Today We March— Will Our Pols Take Notice?

Details: 25 January 2013

This Friday, Jan. 25, I will be among the hundreds of thousands of pro-life pilgrims (including 12 bus loads of young people from Nebraska!) attending the annual March for Life in Washington, D.C. In addition to its enormous size, what is unmistakable about the March participants—year after year—is its youthfulness.

The youthfulness of the pro-life activists was even acknowledged (with chagrin) by Nancy Keenan, president of the National Abortion Rights Action League (NARAL) in a 2010 Newsweek article. Three years ago, upon arriving at Washington’s Union Station Jan. 22, Keenan noticed the throng of pro-lifers in town for that year’s March for Life.

"I just thought, my gosh, they are so young," Keenan said. "There are so many of them, and they are so young." Research that NARAL had just conducted earlier that year compounded her fears.

A survey of 700 young Americans (under 30) revealed a significant "intensity gap" on abortion. More than half (51 percent) who opposed abortion considered it a "very important" voting issue, compared with only 26 percent of those supporting abortion.

The youthfulness of the pro-life movement is not the only bright spot and sign of hope. On its website, National March for Life, the March for Life organization has a list of 40 "bright spots in the pro-life effort" that provide "reasons for hope." It categorizes the reasons as such: "Polling and Data on Abortion," "Pregnancy Resource Centers," "Conversions and Outreach Ministries," "Laws—Federal and State," "Cultural/Miscellaneous." I encourage you to check it out.

Something else worth checking out is a compelling short video produced by Black Stone Films to promote this year’s March for Life. The video uses excerpts from President Obama’s speech after the Newtown massacre juxtaposed against scenes from past Marches. You can see the video by going to www.youtube.com and searching for "A Nation Rises—March for Life."

Here are the excerpts from President Obama’s speech that are featured in the video:

"They had there entire lives ahead of them… birthdays, graduations, weddings, kids of their own. This is our first task… caring for our children. If we don’t get that right, we don’t get anything right. That’s how as a society we will be judged. And by that measure can we honestly say that we’re doing enough to keep our children—all of them—safe from harm.

"We will be told that the causes of such violence are complex… and that is true. But that can’t be an excuse for inaction. If there is even one step that we can take to save another child surely we have an obligation to try.

"Are we really prepared to say we are powerless in the face of such carnage? That the politics are too hard? Are we prepared to say such violence visited on our children year after year after year is somehow the price of our freedom?"

It’s hard to imagine anyone disagreeing with these powerful sentiments by President Obama as they pertain to the massacres in Newtown and elsewhere. Sadly, however, as many pro-lifers have noted, the president’s comments ring rather hollow given his complete disregard for the lives of the more than 3,000 unborn children who were killed by abortion that day—and every day.

So we march and we pray and we fast that one day this President and so many other pro-abortion elected officials will acknowledge the enormous blind spot in their concern for children and for human rights. With the confidence of our faith that all things are possible with God, let us pray that next Jan. 22, President Obama gives a Newtown-like speech on the stage of the March for Life.

You can contact Greg at The Nebraska Catholic Conference, 215 Centennial Mall South Suite 310, Lincoln, NE 68508; This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.