In Washington DC, the capital of the United States, a crowd of pro-life activists and leaders mobilized at the Lincoln Memorial on June 22 to commemorate the second anniversary of the repeal of Roe v. Wade through the sentence Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization, of the Supreme Court of the country, promulgated on June 24, 2022.
The concentration was part of the first edition of the National Celebrate Life Weekendan event promoted by various pro-life organizations such as Students for Life, Sidewalk Advocates for Life y 40 Days for Life.
Receive the main news from ACI Prensa by WhatsApp and Telegram
It is increasingly difficult to see Catholic news on social media. Subscribe to our free channels today:
Various personalities addressed the large crowd about ways the pro-life movement can engage younger generations, the current sex trafficking crisis, and healing for those affected by abortion, among other topics.
Kristan Hawkins, president of Students for Life of Americatold ACI Prensa that the events of this past weekend were “the celebration of the tens of thousands of lives that have been saved in the United States since the fall Roe v. Wade“.
However, Hawkins believes that the National Celebrate Life Weekend It is also a way in which the country’s pro-life activists can strengthen their commitment and personal conviction in their fight against abortion and for human dignity.
The importance of politics in the fight for life
The real work for life, he added, must be done “at low tide, while we wait for the chaos of high tide to finally reach the shore.”
“And I think what’s important today, particularly in the political season we’re in, is to hold our leaders, especially the leaders of the Republican Party, accountable for the decades of pro-life promises, which many of them have suddenly forgotten.” when it comes to this issue,” said the activist.
“And you have to understand that, as President Reagan said, there are three legs to the stool of the conservative movement that keeps conservatives winning in the United States, and the pro-life movement is a very important leg. And without that leg, the defeat is almost assured,” Hawkins added.
Precisely regarding the political relevance of the issue of abortion in the country, Representative Robert Good (R-VA)—who was the second speaker of the morning—told ACI Prensa that “there is no issue more important than life, it is literally life or death. Abortion takes the lives of almost a million innocent babies every year. It is the number one killer in our country.”
For the congressman, the pro-life movement must not diminish its efforts at any time, but—on the contrary—it must fight to continue protecting life from conception. This fight includes the commitment of all citizens, but especially that of politicians and legislators.
“That’s why we get involved in politics. That’s why elections matter: to elect true pro-life conservatives who rise to the moment and protect life from conception,” said the representative Good.
On the second anniversary of the repeal of Roe v. Wadeexplained that the decision completely changed the landscape of the United States and was emphatic in pointing out that there is no constitutional right to abortion.
“The decision Roe vs. Wade It was the most damaging, costing 60 million lives, but also the most misguided, the most poorly defended in the history of the Court. Now we, as legislators in Congress, have to rise to the moment and not abdicate our responsibility,” she concluded.
Hawkins, for his part, highlighted the importance of dozens of states having acted quickly to protect life since the fall of Roe v. Wade and celebrated victories against the abortion lobby, which is now trying to locally legalize the murder of unborn children with the support of organizations like Planned Parenthood.
In that sense, he said that the Heartbeat Protection Act that has just come into force in Florida “will save tens of thousands more lives” because this is a state chosen by many women from Hispanic countries to have abortions.
He Heartbeat Protection Act Florida’s law prohibits abortions after a fetal heartbeat is detected, usually around six weeks of gestation. The law includes exceptions in cases of danger to the mother’s life, rape, incest or fatal fetal anomalies.
It came into effect with the goal of protecting lives from the very early stages of pregnancy and reflects a growing trend in several US states towards stricter restrictions on abortion, after the repeal of Roe v. Wade.
The importance of youth in the pro-life struggle
According to Hawkins, historically the success of any social movement is sustained by the involvement of young people. “We must have young people who lead the movement, and that is why Students for Life of America 18 years ago,” he said.
“Our strategy is simple: we go where the young people are, where the culture is being formed, where abortion is targeted with its predatory industry, to the universities and high school campuses and we tell the truth,” Hawkins said. .
“We educate, we activate these young people to get involved in this movement and I believe that they will be the ones to see the end of abortion,” he added.
One of these young activists is Sami Parker, from the pro-life group Live Action, who during her speech at the event highlighted the need to train younger generations in the importance of protecting life in all its stages.
Parker delved into the work of Live Action with young people, especially in the project Baby Olivia, a three-minute video that aims to promote education about fetal development. A few weeks ago, Tennessee passed a bill which forces public schools in the state to include video in their curricular offerings.
“Students are shown the truth, because the truth is what ends up making people pro-life. The abortion industry wants to do everything in its power so that no one knows the truth,” Parker told ACI Prensa. at the end of his speech.
“It is very important for young people to be pro-life because they are going to be the next voice. Just because you are young doesn’t mean you don’t have a voice, it actually means they have a strong voice,” he added.
“If young people don’t speak up about the issue of abortion, if they don’t demand full legal protection, then we will never see the end,” Parker said.
For Haywood Robinson, director of medical affairs and education at 40 Days for Lifethese events are confirmation that youth are committed to defending life throughout the country.
“It is not just a national problem, but a global holocaust,” he told ACI Prensa. “That’s why it’s very important that we stand up for justice, no matter how many people are here, because God is the majority by Himself,” Robinson added.
So what’s next for the pro-life fight?
According to Hawkins, the post Roe v. Wade represents many challenges, internal and external, for the pro-life cause.
“There are more than 3,000 places across our nation to support women and families during pregnancy and well beyond, far outnumbering the less than 600 Planned Parenthood abortion centers across our country. But our neighbors don’t. They know these resources exist. We have to do a better job of marketing these resources,” he commented.
Additionally, he emphasized the need to hold pro-life political leaders accountable for their efforts on this issue and the importance of educating voters to vote for candidates who will truly work to fight abortion and defend human dignity.
Finally, Parker concluded that the efforts of the pro-life movement should focus on achieving complete legal protection for unborn children, although he acknowledged that it may be difficult to achieve, he called on all people not to be overcome by discouragement and to work to achieve this goal.
Andres Henriquez
I have been a writer for ACI Prensa and a correspondent for EWTN since 2023. Since then, I have covered events in the Catholic Church in Venezuela and Latin America. I have more than 5 years of experience in bilingual media. Additionally, in Venezuela I have worked with non-governmental organizations in favor of freedom and respect for human rights in the country. I have been a member of the Regnum Christi Federation since 2014.