Indiana March for Life and rally draw nearly 1,000 hopeful for the end of Roe v. Wade
The front half of an estimated 1,000 participants in the Indiana March for Life in Indianapolis on Jan. 24 head toward the Indiana Statehouse for a pro-life rally. The other half wrap around the south side of the Soldiers and Sailors Monument seen in the background. (Photo by Natalie Hoefer)
By Natalie Hoefer
When students from Father Michael Shawe Memorial High School in Madison learned their trip to the National March for Life in Washington was canceled this year, “They were disappointed,” said Chemaign Drumm, the school’s retreat and pro-life coordinator.
Instead, they came to Indianapolis for the Indiana March for Life events on Jan. 23 and 24—and their disappointment evaporated.
“They were blown away at the number of people, the chanting and walking through the streets of Indy. And being right in the thick of the crowd and next to the speakers at the rally really solidified their support for life,” said Drumm.
Indeed, a spirit of hope resounds each year at the Indiana March for Life.
But there was an additional sense of enthusiasm at this year’s event on Jan. 24, attended by nearly 1,000 pro-life advocates who came from throughout central and southern Indiana, as well as cities in the Indiana dioceses of Evansville, Fort Wayne-South Bend and Lafayette.
It was brought about by the prospect of the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision on Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization later this year that could overturn the Roe v. Wade decision legalizing abortion. The 1973 ruling has led to the death of more than 62 million unborn babies.
Marc Tuttle, executive director of Right to Life Indianapolis that sponsored the march and rally, spoke assuredly to the crowd of the 1973 decision’s reversal.
“When Roe v. Wade is overturned—and it’s not ‘if,’ but ‘when’—we as a state will respond,” he told the crowd,
His message was echoed by Mary Carmen Zahrajsek, Indiana Regional Coordinator for Students for Life of America. She referred to the possible reversal of Roe v. Wade as “not the beginning of the end [of the fight to end abortion], but the end of the beginning.
“And when Roe v. Wade is overturned, it’s going to take more energy, more commitment, more passion for life. There will be 50 individual, state-by-state battles across the nation. And we will not stop until abortion is unavailable and unthinkable.”
During his address at the rally, Indiana U.S. Senator Todd Young also referred to the possible overturning of Roe v. Wade.
“I believe this will be the last anniversary in which Roe v. Wade is the settled law of the land,” he said, the crowd cheering in response.
“This is where the real work starts. … This is when together we have to change the culture. And we’re not going to change the culture at these events [or] through our elected officials. It’s going to be neighbor to neighbor, church to church, with our fellow Americans. Culture is upstream of politics.”
In addition to supportive cheers, signs are another way that participants in the march and rally express their views.
“My sign says ‘Black Babies Matter,’ ” said Elianna Watson, a member of Our Lady of the Most Holy Rosary Parish in Indianapolis who attends Hamilton Heights High School in Arcadia, Ind.
“During this current time, we hear about BLM [Black Lives Matter] and other groups talking about equal rights for African Americans. But then you realize that the majority of abortion clinics are in minority areas, and the majority [of abortions] are African American children.”
According to www.congress.gov, 30% of all aborted children are Black.
“About 13% of America’s population are Blacks,” Elianna continued, a fact verified at www.census.gov. “It would have been way higher than that if so many Black children hadn’t been killed.”
The march and rally were a show in ecumenical solidarity.
“We’ve been coming ever since the first” Indiana March for Life in 2018, said Rev. Adrian Piazza of Christ Lutheran Church in Noblesville, Ind. “Many members of our church, which is part of the Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod, are outspoken against abortion.
“It’s cold, but it’s a good day. We’re glad to be here!”
Pastor Micah Beckwith of Life Church in Noblesville welcomed the marchers to the rally, and a stirring call to unity by Reverend Benjamin Thompson of Progressive Life Ministries Assembly of God in Indianapolis drew cheers from the crowd.
After the rally, all were invited to the offices of Indiana Attorney General Todd Rokita for cookies and hot coffee—a welcomed offer given the wind chill in the low 20s.
“We wanted to do this in appreciation of all the effort it takes to come out here and to make voices heard on behalf of pro-life,” said Indiana Solicitor General Thomas Fisher. “That’s a very important issue for this office and the state as a whole. We want to meet the people who are also enthusiastic about the position the state takes. It’s a very exciting time to be pro-life.”
The Shawe Memorial students jumped at the chance for a warm drink and snacks.
It was the end of a wonderful experience for them, said Drumm.
“They were excited to see that it truly is a movement that is bigger than them,” she said. “It made it real for them. They were tired but truly happy at the end of the trip.” †
Related story: Strive to transform people’s hearts, not just laws, Archbishop Thompson says at pro-life Mass
