|
The March
for Life
By Michael Nataro '06
For the 31st year in a row, Villanovans for
Life took a bus down to Washington, D.C., to participate in the annual March
for Life, an event commemorating Roe v. Wade, the Supreme Court decision
that allowed abortion on demand in all 50 states.
 The
march was two days later this year, the 24th of January rather
than the 22nd of January because of the presidential
inauguration. Annually, the March for Life brings almost 100,000 pro-life
advocates together in the Capitol Mall for a rally after which the mile-long
walk takes place down Constitution Avenue to First Street which is where the
Supreme Court is located.
The group of 50 Villanovans, this year, heard
speeches from Sen. Sam Brownback, R-KS, a convert to Catholicism. Also
giving addresses to the crowd was Rep. Chris Smith, R-NJ, who is the
chairman of the Pro-Life Caucus in the U.S. House of Representatives.
A very large constituent of the demonstrators were
women who have had abortions themselves, all belonging to a movement called
“Silent No More,” founded by Georgette Forney who was a guest speaker at
Villanova University in November of 2003. The women testified before the
crowd saying that their abortions had harmed them, mentally and emotionally.
Some cited that they have had health complications as a result.
The weekend before the March was the American
Collegians for Life Conference at Catholic University of America, which 10
Villanovans attended. For two days, 300 students from college pro-life clubs
met to hear a variety of different speakers, with topics ranging from the
inconsistency of the philosophy of Feminism with the pro-choice mentality,
to more medically oriented talks such as the pain a fetus feels during an
abortion.
“This
was my first March for Life,” said Michelle Iatesta, vice-president for
Villanovans for Life. “In seeing so many people all gathered to celebrate
life, I felt ‘how could there even be another side.’ ” |
|
