By Tony Magliano
The recent 50th annual March for Life in Washington, D.C. was a victory lap for the pro-life movement. After 49 years of marching to nonviolently protest the U.S.’s infamous Supreme Court decision in Roe v. Wade – which legalized abortion during all nine months of pregnancy – the high court finally overruled that highly immoral decision and stated that the U.S. Constitution does not confer a right to abortion.
And so, the 50th March for Life was indeed something wonderful to celebrate. But enough resting on our laurels. The unborn in the U.S., and in many other nations, still desperately need our help!
Throughout the world, every year approximately 73 million unborn babies never get to see the light of day. Instead of receiving quality prenatal care, they are brutally dismembered and murdered by abortion. Currently 66 countries have legalized or decriminalized abortion on request. Even previously strong pro-life Catholic Ireland now has very permissive abortion laws (see: https://bit.ly/3HDZ8x1).
And although the U.S. Supreme Court has now declared that abortion is not a constitutional right, it did not outlaw abortion. However, at least Congress and each individual state can greatly restrict or even totally ban abortion. But the opposite is also the reality in that Congress and states can make abortion legal.
According to the March for Life, the number of U.S. abortions continues to remain at well over 900,000 each year, but with the overruling of Roe, that number is projected to decrease by 200,000 annually. Saving 200,000 unborn babies every year is a major victory for life. But the fact that approximately 700,000 babies will still be subjected to the deadly violence of abortion each year, remains an appalling tragedy which we cannot ignore.
Unborn babies still desperately need our help!
Americans United for Life is providing invaluable assistance in helping states to craft and pass constitutionally based legislation to protect vulnerable human beings from abortion and physician assisted suicide, as well as advocating for basic healthcare for all patients and families, and freedom of conscience laws – recognized by the U.N. Universal Declaration of Human Right – which protect doctors, nurses and other professionals from being forced to participate in the violence of abortion (see: https://aul.org/advocacy/).
Having worked closely with Americans United for Life in the past, I am confident that they would surely be available to assist pro-life groups in other countries design legislation that would be able to withstand any legal challenges (e.g. https://aul.org/topics/latin-america/).
An interesting diverse mixture of pro-life conservatives, moderates and liberals have banned together to build a post-Roe pro-life future that boldly embraces new pro-family policies which provide:
- affordable prenatal, delivery, and new child healthcare,
- expanded child tax credits,
- paid parental leave to care for infants,
- flexible work hours for new parents,
- affordable childcare that supports working parents, as well as policies that help at-home parents, and
- fully enforced prenatal child support (see: https://postroefuture.com/#signers).
In an effort to reach out to pregnant women and families in need, consider participating in the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops’ initiative entitled, Walking with Moms in Need. Please check out their resources designed to assist parish efforts in this wonderful ministry (see: https://www.walkingwithmoms.com/about).
As Pope Francis teaches, our parishes need to be “islands of mercy in the midst of a sea of indifference.”
During the National Prayer Vigil for Life on Jan. 19 – the day before the March for Life – a message was read from the Vatican’s Cardinal Secretary of State Pietro Parolin stating that Pope Francis is “deeply grateful for the faithful witness shown publicly over the years by all who promote and defend the right to life of the most innocent and vulnerable members of the human family” (see: https://bit.ly/3JsFp4L).
Tony Magliano is an internationally syndicated Catholic social justice and peace columnist. He is available to speak at diocesan or parish gatherings. Tony can be reached at [email protected].