One student takes a stand and Vanderbilt blinks....

For such a time as this.....one young lady aspiring to be a nurse and working hard to get through a competitive and expensive university takes a stand for life realizing she is risking it all. Vanderbilt University in Nashville is well known to be a liberal pro abortion bastion. But this may be changing due to people like Anne Marie Dust. Always pro life,  she was concerned that the nursing classes presumed that everyone was in favor of abortion rights something she felt was in conflict with the ideals of nursing...."to care for people and not kill them."

“In my nursing classes, it was assumed that if you were ‘for’ women’s health you were not also pro-life. In college classes in general, the pro-life point of view was not even given consideration in my classes or campus affairs.”

Anne Marie had worked hard and earned excellent grades but when completing her written  application for nursing school, she saw that she was  required  to certify in writing that she would agree to participate in abortions.  She felt it was time to take a stand.  And take a stand she did and with the help of Alliance Defense Fund caused the university to back down. Being a Nashvillian, I watched as the University denied this only to quietly drop that requirement from their application. Victory for life and the people who choose to enter the profession of healing not killing.

For Anne Marie, taking a stand was not about politics, or religion, but about “addressing what is best for women”.

It was around this time that a group invited me to Vanderbilt to do a training on the art of pro life persuasion. I accepted but wondered about the reception since I was keenly aware of  the nature of this college. I was pleasantly surprised at the response and so happy to see a strong organization of faith on campus. This happened to be a Catholic group that invited me. Once again, my hat is off to the youth.


To watch a video about Anne-Marie’s struggle with Vanderbilt, click here.