The March for Life

This past Monday, the 24th, was the annual March for Life in Washington, D.C. For those who aren’t familiar with this event, it’s a huge gathering of pro-lifers from all across the U.S. each year to protest the anniversary of Roe v. Wade, the 1973 Supreme Court case that legalized abortion. Generally the March is held on the 22nd, which is the actual date of Roe v. Wade, but since Congress is not in session over the weekend, the March was moved to Monday.

Five of us SHU students went on the March: Chelsie Betz, Emily Ciak, John Clatty, Carmen Marotta, and myself, plus twenty-two from Saint Vincent’s. We embarked on our almost five-hour bus ride down to D.C. at around 5:45 A.M. We arrived at D.C. at about 11:30 and reached the lawn (the one across the street from the White House) at noon. There was a big stage with a podium set up on the lawn for speakers. Behind the podium was a large group of women (who have had abortions) from the Silent No More campaign. President Bush phoned and voiced his support for the cause, and several pro-life politicians gave short, encouraging speeches. The crowd represented many cities and states, and there were even handfuls of protesters from other countries (the ones I saw were Austria, Brazil, Italy, and France).

Once the March started, the crowd moved slowly like a giant, unstable amoeba. People were constantly shifting around, or making their way along the sidewalks. It was hard to see your own group members, even if they were only ten feet away from you! On the sidewalks, people watched, or held up their pro-life signs, as we prodded along.

I was absolutely amazed at the ENORMOUS number of people there. Near the end of the March, we were going up a hill and I chanced to quickly look behind me. The street was filled with people as far as I could see. Wow. I was also especially impressed at the number of Catholic parishes/schools/organizations that participated. It was comforting to, every so often, hear people reciting the Rosary behind me. I also saw people carrying images of Our Lady of Guadalupe (Patroness of the Unborn) throughout the March. It made me proud to be a part of the Catholic faith, which consistently speaks out against the atrocity of abortion.

I only saw four pro-abortion protesters during the entire March (they were all women), in front of the Supreme Court building. (I could tell they were pro-aborts because they had those blue “Keep Abortion Legal” signs). One was alone, but the other three were huddled together. Right next to one of the pro-abort women was a middle-aged woman who was holding a sign that read “I Regret My Abortion.” (The pro-abort woman was very uncomfortable – It’s hard to preach that women are grateful for their “right to choose” when you have one who regrets her decision to choose that “right” next to you.) The March dissipated outside the Supreme Court building. We stayed there for a little while to pray, before heading back to the metro (at around 4:15) to find shelter, warmth, and potential sleeping time in our bus.
Overall, it was an interesting experience and I would recommend everyone to go. The March was very peaceful – People obey the law and don’t do stupid, radical things and get themselves (and others) arrested. You can even go into the Capital building that day to lobby for pro-life issues if you want to – Organizations affiliated with the March send out bus packets prior to the March that contain handouts with current legislation and issues to lobby for in Congress. The March is very important because Congressmen need to have this visual reminder each year that says we haven’t forgotten about this issue, and we want legislation that will choke Roe v. Wade. However, the March is not an excuse to speak out against the evils of abortion ONLY on ONE day out of the year. We have to keep praying, and nagging our politicians and wear them down so they can’t ignore the issue. I eagerly pray and wait for the January 22nd we won’t have to march against abortion because it will be illegal once more.

Post written by Emily Kasky, College Republican Secretary