St. Louisans take to the streets of D.C. with a message of life

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WASHINGTON, D.C. — Every trip in the car with the pro-life club from St. Louis Priory School begins with the young men praying the Litany in Response to Abortion, which asks that God’s mercy be given to those involved in life activities.

The morning of Jan. 23, Priory senior Xavier Bick took his turn leading the litany as 10 boys and three Benedictine monks prayed along. They had left the monastery of St. Anselm in Washington, D.C., a few hours before sunrise and made their way to Our Lady of the Holy Rosary Church. The young men then met with other pilgrims who had just arrived on an all-night bus ride from Monroe City, Mo. Most if not all of the pilgrims from St. Stephen Parish looked a bit bleary-eyed from their long trek to the March for Life.

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Also arriving at the church were many Missouri Right to Life groups and homeschooling groups from the archdiocese who attended Mass with Archbishop Robert J. Carlson and seminarians from Kenrick-Glennon Seminary.

"Sadly our president condones this practice of anti-life," Archbishop Carlson said in his homily. "And last week, to show how insensitive he is, he has challenged the teachings of the Catholic Church on life and now wants to take away the freedom of conscience.

"Never before in our nation has religious liberty been under greater attack," Archbishop Carlson said, "which makes our presence here in Washington this year all the more important."

"As Catholics, it is true we are concerned about many life issues: abortion, euthanasia, domestic threat, violence, capital punishment and all the other forms of abusive behavior. Let us make no mistake about it. The most serious crime against the dignity of life is abortion, and that's why we are here," Archbishop Carlson said to the congregation in the tightly packed church in the heart of the District of Columbia.

In the Archdiocese of St. Louis more than 5,000 abortions were performed in 2009. Planned Parenthood has a facility on Forest Park Boulevard. Some expect Planned Parenthood to begin to offer abortions once again in Columbia, Mo.

"As women and men of faith we are challenged to speak out and let it be known we will not sit ideally by and tolerate this blatant, and sometimes subtle, offense against life," said Archbishop Carlson.

After finishing Mass at Our Lady of the Holy Rosary, Archbishop Carlson celebrated another Mass with some 1,600 youth from The Way, The Truth, and The Light pilgrimage organized by youth leaders in St. Louis.

Missouri Right to Life

Later in the morning, Missouri Right to Life organized "The Missouri Big Meeting," in which they sponsored talks in the congressional auditorium of the U.S. Capital building. U.S. Rep. Vicky Hartzler, R-Harrisonville, Mo., alerted listeners to several bills being moved through Congress, including HR 3541. This bill would "prohibit discrimination against the unborn on the basis of sex or race and for other purposes."

Father Ralph Wright, OSB, a longtime pro-life advocate, also addressed the Missouri gathering at the U.S. Capitol Building, presenting his 12 observations on abortion. His list began with a reflection from Hippocrates, the father of the Hippocratic Oath, who died in 370 B.C. The oath until the 1960s was the ethical foundation and guiding light for medical practice.

Hippocrates wrote: "The regimen I adopt shall be for the benefit of my patients according to my ability and judgment, and not for their hurt or for any wrong. I will give no deadly drug to any, though it be asked of me, nor will I counsel such, and especially I will not aid a woman to procure abortion."

Father Wright also pointed to the Declaration of Geneva in 1948, written as a response to the horrors of the Nazi eugenics program that occurred before and during World War II. The World Medical Association adopted the Declaration of Geneva,which states, "I will not permit considerations of religion, nationality, race, party politics or social standing to intervene between my duty and my patient. I will maintain the utmost respect for human life, from the time of conception; even under threat, I will not use my medical knowledge contrary to the laws of humanity."

Father Wright lamented that these two historic declarations, which embraced the value of human life by the medical professions, are now largely defunct. He ended his 15-minute address by reflecting on God's incredible love, saying that God does not love simply but loves each and every person exclusively.

The March

The March for Life was held one day after the 39th anniversary of the Supreme Court's 1973 Roe vs. Wade decision that legalized abortion in the United States.

At noontime, pro-life marchers took to the streets of the capital, including the two youth groups from the archdiocese, Life Matters and Life Really Matters. An estimated 1,000 additional pilgrims from the archdiocese met on the plaza of the Canadian Embassy before making their way into massive crowds marching along Constitution Avenue.

The protesters who braved the cold and down-pouring rain were estimated to be larger than last year's 400,000 person march. The marchers were largely composed of youth and their enthusiastic voices lifted in songs and chants which were always positive, maintaining a dignity which marked the overall tone of the entire procession.

The march route processed down Pennsylvania Avenue toward the U.S. Capitol building, where it veered round the premises and ended on the steps outside of the U.S. Supreme Court building. Holding signs that read "I regret my abortion," many men and women gave their own personal testimonies of their abortion experiences.

The entire 8th-grade of St. Theodore's in Wentzville pilgrimaged to the March for Life as they traditionally have done for over 15 years. The group led by Father Gary Vollmer took part in a youth rally and met other young pro-lifers from Texas, New Jersey and Florida.

After visiting the Holocaust Museum and then seeing some of the graphic imagery contained in a few protest signs at the March, Justine Farrell understood there to be a relationship between the holocaust and abortion. "These are both human people with hearts and feelings," she said. "The Jewish people, who were killed by the Nazis, and the children who are dying from abortion all over the world today," she remarked, "both deserved to have their lives respected."

Jeanette Crowder was inspired by the thousands and thousands of youth who were cheering for life at the March. Her favorite march cheer was "We love babies, yes we do, we love babies how about you!" which was a phrase acclaimed throughout the entire event.

Julia Holcomb, the ex-fiancee of rock star and American Idol judge, Steven Tyler, has recently spoken about her own abortion experience which happend when she was just 16 years old and felt pressured into it by Tyler. Taking to the steps upon the U.S. Supreme Court building Holcomb addressed the protesters telling how abortion doctor stuck a needle filled with saline solution into her stomach and pronounced, "Your baby is dead." She said that Tyler could no longer look at her after the abortion, and it finally ended their three-year relationship. She has since joined the Silent No More Awareness campaign and has become a pro-life activist. Holcomb is now a Catholic, married and has six sons.

Adam Thomas, a sophomore from St. Louis Priory school in St. Louis, was taking part in the March for Life for the second time. He related seeing a woman in the march near the Supreme Court who was holding a sign advocating abortion and a women's right to choose.

She was listening to the stories of the people at the podium who were talking about their own abortion nightmares. "There were pro-life women surrounding her and trying to hide her sign with their own," he said. Then he noticed how the woman's demeanor changed after she listened to a moving testimony by one of the speakers. "Suddenly her face changed" and she began to cry, he said. "Then the pro-life supporters gathered round to comfort her."

"I think she had gone through an incredible realization and just broke down right there in front of the Supreme Court." Not knowing for sure what had happened, "my friends and I prayed for her," he said.

Tom Eichwald.   If you have photos from the March for Life which you would like to share email them to lisajohnston@archstl.org **

March for Life from CBC - Images by St. Louis Review