ANNAPOLIS – Anticipating the fall of Roe v. Wade, many of the more than 250 people who participated in the Feb. 3 Maryland March for Life said the pro-life movement across the country must be ready to help mothers in need.
In Maryland, which has some of the most permissive abortion laws in the country, a decision by the Supreme Court to turn the abortion issue back to the states isn’t likely to affect existing statutes. But an influx of pregnant women coming from other states seeking abortions could become a reality should other states ban the procedure.
Lynn Watts, director of the respect life ministry at Our Lady of the Fields in Millersville for 10 years, attended the Maryland March for Life with her husband and spoke of the progress of the Archdiocese of Baltimore’s “Walking with Moms in Need” outreach to women in crisis pregnancies.
Watts said it will take changing hearts to change the “culture of death” mentality in the state.
“Many women had an abortion because they felt they had no choice,” she said. “Maybe if they had the help, understanding, compassion and love they needed, maybe they would not have felt coerced.”
She said she hopes her parish can “become a beacon of refuge and compassion for moms so they don’t feel they have to make the choice of abortion.”
Currently there are 10 active members in Our Lady of the Fields’ “Walking with Moms in Need” ministry. The team visited all the pregnancy centers in the area, talked to different organizations, did research on resources and set up an inventory for assisting mothers and their babies.
The theme for this year’s Maryland March for Life was “United for Life.” The prayerful demonstration is always timed to coincide with the legislative session in Maryland, which runs this year from Jan. 12 to April 11.
Due to the recent surge in COVID-19 cases, this year’s march did not include the traditional respect life Mass at St. Mary in Annapolis. There was also no procession through the streets of the capital.
Instead, participants gathered for a rally outside the statehouse featuring pro-life speakers and prayers led by a variety of religious leaders. Those in attendance then proceeded to the sidewalk to show their pro-life signs while they shouted “We are the pro-life generation!”
The crowd was enthusiastic about the Dobbs v. Jackson case now being considered by the Supreme Court, with many expressing optimism that a favorable ruling will overturn Roe v. Wade. Many in attendance also participated in the national March for Life in January.
Francis “Frank” Arlinghaus and his wife Susan “Sue” Arlinghaus, the Knights of Columbus State Pro-Life Couple and parishioners for 22 years of St. Louis in Clarksville, were among the marchers. They lead the respect life committee at St. Louis and have served in the pro-life movement for 40 years.
“I expect the Supreme Court will overturn Roe v. Wade in some form, but it will make more of a difference in other states than (in) Maryland,” Francis Arlinghaus said.
He highlighted the hostility of Maryland’s legislature when it comes taking what he called “common sense” votes, such as for the protection of women as patients and retricting late-term abortions.
“Within the Catholic Church, people need to recognize the truth of the catechism which reflects God’s teaching: We believe life begins at conception and ends at natural death,” he said.
His son, Peter Arlinghaus, looks forward to starting a pro-life club at Marriotts Ridge High School in Marriottsville. Peter Arlinghaus said Catholics need to “take their faith out of the church and into the streets.”
Kacie Swann is a freshman from Mount de Sales Academy in Catonsville and a volunteer at Mary’s Home Maryland in Ellicott City, an outreach to pregnant women.
“I want to help all these single moms who are struggling with their lives and need some help to get back on track,” she said. “The moms are really sweet and appreciative of everything you do for them. They’re determined to have a good rest of their life.”
Fathers Matthew DeFusco, associate pastor at St. Margaret in Bel Air; Andrew DeFusco, pastor of St. Andrew by the Bay in Annapolis; and Jeremy J. Smith, associate pastor of Immaculate Conception Church in Towson, attended the march together.
If the Supreme Court overturns Roe v. Wade, demonstrations such as the Maryland March for Life could have a great impact on local voters, Father Matthew DeFusco said.
Sandra Nettina is a nurse practitioner and parishioner of St. Paul in Ellicott City whose job focuses on house calls for the homebound elderly. She is an activist in the coalition against physician-assisted suicide, collaborating with the Maryland Catholic Conference and Maryland Right to Life.
“Families get all these messages from the outside like ‘the older person is a burden’ or ‘having a baby is a burden,’ and yet I see a tremendous amount of love in the families caring for their elderly relatives,” she noted. “We need people speaking of the dignity of the elderly and sharing their stories.”
Even though steady rain was expected during the march, there was barely any.
The march participants held the newly-adopted international pro-life flag and an image of Our Lady of Guadalupe as the protector of unborn children. Some held signs had messages such as “Defund Planned Parenthood,” “Pray to end abortion” and “Love them both.”
A message proclaiming “Dismantle Roe v. Wade” was projected onto the Maryland State House facing the crowd.
Email Priscila González de Doran at pdoran@CatholicReview.org
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