Early this morning, members of Penn State's Students for Life boarded a bus bound for Washington, D.C., ready to brave the cold for a cause.

Students for Life President Cristina Barba and other members of Penn State's Students for Life are taking the four-hour ride to the nation's capital today to participate in the annual March for Life.

"It's a celebration for the sanctity of human life," Barba (junior-psychology) said. Barba has gone to the march more than 10 times since grade school.

Fifty-four students boarded the bus at Pollock Library at 6:30 this morning and will arrive in Washington, D.C., at around 10:30. At noon, the group will attend a rally at the Washington Monument, followed by the quiet "March-a-thon" across Washington, D.C.

The march is held in January to mark the anniversary of the 1973 Roe vs. Wade court decision, which legalized abortion. Each year a crowd gathers in opposition to the decision.

Barba considers the abortion question one of the main civil rights issues of today.

"It's inspiring to see the hundreds of people that attend," she said. "The march gives us the courage to keep fighting the good fight."

Students for Life has been around since the 1970s. Four years ago, a group of seven students came together to activate and organize the group at Penn State.

Students for Life member Greg Laplante is one of the original founding members of the Penn State group. He has made the trip to Washington, D.C., every year since his freshman year at Penn State.

"The march is something we wish we didn't have to do, but we were called to," Laplante said.

"We exist so we don't have to do it in the future. Each year we hope that it's our last. It is a solemn time to pray and reflect and to try to counteract evil. It's awesome to see the amount of youth that is active. With time the truth will come [about abortion]," he added.

However, not everyone wanted to support the march.

Bob Graybill, Feminist Majority Leadership Alliance (FMLA) adviser, said although the FMLA did not have time to organize a trip to protest the march, they attended the event last year.

"We are doing things to support choice," he said. "We just didn't have much of a chance to get organized and get down there."

Graybill said in the next month, FMLA will circulate petitions to get emergency contraception available over the counter and be talking to women's studies classes to recruit students.

In addition to the annual march, Students for Life holds prayer vigils outside State College Medical Services, a local abortion facility on College Avenue, every Saturday.

Apart from the silent protest and prayer, Barba considers the group a "sidewalk council" for the men and women who enter the facility.

"It's a last ditch effort. We don't yell or scream, we just provide alternatives," she said. "Even if no one listens, we feel that someone should be there to witness those deaths."

Graybill said although he believes anyone should have the ability to protest, the protesters may be offending patients who are entering the medical facility.

"I think they should have the right to stand there, just as I would have the right to protest something I disagree with," he said. "However, I think its incredibly cruel to the people who are going in because what they are doing isn't going to change anyone's decision -- it's just making it harder and making people miserable."

Students for Life has attempted to "get at the root of the problem" by protesting the campus Condom Co-Op, which provides condoms for students at a low cost. They said they strongly advocate the idea of no sex until marriage.

Barba said the difficulty and seriousness of the abortion issue weighs heavily on the group.

In response, Students for Life began their Valentine's Day of Roses program last year, where the group handed out 3,500 white, long-stemmed roses with the message "you're worth waiting for" attached.

"The roses are something we can't get yelled at for," Barba said. "Everyone likes getting a rose."

Some of the male members of the group dressed in suits and distributed the flowers randomly around campus.