Sunday, January 15, 2012

In Birmingham...

...no, not our Birmingham, but the other one, the one in America. I'm here to do some work for EWTN, which is based in a small town on the city's outskirts. But by today the various projects had been completed, so I was able - with a number of EWTN staff - to join the big March for Life through the city, one of several across America over the next days to mark the anniversary of the notorious Roe. v.Wade court case which established the right to destroy American babies in the womb.

A good-sized crowd gathered in a local park, and after a welcome we had prayers led by a local Presbyterian pastor, and the solemn ringing of a bell to mark the millions of children killed by abortion in the years since 1972. Then a silent march through the wide city streets. People carried placards begging for better help for women, for respect for all human life, for an end to abortion. It was impressive, touching, and big.

America will see an end to abortion before we do in Britain: there is a sense of unity and purpose here as people gather for a greast march such as this, a seriousness matched by a sense of community and solidarity, goodwill between Christians of different denominations, and a feeling of youth and vigour as so many young families walk with measured pace.

In a few days I'll be taking part in the bug national March for Life in Washington. God bless America.

7 comments:

Elizabeth said...

I just saw this comment from Mother Theresa about abortion in America:
"America needs no words from me to see how your decision in Roe v. Wade has deformed a great nation. The so-called right to abortion has pitted mothers against their children and women against men. It has portrayed the greatest of gifts--a child--as a competitor, an intrusion, and an inconvenience." (Mother Theresa -- "Notable and Quotable," Wall Street Journal, 2/25/94, p.A14)

Manny said...

Our pro-life movement in the US seems to get stronger every year. I know some day we will over come!

Mary Elizabeth said...

I found out rather late in my life just how devastating abortion has been in our country. Even one killing of a baby is too many. I found out at Mass back in the year 2000, the great Jubilee year, that over 1/3 of my oldest son's generation had been murdered. I had never known that until our young priest told us in probably the first pro life sermon I had ever heard. I then began to hear more and more. I urged my husband and my youngest child to accompany me to a protest of abortion at a hospital, paradoxically named Christ Hospital, outside Chicago, Il. There we stood outside this hospital on a beautiful day, a Sunday, with placards, feeling quite nervous, but feeling we had to do this, along with a good number of other people who just had to be there too. This is the hospital, I seem to remember, where a nurse who became a voice for the pro life movement had actually worked and had experienced first hand the sadness and evil of abortion. She had discovered an aborted infant left in a supply room and she held the still alive infant until it died. This child had been aborted and delivered alive but was scheduled to die from the abortion. Hence, the "finding of the child in the supply room". I will never forget hearing about this. I could not believe this had really happened. From then on we have tried to stay involved in various ways in order to do something to end this horrible crime against life. I have taken part in marches too. Thanks for your participation in Birmingham and in Washington. Together we will put an end to this heinous crime, with God's help.

Clearly Salmon said...

A powerful post.

pelerin said...

A March for Life is being held in Paris today too and according to the newspaper 'La Croix' is being supported by 18 French Bishops. I understand this is the largest March for Life in Europe.

An American friend has asked me 'Why not in London?' Good question.

Matthew M said...

Perhaps we in the USA will overturn abortion (at least all but a minimum of it) before you do in Europe. Remember, England and Europe overturned slavery before we did. It took a Civil War to finally begin the process which was ongoing for another century. Hopefully, you will not see another war over Islam to bring about the end of abortion.

Matthew M said...

Perhaps we in the USA will overturn abortion (at least all but a minimum of it) before you do in Europe. Remember, England and Europe overturned slavery before we did. It took a Civil War to finally begin the process which was ongoing for another century. Hopefully, you will not see another war over Islam to bring about the end of abortion.