by Thomas Murawski Sr.
Junior Mya Pugh from, Christ the King H.S., Middle Village, is this year’s winner of the high school Culture of Life Oratorical Contest and will represent the Brooklyn Diocese in state-wide competition on May 12
Pugh opened her speech opened with an affirmation of her Pro Life beliefs and commitment. She shared with the audience the positive experience she gained at her first March for Life in Washington, D.C. this past January. She said she was surprised and amazed at the hundreds of thousands of Pro Life marchers from “Seven to Seventy,” from all throughout the country including California, Iowa, as well as New York.
In order to win the grand prize, $400 and a chance to go to the state finals, Pugh had to compete against other students from her school; Archbishop Molloy H.S., Briarwood; Xavier, Manhattan; and The Mary Louis Academy, Jamaica Estates. The students competed at Holy Family School, Flushing.
The first place prize of $300 was captured by Thomas Roemer, a senior and captain of the debate team at Xavier. Roemer stressed the need to go back to basics in order to eliminate the horrific practice of abortion. He argued that abortion does not champion women’s rights, rather abortion is anti-women and hurts their cause.
He cited examples from countries worldwide such as China which is known to be one of, if not the most, anti-woman nations in the world. On the domestic front, he chastised the United States government for not upholding its basic duty of protecting everyone including the unborn in their pursuit of life and liberty and argued for a Constitutional amendment banning abortion.
Second place and a prize of $200 went to Mary Grace Donohoe, a junior at The Mary Louis Academy. She shared with the audience her special friendship with a girl who was adopted. This friend will never meet her biological mother since the mom chose to defy her country’s policy of forced abortion and showed the bravery and unselfishness in giving her the precious gift of life.
Donohoe also explained that New York City has a 49% abortion rate and is known to many as having the undubious distinction as being the “abortion capital of the country.”
Third place winners were Malik Horton, a junior at Xavier, and Thomas Murawski, a senior at Archbishop Molloy. They each captured prizes of $150.
Horton condemned the YOLO, You Only Live Once, attitude held by many in modern society.
Murawski offered his own solution and insight as to how government’s continued support of pro-abortion groups doesn’t make sense since for only about $31 per year per person, the country can support the “unwanted” one million aborted fetuses a year.