Respect Life

Tens of thousands of pro-life advocates descended upon the nation’s capital for the 50th March for Life Jan. 20 — the first national march since the overturn of the U.S. Supreme Court’s 1973 Roe v. Wade decision that initially prompted the annual demonstration.

The hundreds of teens and young adults from across the Archdiocese of Washington who gathered Jan. 20 prior to the annual March for Life at the Cathedral of St. Matthew the Apostle in Washington were urged to be “witnesses to life, witnesses to the truth that every life matters.”

The pro-life movement has “much to celebrate” because Roe v. Wade “is no more,” said Bishop Michael F. Burbidge of Arlington, Va., in his homily Jan. 19 for the National Prayer Vigil for Life’s opening Mass at the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception in Washington.

Pro-life advocates from around the country can mark the 50th anniversary of the U.S. Supreme Court’s 1973 Roe v. Wade decision by virtually participating in events being held in the nation’s capital in conjunction with the national march.

Although most Americans describe themselves as pro-choice, a majority also would support some legal limits on abortion, while keeping the procedure largely available, according to a new Marist Poll sponsored by the Knights of Columbus.