After the cardinal's address was panel of speakers, including George Mason University law Professor Helen Alvare, National Right to Life vice president Tony Lauinger, homelessness advocate Sister Mary Louise Wessell, and Congressman and doctor Dr. Brad Wenstrup (Ohio-2). The panel was moderated by Dr. Kevin Donovan, a a professor of pediatrics at Georgetown University, and director of the university's Center for Bioethics.
Wuerl stressed the importance of life – and the challenges facing culture where "people have the power to choose which lives are worth living and which ones are not." The cardinal pointed to the prevalence of suicide among young people, the rise of physician-assisted suicide, and the discarding of the disabled, the unborn, the elderly, and other vulnerable populations as examples of a culture which views some lives as not worthy of living.
The Christian view of life, he countered, honors life not as something we own or create, but are stewards of: "Life, as all creation, in its rich diversity is God's gift." To counter the views of life which see people as disposable and burdens, Wuerl suggested following the example of Pope Francis and accompanying those who are suffering.
The speakers' panel echoed the cardinal's critique of a culture of discarding others and the need to care intimately for the vulnerable. Alvare shared how her experiences caring for her severely disabled sister and elderly grandparents gave her a new appreciation for the Church's "radical" message of the equality of all human persons. As she became more involved in the pro-life movement, she saw the web of situations and decisions in a culture "that immiserates women."
"The poor are suffering the most," she said of this culture, and critiqued the lack of solutions provided to women that don't include abortion.
Westrup pointed to a deeply moving experience of caring for an AIDS patient in 1985 while he was a resident in Chicago. He explained that many of his fellow doctors were scared of the man, and the attending physician made care for the dying man voluntary. Westrup wanted to see him, however, and learned much from his examination.