Voice for the Voiceless

WASHINGTON D.C.  The 500,000 pro-life activists who descended on the nation’s capital on Jan. 24 to demonstrate in the 47th annual March for Life, like Dan Flaherty of Long Valley, got a huge jolt of encouragement from President Donald Trump, who made history that day as the first U.S. president to attend the yearly national protest against the evils of abortion. The appearance of the president — who declared, “We are here for a very simple reason: to defend the right of every child, born and unborn, to fulfill their God-given potential” in a speech before the March — is also credited with inspiring a significant boost in attendance this year.

Blessed with warm weather in the 50s, countless faithful from the Diocese joined throngs of marchers — many of them chanting pro-life slogans, singing hymns and praying the rosary — as they made their way down Constitution Avenue in the nation’s capital for the March. The annual March for Life marks the Jan. 22, 1973 decision of the U.S. Supreme Court in Roe v. Wade, which made abortion legal. This year’s March theme, titled “Life Empowers: Pro-Life is Pro-Woman,” centered on the 19th Amendment, which gave women the right to vote. This year marks the centennial of the amend­ment.

A six-time veteran of the March, Flaherty of Our Lady of the Moun­tain Parish, Long Valley, marched with fellow members of Knights of Columbus Council 10419.

“I come to the March to speak for those who can’t speak for themselves,” said Flaherty, also a member of Life Runners at St. Cecilia Parish, Rockaway. He is married with two children, two grandchildren and another on the way. “I support our President, who supports the pro-life movement. It has been magnificent to see such a leader standing tall against abortion,” he said.

Like in years past, a growing and significant number of marchers were young people under the age of 25. Many of them held signs, which proclaimed, “I Am the Pro-Life Generation.”

In his address, Trump said, “For 47 years, Americans of all backgrounds have traveled from across the country to stand for life. And today as president of the United States, I am truly proud to stand with you.”

“When we see the image of a baby in the womb, we glimpse the majesty of God's creation. When we hold a newborn in our arms, we know the endless love that each child brings to a family. When we watch a child grow, we see the splendor that radiates from each human soul,” said Trump, who touted his administration’s pro-life initiatives, including the appointment of “187 federal judges, who apply the Constitution as written, including two phenomenal Supreme Court justices: Neil Gorsuch and Brett Kavanaugh,” he said. “Together, we must protect, cherish and defend the dignity and the sanctity of every human life,” he said.

Before the rally, a bus from St. Philip the Apostle Parish, Clifton, and St. Anthony of Padua Parish, Passaic, stopped at St. Peter Church on Capitol Hill for a Mass for life with others, celebrated by Father Michael Rodak, pastor of St. Jude the Apostle Parish, Hardyston. In his homily, the priest characterized Roe v. Wade as a decision that wrongfully puts “oneself first at the expense of the child in the womb.”

“This same city that served as the scene of the horrific and scandalous Supreme Court decision that has resulted in the loss of 62 million lives in the womb by Roe v. Wade, can be the same city that will lift the veil on God’s great gift of creating you, and me — a true gift that is exemplified through us today, as we can be part of the scene of the dawning and beauty of life,” said Father Rodak. “Our actions, activism and prayer is essential if we are disciples of Jesus,” he said.

After the rally, which included many other pro-life speakers, among them U.S. Rep. Chris Smith [R-N.J.], a co-chair of the bipartisan Congressional pro-life caucus, participants — including Catholics from seminaries, parishes, schools, religious communities and various religious groups — started at noon to make their way down Constitution Avenue. They passed the Capitol Building, where the impeachment trial was taking place in the Senate, and to the U.S. Supreme Court building. They chanted slogans, such as “We love babies, yes we do. We love babies, how ’bout you?” and carried placards, such as “Your Mother Chose Life.” After the March, many participants met with members of Congress to discuss pro-life issues.

One first-time marcher was Marcela Toledo, 16, a junior of DePaul Catholic High School, Wayne. She joined 43 fellow students and four adults for the trip, which included attending a pro-life rally the night before the March and another one that morning. They wore hats and carried signs that proclaimed, “DePaul is pro-life.”

“This opened my eyes even more as to why abortion should not be allowed. A baby is a baby at conception. Babies should have the chance to be given up for adoption to bless a family that can’t have kids with a baby,” said Toledo, a member of DePaul’s Right to Life Club, which lobbies lawmakers in support of pro-life legislation and raises awareness of pro-life issues in the DePaul community.

Another marcher, Armando Arias, led a 40-person group from St. Anthony’s, which prayed the rosary in Spanish on the bus that morning. A seven-time March veteran, he came down with his daughter, Mariana, 12.

“Abortion is not a right and not a choice. We want to spread God’s witness. Abortion doesn’t only affect the woman but also many other people too, because it takes away a life,” Arias said.

“President Trump's support of the pro-life movement is a blessing and encouragement to the millions of pro-lifers all across the United States who spend their time, money, and energy helping women and their children," said Carol Tobias, president of National Right to Life. "His support of the most basic of human rights has made a difference in how our country treats the most vulnerable among us."

In his remarks, President Trump said. “Above all, we know that every human soul is divine and every human life, born and unborn, is made in the holy image of almighty God. Together, we will defend this truth all across our magnificent land. We will set free the dreams of our people and with determined hope, we look forward to all of the blessings that will come from the beauty, talent, purpose, nobility and grace of every American child.”

On one bus headed home to the Diocese that night was Valerie Haggerty, a DePaul theology teacher and its Right to Life Club moderator. She called Trump’s speech a “major encouragement” to pro-lifers — along with the commitment that he already has demonstrated with his appointments to the U.S. Supreme Court.

“Our DePaul students were impressive at the March for Life. They were on board — walking for miles and totally engaged and enthusiastic on the trip,” Haggerty said. “The students also realized that they are not alone in their beliefs, which might inspire them to speak out against abortion,” she said.