50 Years and Counting

March 1, 2023

Knights join 50th annual March for Life in Washington, the first since the overturn of Roe v. Wade

By Cecilia Hadley

March 1, 2023

Students from Liberty University in Lynchburg, Va., lead the 50th March for Life past the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 20. • Top right: Jeanne Mancini, president of the March for Life Education and Defense Fund, walks with the crowd of tens of thousands of pro-life advocates toward Capitol Hill. — Students from Liberty University in Lynchburg, Va., lead the 50th March for Life past the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 20. (Photo by Jeffrey Bruno)

The March for Life followed a new route this year, its wide opening banner making a sharp turn as participants approached the U.S. Capitol in Washington on Jan. 20. Instead of continuing on Constitution Avenue and walking past the legislative building, tens of thousands of pro-life advocates processed peacefully in front of, and around, the Capitol before reaching their final destination at the Supreme Court.

The turn was symbolic of the march‘s theme: “Next Steps: Marching in a Post-Roe America.” With Roe v. Wade struck down, abortion in the United States is no longer an issue for the courts, but for state and federal lawmakers and the voters who elect them.

But if the marchers‘ route was different, their signs were largely the same: “Love Them Both.” “Every Person Is a Gift.” “Human Rights Begin in the Womb.” And of course, the familiar K of C “Love Life, Choose Life” signs, carried by Knights, their families and thousands of others. The legal battle has changed; the overall goal has not.

“The end of Roe represents a crucial milestone. But we cannot mistake it for the end of abortion,” said Supreme Knight Patrick Kelly, who participated in the march with other Supreme Officers and members of the Knights of Columbus Board of Directors. “In a post-Roe America, the Knights of Columbus will continue to show our nation‘s lawmakers that life is a precious gift worth protecting, and we‘ll proudly march for life until abortion is unthinkable.”

Jeanne Mancini, president of the March for Life Education and Defense Fund, walks with the crowd of tens of thousands of pro-life advocates toward Capitol Hill. (Photo by Matthew Barrick)

‘LIFE REMAINS FRAGILE’

March participants gathered on the National Mall through the morning for the kick-off rally at noon. Among the rally speakers were religious leaders, federal and state representatives, a pro-life obstetrician and the director of a maternity home, as well as Attorney General Lynn Fitch of Mississippi, who played an instrumental role in the Supreme Court case Dobbs v. Jackson Women‘s Health Organization.

Fitch emphasized the work ahead, saying, “Until we can give women when they‘re most vulnerable what they need and what their children need to thrive, until we can make changes in our laws that reflect compassion for all life, until we can change hearts and minds in our fellow Americans — until then, life remains fragile.”

Jonathan Roumie, star of the TV series The Chosen, delivered the keynote speech, urging people of faith, especially young people, to reshape the culture around them. “They say we live in a post-Christian culture. I reject that. You can reject that,” said Roumie, who became a Knight last year. “By honoring the life that God gave you, by bringing your gifts to the world with love and compassion, you will be creating an environment of holiness which the most impressionable in our society will draw their examples from.”

The multitude of young marchers Roumie addressed included Knights from George Washington University, The Catholic University of America, Providence College, Franciscan University of Steubenville, the University of Tennessee-Knoxville and many other schools.

Logan Earnest, grand knight of George Washington University Council 13242, led the Pledge of Allegiance before the rally. Council 13242 received the Life award for college councils last year for their support of a D.C. pregnancy resource center. The Knights also partner with their Newman Center to pray regularly in front of an abortion facility near campus.

“To protect and to guard is an integral part of being a man, being a Knight of Columbus,” Earnest said. “When I look at who the most vulnerable are in our society, who needs the most protecting, who can‘t protect themselves, it‘s the unborn — they are the people who need our help the most.”

Jonathan Roumie, star of The Chosen, delivered the rally’s keynote speech. Roumie, who became a Knight last year, urged marchers to pray the rosary, calling it “the greatest weapon we have against the devil.” — Jonathan Roumie, star of *The Chosen*, delivered the rally’s keynote speech. Roumie, who became a Knight last year, urged marchers to pray the rosary, calling it “the greatest weapon we have against the devil.” (Photo by Matthew Barrick)

KNIGHTS ON THE MARCH

At about 1 p.m., the march began, a river of people flowing from the Mall toward Capitol Hill. Knights of Columbus acting as marshals lined the road, directing the students who carried the lead banner along the new route. Plentiful Knights of Columbus signs, flags and council banners were on display, many of them representing groups sponsored or organized by local Knights.

John Molitor, grand knight of St. Joseph Council 3792 in Milford, Delaware, and a permanent deacon at St. John the Apostle Parish, led a group of about 40 marchers from four councils and several parishes.

“A lot of people were under the impression that the march wasn‘t necessary anymore, but it is — more than ever,” said Molitor, noting that counter-protestors had cursed at his group as they made their way to the rally. “The war isn‘t over.”

“It‘s up to every individual state now to have their fight,” said Steven Baker, a Virginia Knight who has volunteered as a marshal at the march since 2016. Baker, a member of Father Widmer Council 7877 in Stafford, was also in Richmond on Feb. 1 for the Virginia March for Life.

Michael Velasco, the pro-life chairman of the Indiana State Council, organized a bus trip from Indiana that brought about 120 Knights and other parishioners from across the state to the capital for the march. It was the 14th trip he has organized, and it won‘t be the last.

“I told our Knights at the midyear meeting in December: ‘The Dobbs decision was nice, but it didn‘t end anything,‘” Velasco said. “Until every baby has a right to live, this never ends. Until we stop abortion completely, in every state, in the entire world, the pro-life movement has to go on.”

Worldwide Witness

Against abortion, euthanasia and other threats to the most vulnerable, Knights of Columbus around the globe publicly proclaim the dignity of every human life. In addition to the March for Life in Washington on Jan. 20, Knights took part in several other large pro-life demonstrations in early 2023, with more scheduled in the coming months.

For example, three pro-life marches were held in California in January — in San Diego on Jan. 14, and in Los Angeles and San Francisco on Jan. 21 — with a fourth march, at the state capitol in Sacramento, scheduled for March 6. In France, Knights were among the thousands participating in the Marche pour la Vie in Paris on Jan. 22.

Two state marches sponsored by the March for Life Education and Defense Fund took place in February, with Knights and other pro-life advocates gathering in Richmond, Virginia, on Feb. 1, and Phoenix, Arizona, on Feb. 23. Meanwhile, Filipino Knights turned out Feb. 18 for the Walk for Life in Metro Manila, organized by the Council of the Laity of the Philippines.

Upcoming pro-life demonstrations include:

March 22 — Connecticut March for Life in Hartford
April 29 — Marcha por la Vida in Mexico City
May 11 — National March for Life in Ottawa, Ontario
May 11 — Alberta March for Life in Edmonton

*****

CECILIA HADLEY is senior editor of Columbia.

Chana Gaskins and her three children enjoy some time playing outside.

50 Years and Counting

‘LIFE REMAINS FRAGILE’

KNIGHTS ON THE MARCH

Worldwide Witness

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