Local residents traveled to Washington, D.C., Friday to participate in the March For Life. A group of seven buses left from Buffalo with residents from Orleans, Genesee and Niagara counties and from throughout Western New York.
The March for Life was a public witness on the anniversary of the 1973 Supreme Court Roe v. Wade decision, which said that a woman may abort her pregnancy for any reason, up until the point at which the fetus becomes viable. The court defined viability as the potential to live outside the mother’s womb, which is usually placed at about seven months (28 weeks) but may occur earlier, even at 24 weeks.
According to Patricia Sands, a Medina resident who participated in the march, more than 53 million legalized abortions have been performed in the United States since the landmark decision. The hundreds of thousands of people who marched Friday proclaimed the right to be born, doing so with prayer, scripture readings, songs and chants, she said.
Many prayer services were held Friday morning at various locations in the Washington, D.C., area, including a Catholic Youth Rally and Mass held at the Verizon Center, where more than 17,000 converged. Seminarian Jerry Pasnik, formerly of Middleport, was present at the Mass and rally, traveling with the pro-life group from Erie, Pa.
The youth, including Nichole Sands of Medina, listened to Catholic recording artists and composers Steve Angrisano, Matt Maher and Jesse Manibusan, who performed during the morning concert. Lauren Reese, also of Western New York, was impressed by the number of cardinals, bishops, and hundreds of priests and seminarians who attended the Youth Mass.
Just prior to the march down Constitution Avenue, more than 300,000 gathered to listen to speeches on the National Mall from politicians, clergy and women whose personal stories included post-abortion healing and mercy, Sands said. The march culminated in front of the Supreme Court, where women who regret their abortions gave witness that each abortion has at least two victims.
“We go down to observe that solemn anniversary of Roe versus Wade that permitted abortion in the U.S.,” said Sands. “We go down because we disapprove of that decision.”
