An unexpected story from the March for Life - Catholic Courier
(From left) Quadruplets Rachael, Amanda, Tyler and Derek Simpson stand in the order of their birth. Their mother, Pamela, was told at her six-week ultrasound that her pregnancy should be reduced to twins. Her doctor placed Xs on the ultrasound image to indicate which babies should be aborted — Rachael and Tyler (holding the Xs). (Photo courtesy of Marie McCaig)

(From left) Quadruplets Rachael, Amanda, Tyler and Derek Simpson stand in the order of their birth. Their mother, Pamela, was told at her six-week ultrasound that her pregnancy should be reduced to twins. Her doctor placed Xs on the ultrasound image to indicate which babies should be aborted — Rachael and Tyler (holding the Xs). (Photo courtesy of Marie McCaig)

An unexpected story from the March for Life

Just a few weeks ago, Staff Photographer Jeff Witherow and I traveled to Elmira to catch a bus with junior-high and high-school students from Notre Dame High School to cover the March for Life in Washington, D.C.

I have never been to the March for Life, so when Jeff and I were asked to cover it, I really didn’t know what to expect. I just knew I wanted to focus on the growing number of youths involved in the march and why the Notre Dame students were taking part.

Shortly after boarding the bus, Marie McCaig, a theology teacher and campus minister at Notre Dame and organizer of the trip, told me she had some students that she wanted me to interview. I assumed she chose these particular teens simply because they were well-spoken or had attended the march before.

It was that, and so much more!

Marie asked that I speak to a set of quadruplets, whose mother had been told during her six-week ultrasound to consider aborting two of the four babies. Instead, she chose life for all four of her children, who are now happy and healthy eighth-graders.

After hearing that, I turned to Jeff and said, “That’s our story!”

I talked with two of the quads during the march, as well as with their mother by phone upon returning home. I was blown away by their story. It surely wasn’t anything I was expecting to hear when I boarded that bus for the trip to Washington.

For more about the quadruplets’ story, check out our multimedia project on the March for Life at www.catholiccourier.com/marchforlife2018.

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