday,” Howington said during her talk. “But I was different, I was numb.”

Howington has grown from her abortion and is a devout Catholic with a family of her own.

Burow, the second speaker, is the founder and executive director of the Abortion Dialogue Academy,

Her goal was to come in and teach students a good, secular way of defending the right to life

She also wanted to make it clear that the circumstances used to excuse abortion are in their own right very difficult.

“What I always share at any of my presentations is that it is really, really important that as a pro-life advocate, we do not pretend that any of these situations are easy to be in,” Burow said.

Students also agreed that having secular arguments on pro-life issues is important.

“Abortion should be a human rights issue, not just an issue that Christians and Catholics care about,” Prolife Club president and Pius X senior Ella Keaschall said.

“If you’re talking to someone who doesn’t believe in organized religion, especially Christianity, scripture won’t matter to them.”

Howington’s speech can be listened to on Pius X’s website under the latest headlines section.