Email This StoryMike Huckabee to visit Waco, speak on life
Sept. 14, 2009By Megan Keyser
Staff Writer
Former Arkansas governor and 2008 presidential candidate Mike Huckabee will speak at the Ferrell Center at 6:30 p.m. tonight at Care Net Pregnancy Center's annual fund raising banquet, celebrating the center's 25th anniversary.
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Care Net, which offers information and counseling resources to women in crisis situations, invited Huckabee to speak at the celebration a year ago, CEO Deborah McGregor said.
"Many of our supporters and the community at large respect Governor Huckabee for his pro-family and pro-life values. He is very supportive of pregnancy help centers across the nation,"McGregor said.
Although she does not know specifically what Huckabee will address in his speech, McGregor said she expects him to talk about the sanctity of life.
She said Huckabee may spend some time addressing health care, but the nature of the speech is not political.
"It would be good if he talks about how pro-life students can get involved in the cause to overturn Roe v. Wade," said Matthew Hrna, president of College Republicans.
Rachana Chhin, junior international studies major and president of Bears for Life, said he is very excited about the event. The anti-abortion student organization has worked with Care Net in the past and will have volunteers at the anniversary event tonight, he said. "We've developed a good relationship."
Chhin said he is excited about the event and Huckabee's speech and hopes that it opens up on-campus dialogue about the abortion issue.
"I think it would be really interesting to see conversations that are going to be sparked," he said. "I really hope that would inspire students to not only be pro-life but actually living that out.
Hrna also expressed enthusiasm about the event and the effects he expects to see on the Baylor discussion as a result.
"I am always glad to see the pro-life discussion be brought to campus, so that students that are pro-life will not become complacent," he said.
"Huckabee's speech will not only spark discussion among student organizations, but it will also give an opportunity for pro-life students to affirm the reasons behind their pro-life beliefs and make them talk about ways to get involved in the pro-life cause."
"I expect conservative groups like Bears For Life and the College Republicans to feel the ripple effects of this discussion, as it is brought up in the discussions at meetings.
Another point that I would like to make is that whether one is pro-life or pro-choice, most can agree that decreasing the amount of abortions would be a good goal.
Because of this, even pro-choice students will be involved in the discussion on campus," Hrna said.
Rather than turning to abortion, McGregor said Care Net tries to embrace women and men and families in pregnancy crisis and help them.
"As CareNet enters into its next 25 years, we would like to see abortion become unnecessary in Waco and surrounding counties," McGregor said.In addition to guest speaker Huckabee, the event will also feature a guest reading of a proclamation by Mayor Virginia DuPuy, as well as music by gospel singer Keron Jackson and Garry Rhodes.
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