Houston,
31
January
2020
|
14:09 PM
America/Chicago

Celts March for Life in Washington D.C.

On Jan. 24 nearly 100,00 people from across the United States gathered on the national mall in Washington D.C. to demonstrate for the right to life and an end to abortion in America. Among them were 40 students from the University of St. Thomas, the largest group in school history, to advocate for an end to abortion.

The March for Life is an annual rally and march protesting both the practice and legality of abortion around the anniversary of Roe vs. Wade, a landmark decision issued in 1973 by the United States Supreme Court legalizing abortion nationwide. 

Senior theology and communication double major, Adrian Fonseca, believes this cause deserves all his support.

“Defending the lives of the unborn is the most important issue of our day,” Fonseca said. “Nearly 60 million babies have been murdered since Roe v. Wade took effect.”

The Celts for Life began their weekend by attending the Opening Mass of the National Prayer Vigil for Life at the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception on the Catholic University of America campus. The Mass’ principal celebrant and homilist was the Most Reverend Joseph Naumann, Archbishop of Kansas City, Ks, and Chariman of the USCCB Committee on Pro-Life Activities.

In his homily, Fr. Naumann spoke about the moral courage it takes to stand for the dignity of human life and lauded the younger generations for taking a stand. 

The next day, President Donald Trump spoke at the March for Life pre-rally, making him the first sitting US president to attend the March for Life. 

For Elena Ruff, a junior cell and microbiology major, the rally and march were encouraging signs.

“I really love meeting people from across the United States that are here fighting for the same right to life,” Ruff said. “It is an amazing experience meeting people from all walks of life and different religions coming together for the same goals.”

The weekend culminated with the Cardinal O’Connor Conference, hosted at Georgetown University where UST’s Celts for Life were honored with the Rev. Thomas King, S.J. Award.

The award was established in 2006 to recognize and reward ourstanding collegiate pro-life groups. The winning group is selected based on the pro-life work it has done over the past year and recieves a $1,000 award to further advance its work. Previous award winners include Fordham University, Marquette University and Saint Louis University among others.

“I think it is really important to have our voice as the pro-life generation heard,” Ruff said. “The pro-choice movement has their voices all over the national news networks. Their voice is loud and heard over ours, so we need to be loud, and we need to be boisterous to really make a difference.”