The Law of Life Summit 2013
It is that time of year again! The March for Life in Washington D.C. is right around the corner and as public struggle against legalized abortion in America turns 40 years old, it is time to take note of how the event has grown up. Though the principles for such a large annual gathering in the nation’s capital have never changed, the organization surrounding the day has. The political protest continues to demand the basic human “unalienable Rights” of unborn children to “Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness.” Those rights are the basis for the American Declaration of Independence, and it is those rights that have been denied to all unborn children. What started with 20,000 people on a sunny, 70-degree day in January 1974 has now grown into the “largest pro-life event in the world.” The protest against legalized abortion now draws more than 400,000 participants, and the single-day March is growing into a multiple-day event.
With the objective of better organizing and promoting communication between the many pro-life organizations that come to Washington D.C. each year, practical steps have been taken to unite the efforts of groups from across the nation. One of the newest and most exciting endeavors surrounding the March for Life is the Law of Life Summit. The Law of Life Summit is a bi-annual gathering of national pro-life leaders and students dedicated to overturning Roe v. Wade. In an effort to expose and laud this relatively new event, on behalf of Catholics Called to Witness, I caught up with Mr. Royce Hood, organizer of the Law of Life Summit, to get an idea of just what this new event is all about.
JA: Mr. Hood, tell us about yourself and how you got involved with the Law of Life Summit?
RH: I am a graduate of Ave Maria School of Law (‘12), and an Illinois Licensed Attorney (although I was born and raised in Jupiter, Florida). I am a board member with the March for Life, founder of MariaNews.com, co-director of CatholicDaily.com and organizer of the Law of Life Summit. In a nutshell: I am active in pro-life and Catholic media. The Law of Life Summit was started as a way to unite national pro-life organizations.
JA: What exactly is the Law of Life Summit and what is its connection with the Ave Maria School of Law?
RH: The concept for the [Law of Life] Summit came about during my third year of law school. During my first two years of law school I was blown away by all of the people who participated in the March for Life. I was impressed by all of the wonderful organizations, but I had a question: How can we get all of these people and groups marching together for more than just one day? The idea for the Law of Life Summit was to bring together national pro-life groups and students. Specifically, we would focus on legal professionals.
JA: What is the intended purpose of the Summit, and what do you particularly hope to accomplish with this year’s theme: ‘Calling out the media!’ ?
RH: The Law of Life Summit = national pro-life leaders and students creating measurable and achievable objectives for overturning Roe v. Wade and for defending the sanctity of human life. Our goal is to unite national organizations and to inspire the future leaders of the pro-life movement. The only way to defeat Roe v. Wade is by combining legal strategy with an effort to achieve a cultural victory. We must educate and win the hearts and minds of the people if we will ever defeat abortion. This year’s theme, “Calling Out the Media,” was chosen to recognize the critical role of the media in promoting our pro-life efforts. This theme represents a double challenge. First, we must call out the secular media to engage in their responsibility to cover all newsworthy cultural events. For the last forty years, the coverage of one of the nation’s largest yearly gatherings in Washington DC has been dramatically overlooked by the mainstream media. Second, as pro-life leaders, we must take the challenge and fill in the gap with our own media outlets. The March for Life deserves loud, emphatic national media coverage!
JA: Finally, what kind of person is this Summit geared toward, and why should the average American be aware of and support this endeavor?
RH: The Law of Life Summit is geared toward action-oriented individuals. While we hope to engage legal professionals, aspiring students, and pro-life organizations, this is a free event with open registration. We welcome all pro-life individuals to attend the event or log in to the livestream coverage (see below).
JA: Do you have any final words for our readers?
RH: Registrations are nearly full, however folks can watch a live webcast here:
https://new.livestream.com/cc2w/lawlife
Livestream coverage of the Law of Life Summit “3” is being provided by Catholics Called to Witness. For further information concerning the Law of Life Summit, please visit their website, www.lawlife.org. We thank and congratulate Mr. Royce Hood and Ave Maria School of Law for organizing and hosting the event.
Thus far, more than 55 million children have lost their lives in the United States alone due to legal abortion. May our prayers and efforts not be in vain. The journey to the nation’s capital promises to be a somber, yet hopeful one. In the face of such a great tragedy, perpetrated over forty long years, the resolve and newfound unity among Americans of all races and creeds is something to be celebrated. The Law of Life Summit is an excellent example of the pro-life movement’s creative and concrete attempts to bring an end to forty years of the legalized slaughter of infants in the US.
For those of you who are unable to join us in Washington D.C. please tune in to our livestream coverage of the Law of Life Summit ”3”. Please join us also in prayer as we make this pilgrimage with the intention that our nation may learn to treasure the sanctity of life and safeguard the right of every individual to that which was promised by our Founders.
