On Jan. 19, 2024, Theological College seminarians and their 50 guests from St. Vincent Seminary in Latrobe, Penn., attended the 51st annual March for Life. The theme of this year’s March was “With Every Woman, For Every Child,” emphasizing the need to care for both the mother and the child. This was the second March since the June 2022 Supreme Court overturning of the Roe v. Wade decision, and the turnout was impressive, even with the advent of a snowstorm on the day of the gathering.
The fact that the March continues to attract so many is tied to the fact that the goal of the national March for Life is to not only change laws at the state and federal level, but to change hearts and minds. As Deacon Dylan Prentice (Archdiocese of Washington) expressed, “Although the Supreme Court overturned the 1973 Roe v. Wade case ruling with its 2022 decision in the Dobbs v. Jackson case, still we march each year to help change the ever-present ‘culture of death’ into a ‘culture of life.’ With over 900,000 abortions still performed every year, we continue to march for an end to the view that certain stages of human life are expendable or less valuable, and we march for a renewal in the belief that all human life has inherent, precious dignity from conception until natural death. We march for a conversion of the culture, that we may all see that every human person is made in God’s image and likeness.”
Jackson Nichols (2-B, Little Rock) concurred, “Even with the Dobbs decision, the national March for Life remains a very powerful experience. The legislative focus has shifted to individual states, which is where the legal battleground against abortion currently is, but the March is about more than legislation. The March provides a strong witness on a national scale to the dignity of human life. It urges us to join together in fostering a culture that supports women in difficult situations and encourages us to see the person as someone worthy of love instead of as something to be discarded.”
The Theological College Student Government Association ended Respect Life Month on January 30th by inviting Susan Gallucci to speak to the community about her work as executive director of the Northwest Center. For over 40 years, the Center, which promotes the dignity of women and a respect for all human life, has been serving DC-area women in need of comprehensive assistance and loving support in order to deliver and care for their babies. Earlier this year, the Social Justice Committee inspired the TC community to raise over $5,000 to donate to this worthy charity.
