Youth and adults attend National March for Life

“We March Until There Are None.” This was the theme for the 2023 Diocese of Houma-Thibodaux pilgrimage to Washington, D.C., for the annual March for Life. This march has taken place every year since 1974 marking the anniversary of the tragic Roe vs. Wade decision, which gave federal protection for legalized abortion throughout the country. This year’s march took place in a new chapter of our journey as a nation to advocate for life, as we celebrated the landmark Dobbs vs. Jackson decision. This decision of the Supreme Court declared that federal protection for abortion rights is unconstitutional and sent the decision of whether or not to have legal abortions to the individual states.

Many states throughout the country such as Louisiana enforced laws that prohibit abortion in their state. While there was great excitement in light of this tremendous victory, the message echoed by all of the speakers at this year’s march was ”the fight is far from over!“ The reality that many states in our country still have pro-abortion laws must strengthen our resolve to continue our advocacy for life! Many states passed even more extreme laws to legalize abortions in response to the Dobbs vs Jackson decision.

“We March Until There Are None” translates, we march until abortion is completely illegal in all 50 states. We must remember in our nation’s history the push to pass the 13th amendment to the constitution prohibiting slavery in all 50 states. President Lincoln declared that our nation could no longer exist with the moral evil of slavery as part of our nation’s reality. We prayed on our pilgrimage that one day, a new amendment to the constitution would be passed prohibiting abortion in every state and declaring that our nation is a nation that respects all life, born and unborn.

With the elimination of abortion in many states such as Louisiana, a the need for adequate resources to help mothers and fathers in difficult pregnancies is even more urgent. Our students learned about these resources and ways that they can support them. Many people claim that Christians are only pro-birth but the reality is that our churches do so much to support babies and parents after birth and we must continue to strengthen those efforts. We shared that in our Diocese of Houma Thibodaux, we have two crisis pregnancy centers: Crossroad Pregnancy Resource Center in Thibodaux and Hope Restored in Houma. We encouraged the kids to get involved with these resources and others like it to strengthen the culture of life in our diocese.

Our students learned ways to speak to people about abortion that are grounded in truth. One of the arguments from the pro-choice side often employed is to say, ”what about cases of rape?” At the Geaux Forth Rally held in Washington for students from the state of Louisiana, we listened to Amber Sims speak about her pro-life story and why being conceived in rape does not take away her human dignity. Amber challenged the attendees to consider that while women who choose abortion after rape account for only one percent of abortions nationwide, in the room of 1,000 where Geaux Forth was taking place, that would account for 10 people. She said, “When I hear I’m prolife except in cases of rape, I hear I’m pro-life except in the case of Amber. It feels a little personal.” Her witness left a profound impact on the reality that nothing can justify depriving someone of their life.

On our bus ride home from the march, participants were able to share reasons why they had come on the March for Life as well as how the experience had impacted them. One participant shared that she was advised to terminate her pregnancy because her son would be born with a disability. She and her husband were determined to give birth to their child and raise him with love. She came on the march with her son to give thanks to God for his life and to stand in support of others in similar situations. Another participant shared that his parents were also advised to abort him, which they refused and his parents’ decision was the reason that he is pro-life.

The church teaches that we are to defend life from conception to natural death. We discussed different ways that life is attacked in our society. We visited the Holocaust Museum as well as the African American History Museum and learned how racism can lead to attacks on life. We discussed euthanasia and capital punishment and how these sad realities threaten life and why we must stand up for the lives of the elderly and the lives of the imprisoned.

The March for Life emphasizes that we are not just a people against something but that we are a people for something. We are for life! We have been called to live our lives with passion and joy and we find our ultimate fulfillment by living our lives for and in Christ! Jesus proclaimed that he “has come that we may have life and have it abundantly!” (John 10:10). We had beautiful opportunities to pray and worship the Lord throughout the pilgrimage. We were able to join tens of thousands of people for the vigil Mass for life at the Basilica of the Immaculate Conception. We visited St. Matthew’s Cathedral in Washington for Mass. We finished our trip with Mass at the Shrine of the Most Blessed Sacrament in Hanceville, Alabama. These beautiful opportunities for prayer helped us to see how God has blessed us and how he calls us to be a blessing to others.

One way we talked about living an abundant life for Christ is to live the vocation that God calls us to. We were able to hear from priests, seminarians, religious brothers and sisters and married people about discerning one’s vocation and living our life in service to God and his church whatever our vocation may be. A highlight was visiting the Dominican Sisters of St. Cecilia in Nashville, TN. Dominican Postulant Clare Danos, a 2017 Vandebilt Catholic High School alum shared with us her journey to the convent and how following Jesus’ call has led her to the joy her heart seeks. Another blessing was the presence of our diocesan administrator Father Patrick (P.J.) Madden who shared his vocation story. We know that to be disciples and ambassadors for life, we must see our life as a gift from God.

What we do with our life is our gift back to God.

It was so good to be back at the March For Life after missing two years because of COVID-19. I am extremely proud of this year’s participants for saying yes to march and stand up for those that cannot stand and speak for themselves. We pray that the culture of life may continue to grow and that we may be the ambassadors for life that God calls us to be!

(Very Rev. André Melancon, V.F., is pastor of St. Bernadette Church parish in Houma and dean of the Terrebonne Deanery.) BC