Alexandra Westby, Staff Writer

As Catholic author Matthew Kelly, says, “The best way to defend life is to celebrate life.” This describes the fundamental goal of the Joys of Life Team, a new commission within the Notre Dame Right to Life Club. The Joys of Life Team (JOLT) emerged from the need to create a more positive pro-life image for the club to increase its outreach on campus. Monsignor Jim Lisante told young adults at the National Teens for Life Convention, “Be joyous that you are a pro-lifer, but bring your joy into the debate, too, and don’t become negative, critical, nasty or put down others because they don’t see things the way you do.”

The fight to end abortion can sometimes be seen as radical and incriminating, but JOLT aims to bring a new outlook to the cause of the club. Keeping the focus away from what is bad about abortion and tending towards what is so good about all life allows the Right to Life Club to be more inviting to everyone, including those who are unsure where they stand on the issue. The joy in life itself is something that all people can agree on regardless of the situation. Life is where God manifests himself, so it is inherently joyful. Therefore, it is only natural that the Right to Life Club celebrates this fact in their defense of all life, from the womb until natural death.

The Joys of Life Team also aims to see all sides of the abortion crisis. In their mission to promote the joys of life, they try to help everyone affected by abortion. JOLT furthers this mission by collaborating with the Right to Life Club’s Motherhood Resources Commission in reaching out to mothers. They act to support women in crisis pregnancies and show them their options so that they do not feel that they have to resort to abortion. JOLT also tries to extend their positive outlook and support to women who have had an abortion so that they may heal.

To promote their message, the Joys of Life Team hosts events through the Right to Life Club that are open to all students. These events are meant to celebrate life, create awareness, support women and support the Right to Life Club. At the start of the 2012 school year, they held their annual Life Fest, which had the sole purpose of generating excitement for what both Joys of Life and Right to Life had in store for the whole school year. Life Fest had food, games, and music, distributed information about the Right to Life Club and women’s resources, and raised money for the Women’s Care Center of South Bend. To kick off Respect Life Week 2012 in October, Joys of Life distributed their signature yellow smiley face balloons as a way of reminding everyone to celebrate life. Later in the week, JOLT invited students to write cards of encouragement to women in crisis pregnancies and congratulations to new mothers. JOLT also has a few projects coming up for National Adoption Awareness Month in November, and for Christmas.

Day to day, JOLT tries to remind everyone of the joy of each life and to celebrate the little things. The team runs a Twitter feed @JoysofLifeND for people to share their own daily joys as well as read others’ to make every day a celebration. It is through their events and these small efforts that they hope to bring a more joyous attitude to the pro-life mission both on campus with the
Right to Life group and elsewhere. With this outlook, the Joys of Life Team strives to create the best defense for life.

Alexandra Westby is a woman of mystery. Contact her at awestby1@nd.edu.