“We shall not weary, we shall not rest, until every unborn child is protected in law and welcomed in life.
We shall not weary, we shall not rest, until every young woman is given the help she needs to recognize the problem of pregnancy as the gift of life.”
These words from a speech by the late Father Richard John Neuhaus were on my mind as I led a pilgrimage to the Jan. 20 National March for Life in Washington, D.C. They perfectly sum up the purpose and the message of this annual pro-life gathering.
The March for Life began in Washington, D.C. in 1974, one year after Roe v. Wade legalized abortion throughout the country. It has been repeated every year since, around the anniversary of that Supreme Court decision. In recent years the March for Life movement has expanded to other cities across the nation – including Charlotte and Raleigh.
This year was the 50th National March for Life. On this significant anniversary, participants in the March had the joy of celebrating the Dobbs decision which overturned Roe v. Wade this past June.
As in years past, the joy and energy of thousands of high school and college students filled the air, mixed with a diverse crowd of families and people of all ages.
Priests, deacons, and religious men and women were everywhere, giving witness to God’s love for every human life.
We peacefully marched from the National Mall to the Capitol Building and past the Supreme Court. Our message? “We shall not weary, we shall not rest” – because we know our pro-life work is not over.
The end of Roe is a great step forward. But now the work of the pro-life movement must expand.
It must expand “until every unborn child is protected in law and welcomed in life.”
We must expand our advocacy to the capitals of all 50 states. Every state is now free to adopt laws that protect the unborn child. But these laws will not be passed without persistent advocacy for the right to life.
We must increase our advocacy in the U.S. Congress as well. Nothing in the Dobbs decision prevents a federal law from being passed outlawing abortion – or legalizing the procedure through all nine months of pregnancy.
It is more important than ever to hold our politicians accountable for the policies they support, lobbying them to protect life from the moment of conception until natural death, and withdrawing our support if they fail in this task.
The pro-life movement must likewise expand “until every young woman is given the help she needs to recognize the problem of pregnancy as the gift of life.”
We must increase our support for pregnant mothers who are vulnerable to abortion.
The pro-life movement has always supported pregnant moms. The daily work of almost 3,000 pregnancy resource centers providing support and material resources to moms across the country is proof of this.
In the Diocese of Charlotte, Mira Via offers housing for pregnant students and serves moms in all circumstances at their outreach center in Charlotte. Pregnant and parenting mothers experiencing homelessness find shelter at Room At The Inn in Greensboro and Catherine’s House in Belmont.
Catholic Charities partners with hundreds of agencies across our diocese to support families through all stages of life and has recently expanded its “Wee Care” program, which provides diapers and baby supplies at several locations. These efforts are joined to those of dozens more pregnancy resource centers caring for women across our state.
We must build on this support for mothers, especially in North Carolina, which saw a 37% increase in abortions between April and August 2022, after the Dobbs decision in June, according to a report by the Society of Family Planning, as women traveled here from states where abortion has become more restricted.
Multiple parishes in our diocese have begun the Walking with Moms in Need program, which guides parishes in providing practical help to pregnant and parenting moms in their local communities. Every parish can embrace this program by following the step-by-step guide available at walkingwithmoms.com.
Finally, in the wake of Dobbs, we must expand our pro-life witness to those around us – friends, family and co-workers. We must share the good news that society doesn’t have to choose between mother and child – we can and should love them both.
And we must proclaim the merciful message that God’s forgiveness and mercy are available to those whose personal history includes abortion. Rachel’s Vineyard retreats are offered regularly in our diocese for women and men seeking healing from past abortion.
Next year, we will march for life again. We will march in Charlotte, Raleigh, and in Washington, D.C. We know our work will not be finished next year – or the next.
But the Dobbs decision has shown us that real progress is possible. It has shown us at that the prayers, the witness, the support for the unborn and their mothers, and the loving conversations with friends all bear fruit.
We saw them bear fruit at the Supreme Court last year. And we are eager to see the fruit they will bear in the future.
Father Peter Ascik is director of the Diocese of Charlotte’s Office of Family Life and pastor of St. Mary Help of Christians Parish in Shelby.