Peer-pressure is real, and as young people, we’ve all experienced the persuasive nature of our peers opinions. Regardless of the beneficial or negative effects, the reality is that as young people, we highly value the thoughts and beliefs of our peers.

True, we may disagree with the mainstream beliefs, or the ideologies that are constantly bombarding our social media feeds, but the fact is that we far more readily trust the views of the friends we surround ourselves with than we would a stranger or an internet expert.

This susceptibility to bend to our peer’s expectations can be dangerous, especially in terms of negative peer-pressure, or the delusion that we must break our boundaries or do things we are uncomfortable with, just to fit in with our social group.

However, there is an aspect where peer-influence can be a powerful and persuasive force for good, and a brief look back at recent history shows us the inestimable power of good this can be.

During World War Two, a mime-artist, Marcel Marceau, and a group of young resistance fighters transported hundreds of Jewish orphans across the Swiss Alps, saving them from being murdered by the Nazis. In so doing, they inspired both the Allied troops and the underground resistance forces that the fight for the dignity of human life was not in vain.

During the same time, German teenager Helmuth Hubener, who was executed for ‘treason’ at age 17, wrote resistance literature that formed a substantial part in spurring the German Resistance movement.

Similarly, German siblings Hans and Sophie Scholl (founders of the White Rose resistance group), through their writings, their fearless resistance, and ultimately their execution by the Nazis, inspired many young students to rise against the murderous Nazi Regime.

During the civil rights movements in America, as one of the Little Rock Nine (a group of nine teenagers who decided to attend their town high school despite the great risks they took to do so) Elizabeth Eckford, and many others, bravely helped pave the way for desegregation, and in so doing, inspired the entire country to desegregate and recognise the equal value and human rights of all individuals, regardless of race, ethnicity, or religion.

Stories such as these are historical proof of the incredible power young people have to persuade others to stand up for justice. By standing in the face of injustice, these young people changed the course of history and inspired entire nations to pursue moral integrity and equality.

Although segregation and the Holocaust are both now historical events, and although these fights for specific justice were won decades ago, there still remain injustices in our generations.

Just as it was the duty of the Sophie Scholl’s, the Marcel Marceau’s, and the Elizabeth Eckford’s to fight against the injustices that were being perpetrated in their times, so it is our responsibility to fight against one of the greatest and most heinous injustices of the 21st century: that of abortion.

As young people, we can cause change. The future of our nations, and our societies rests in our hands. We are the ones who must work to stem the tide of injustice, and it is our children and our peers’ children that we are fighting to protect.

As the rising generation, we are presented with two choices: we must choose to either prioritize our temporary comfort, and thus live with the long-term consequences and guilt for our mute submission and silence in the face of evil; or we choose to pursue justice despite the hardship and mockery we may endure. In so doing, when we choose to sacrificially stand for righteousness, we participate in the unending struggle for the long-term goal of a future culture that values and protects every life.

The power of peer-influence is far greater than we can imagine. And as young-adults, we are at the prime time to effectively use that peer-influence to continue standing for the value of life, and to present our peers with the facts and truths necessary to change their position on the abortion debate. By changing one mind at a time, our impact can be limitless.

Our peers subconsciously value our beliefs and this is something that we can take advantage of in a good way.

We can be the voice that is willing to say “look at the big picture, look at the facts, there is more to the story here”. We can be the ones to help convince them that an unborn baby is a baby, and thus just as deserving of life and the protection of their rights as we are.

Just think if we each helped change only one mind; if during our young-adult years, we convinced only one peer to question the morality of abortion, the exponential impact of that change of thought cannot be underestimated.

In the 1800s, John Stuart Mill wrote that “Bad men need nothing more to compass their ends, than that good men should look on and do nothing”.

This has never been more applicable than it is today, and we must remind ourselves that if we stay silent when we see injustice, we are using our silence to further perpetuate and permit the moral crime of abortion.

Do we want to be remembered as ‘the generation that did nothing’? Or do we want to be remembered as the generation that fought so diligently and so persuasively for life that they changed the course of history?

For when we are willing to take a risk and fight for a cause we believe in, we show the world that this is a cause worth fighting for.

If you are under 18 and inspired to take a stand for truth, life, and justice, check out the VFL Youth movement starting 2022. If you are a young adult who wants to be more involved in the pro-life movement, contact us to get involved with your local Voice for Life branch or PROLIFE NZ.

By Holly Anne of Prolife NZ.