Smith's stance against human trafficking has recently become a pro-life issue. He worked on the Trafficking Victims Protection Act of 2000, which made grants available to groups like the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, whose assistance for those victims was praised in U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) reviews.

Late last year, President Barack Obama's administration refused to renew the grant because the USCCB does not refer for abortions. Smith called the move an "unconscionable abuse of power."

President Obama has also demonstrated a "reckless disregard of religious liberty" by forcing people of conscience to subsidize contraceptives and abortifacient drugs through the HHS mandate.

After his remarks, Frances Hogan, clerk of the Lawyers Guild, praised Smith, "Thank you for all your hard work on behalf of dignity and life. It takes a lot of courage, and you seem to have a great deal of that."

Cardinal Seán P. O'Malley called him an inspiration.

"Would that we could populate our Congress with people like you. It would be a different country," he said.

Brody Hale, a first-year law student at Boston College, told The Pilot that he hopes to have the strong conviction displayed by St Thomas More and Smith. He knows that his faith will guide his actions in his future career and already understands the gravity that those decisions may have.

"Law is the glue that holds society together," he said. "Based on how it is used, it can have an incredibly powerful effect on the world."