On February 27th, 2023, I joined my parish, Christ the King, on a trip to Annapolis, Maryland for the Maryland March for Life. The rally began at St. Mary’s Church and School in Annapolis. From there, we marched to the state capitol. It was cold and raining, but that did not stop about 1000 people from flooding the streets in front of the State House. As we stood outside and listened to several speakers, the legislative assembly of Maryland sat inside and voted on several bills that would ensure access to abortion care across the states, provided by taxpayers. This was the 44th annual Maryland March for Life and this was the largest crowd to date. We stood together, united for one cause. Speakers included pro-life speaker and podcaster Gloria Purvis, Reverend Patrick Mahoney, the chief strategy officer for Stanton Public Policy Center, and Laura Bogley, a public policy consultant. We stood in the cold and rain, listening to amazing speakers as our elected official passed bills that would protect patients and abortion care providers from criminal, legal, and administrative penalties brought by states with more restrictive laws, another bill that would require permission from patients before any medical records relating to abortion are released, and a third bill to consecrate access to abortion in the state constitution.  

Many women in these situations are scared and we need to make it known that God still extends mercy to anyone who has done this. He still loves us no matter what and will always take care of us. However, there needs to be a change, a movement. We need to move away from this culture of death and destruction and move closer to God. As Catholics, we believe that life begins at conception and that killing a baby, even if it is not breathing in the arms of the mother, is a horrible thing to do. The Catechism of the Catholic Church states, “Human life must be respected and protected absolutely from the moment of conception. From the first moment of his existence, a human being must be recognized as having the rights of a person–among which is the inviolable right of every innocent being to life” (Ratzinger 583). We need to ensure that our government protects those who cannot protect themselves. This is not just a job for Catholics, but also for Christians and other brothers and sisters of all faiths. We need to protect those who cannot protect themselves.  

Works Cited:

Catholic Church, and United States Conference of Catholic Bishops. Catechism of
the Catholic Church: Ascension Edition. Ascension Publishing Group, West
Chester, PA 19380, Ascension Press.

Maryland March for Life. “Speakers List.” Maryland March for Life, 2022,
www.mdmarchforlife.com/speakers. Accessed 6 Mar. 2023.

Gaskill, Hannah. “Activists Rally in Annapolis to End Abortion Ahead of
Protection Bill Hearings in Maryland General Assembly.” The Baltimore Sun,
28 Feb. 2023, www.baltimoresun.com/politics/
bs-md-pol-ga-abortion-march-for-life-rally-20230228-7elqa63tkbe3dkeel7neol7afi-st
ory.html. Accessed 6 Mar. 2023.