Neither the early morning cold nor the prospect of missing class deterred the 12 Penn students who attended the 32nd annual March for Life in Washington to protest Roe v. Wade.
"I think it really says something that 12 of us believed enough in this cause to weather the 5 a.m. January cold and miss our Monday classes," said College sophomore Frank-Paul Sampino, vice president of Penn for Life. "It is crucial to show that there are many pro-lifers at Penn."
Organizers estimate that 250,000 people attended the protests -- which ran from the Washington Monument along Constitution Avenue and culminated at the Supreme Court near the U.S. Capitol building.
Sampino said that this year's turnout from the Penn community more than doubled that from previous years.
Penn for Life -- a campus human-rights group dedicated to advancing anti-abortion causes -- boasts some 250 people on its listserv, while about 40 of these are active members within the organization.
Sampino attributed the increase in interest to the group's heightened organizational efforts.
"This year we've been emphasizing ... being active," Sampino said. "It goes to show you that the harder we push for pro-life activities like these, the more positive response we'll get. We're very excited about that."
Penn for Life was joined at the rally by students from similar organizations at Princeton, Yale and Rice universities along with the American Collegians for Life.
"Society must provide for women who are suffering a through a crisis," said College sophomore Staci Stewart, also a member of Penn for Life. "It shouldn't produce a profitable industry at their expense."
"Standing for what you believe in is a very 'college' thing to do," College junior Riff Viana said.
Although Sampino said that the trip was "very successful" and believes that it will grow in size in subsequent years, other students believe that the effort was not as impressive.
"Although it is commendable that 12 of them went [to Washington], Penn for Choice provided eight buses full of students for last year's Women's March for Reproductive Rights," said College sophomore Julia Berenson, vice president for special events at Penn for Choice, an organization on the Penn campus which works to defend abortion rights.
"Maybe their organization isn't as open to students' opinions."
Sampino said that Penn for Life will sponsor more on-campus events geared towards raising awareness towards its cause but did not offer specific plans.
