The March for Life DC reminds us that attitudes to abortion are changing
Precious Life were honoured to attend the world-famous March for Life in Washington DC on Friday (19th January). Joined by hundreds of thousands of other passionate pro-life advocates, it was an incredibly uplifting, joyful and unforgettable experience which reminded us all that attitudes to abortion are definitely changing. Make no mistake about it.
As immense crowds congregated, the exuberant, positive and happy atmosphere was palpable. One report read that the organisers of the March had an average age of just 23, and the marchers themselves were notably young, vibrant and filled with an impassioned love for life as they answered a God-given calling to protect the weakest. The March for Life has now reached its 45th year, marking 45 years since the US Supreme Court handed down its devastating Roe v. Wade decision, which has caused the deaths of over 60 million little American boys and girls in the womb. Of course, back then, there were no ultrasounds. We couldn’t watch our children move in the womb. But today it is clear that attitudes to abortion are shifting dramatically in the US, one beautiful ultrasound at a time.
The theme of this year’s march was “Love Saves Lives.”
In the future, love is likely to get a helping hand from science and technology to overturn the U.S. Supreme Court’s 1973 Roe v. Wade decision, which said women and girls have the right to an abortion under the 14th Amendment to the Constitution. The ruling struck down laws banning abortion across the nation, imposing the horror of abortion on all 50 US states.
There have been enormous advances in science and technology in the last 45 years since the Supreme Court ruling. Speaking at last year’s March for Life, Vice President Mike Pence said: “Life is winning through the steady advance of science that illuminates when life begins, more and more, every day.” That’s good news for everyone who is pro-life.
With all of these advances in technology, it’s hard to imagine this not having some impact on the way Americans are beginning to view the abortion debate. The impact can be measure in opinion polls.
An annual poll released Wednesday by The Knights of Columbus and Marist on Americans’ abortion views found that 63 percent of Americans now strongly support a ban on abortion after 20 weeks of pregnancy, up from 59 percent just a year ago. The number of Democrats who support the same ban has increased to 56 percent from 49 percent in January 2017. Also noteworthy is that 61 percent of Democrats want significant restrictions on abortion.
The poll also found that 62 percent of Americans said they believe life begins within the first three months of a woman’s pregnancy. Among those who believe life begins at conception, 46 percent said they believe so because it is “a biological and scientific fact,” versus 45 percent who said they believe it based on “a philosophical or religious belief.”
The pro-life movement across the globe is getting a helping hand from science, technology and logic as the youth lead the battle to save the most innocent and their mothers in crisis. We not only have an abundance of medical and technological advancement, facts, truth, and logic on our side, but perhaps most importantly, we have love on our side. We love both mothers and their babies, and as a pro-life nation, this message of progression, compassion and equality are at the heart of our culture. Ireland serves as a beacon of hope and light to countries such as the US, which has some of the most permissive abortion laws in the world. We are giving the world hope that one day, and hopefully in our generation, abortion will be abolished entirely.