Last week marked the one-year anniversary of Charlie Kirk’s assassination. He was arguably one of the pro-life movement’s greatest debaters, as he not only listened to his adversaries but spoke with conviction and compassion in truth backed by facts. Charlie was calm, well read, and articulate, and that’s what made his arguments so incredibly effective when he talked with students and others around the country.
These are the qualities that the Culture of Life Studies Program hopes to help you instill in your children through its materials. Its booklets help parents or teachers discuss pro-life topics with their children or students in an age-appropriate way so that they can someday transition from student to teacher. But these qualities cannot be attained if they are merely talked about and not practiced. When preteens and teens regularly practice the art of researching facts, articulating their thoughts, and speaking with courage, they will be better able to give voice to the vulnerable and become the pro-life warriors of tomorrow.
To help them grow in this knowledge, in faith, and in compassion for their fellow human beings, CLSP holds a Pro-Life Essay Contest every Respect Life Month. Cosponsored by the Institute for Excellence in Writing, this contest gives kids in middle and high school the opportunity to think critically about a culture-of-life topic and then to articulate these thoughts. The 2026 contest opens September 18 and runs through November 7, and students in each age category are asked to reflect on a pro-life quote and respond to a prompt.
This year’s prompts introduce kids to two very holy men—one saint and one who was saintlike—who devoted their entire lives to advocating for the protection of human beings at all stages. Their words, their work, and their strong faith serve as beautiful examples to today’s kids of all you can accomplish when you put God first in life. The moral courage they showed when faced with adversity and suffering illustrates the reality that we must live focused on attaining eternity with God rather than on attaining earthly possessions or accolades.
Kids in middle school will reflect on this quote from St. John Paul II’s Evangelium Vitae: “Respect for life requires that science and technology should always be at the service of man and his integral development. Society as a whole must respect, defend, and promote the dignity of every human person, at every moment and in every condition of that person’s life.” They are then asked to choose one specific stage or circumstance of human life—such as life before birth, disability, serious illness, or old age—and write a 500-word essay defending why that person’s life has value and dignity, even when he or she may be dependent on others or facing difficult circumstances.
Teens in high school will reflect on this quote by Dr. Jérôme Lejeune: “Medicine becomes mad science when it attacks the patient instead of fighting the disease. We must always be on the patient’s side, always.” They are then asked to choose one way in which medicine has become a “mad science” and write a 500-word essay about how even though modern medicine has given humanity remarkable tools to prevent disease, extend life, and diagnose illness, we must always focus on what medicine should do rather than what it can do.
The full prompts with all the specifics, including prizes, can be found at prolifeessay.com and will not only help students think through some difficult subjects but will teach them to see others with compassion, with love, and through Christ’s eyes.
Our faith teaches that “human life must be respected and protected absolutely from the moment of conception.” That is the foundational pro-life belief. Being pro-life of course means protecting babies from the moment of conception, but it doesn’t stop there, and CLSP’s booklets and contest help kids see beyond themselves and their own lives so that they can learn to identify the vulnerable and work to protect them. Whether it’s the preborn baby, a person with a disability, the elderly, or someone nearing death, all deserve respect, and all deserve to know that their lives have meaning and value.
When we take time to learn about our faith and about biological truths, when we listen to people and calmly articulate our convictions, and when we stay courageous when voicing our beliefs, we will have a better chance of changing minds and hearts and of helping people see God’s purpose for our lives.
So as we approach Respect Life Month, let us remember that our nation was founded on the tenets of the right to life, liberty, and happiness. We cannot have the latter two if we do not have life. And we cannot have a respect for life if we don’t understand that we were all made in the image and likeness of God. Our actions should always reflect this truth, and if we hope to instill this belief in the next generation, we must give them holy role models and the opportunities to learn, to build on the foundation we have created, and to express their opinions without fear.
To read the full prompts and see all the required components, visit prolifeessay.com.
This article first appeared in Catholic World Report at catholicworldreport.com/2026/09/18/essay-contest-encourages-preteens-and-teens-to-share-their-pro-life-voices.
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