by Steven Ertelt
LifeNews.com Editor
January 23, 2005
Washington,
DC (LifeNews.com) -- Pro-life advocates across the country are heading
to the nation's capital for Monday's March for Life that will solemnly
mark 32 years of unlimited abortion under the Roe v. Wade Supreme Court
decision.
Some will travel by plane, others in cars and Rosie Gross of Lancaster,
Pennsylvania says she knows someone who spent 24 hours on a bus from
Iowa just to get to the pro-life event.
She's organizing busloads of teenagers from Lancaster to make a shorter ride to D.C.
" These are the young people who will take up the cause when us older people are no longer around," says the 67-year-old Gross.
St. Joseph Catholic Church religion instructor Lisa Horstman agrees and she's helping to send dozens of youth from her part of Ohio to the rally.
"I think it's important the kids attend
the march and the youth rally before that will include thousands of
kids from around the country," Horstman said. "We need to
make them aware. These kids are our future. If they become aware at
this age, hopefully they will grow into adults that actively support
the pro-life cause."
Buses will also travel from New York State with hundreds more people
joining the more than 200,000 pro-life advocates who will march on Monday.
The march is primarily to oppose abortion, but pro-life advocates say their predictions that legalizing abortion would lead to a devaluing of human life have come true.
"So many things have happened since the legalization of abortion," Inez Niblo, chairwoman of Rockland Right to Life Committee, said. "It's what they call a slippery slope that, you know, from abortion we've gone to things that are more horrible."
Like so many others, Niblo is dedicated to attending the event and standing up for her pro-life beliefs.
"The only time we wouldn't go is if it's snowing and roads are hazardous," she said.
Doug Lugge of Belleville and his 13-year-old daughter, Alicia, will make their second trip this year.
They will join 11 busloads of people from Illinois and Missouri and each bus will carry around 55 people.
"This is something we can do that shows
my daughter we have the opportunity to make a difference with our free
speech rights," Lugge said.
"Last year I think she was very impressed with the number of people
and the commitment people have made to this. She was emboldened by them
and was even able to convince some of her friends to join us in the
march this year."
More than 500 people are heading to Washington
from the Diocese of Covington in Kentucky, a new record for local pro-life
advocates there. That doesn't include a waiting list of people hoping
to get a seat on one of the buses that are going.
These pro-life people understand the battle over the future of abortion
rests with President Bush and the Supreme Court.
Our prayers are that he (President Bush) will appoint to the Supreme
Court only justices that respect the sanctity of human life," said
Kentucky Right to Life Vice President Fred Summe.
"Pro-lifers are never going to quit until, again, the sanctity
of all innocent human life is restored to our law," he said.
