Right to Life

By Stacy LaMorte

Have you ever been on the March for Life? I haven’t, and I wish that I had gone this year.

Our daughter, who is a high school senior, asked if she could go this year back in September.  After discussing it, her father and I agreed that she could go and began working that into our budget for this year.

I knew about the March for Life in Washington, D.C., and have been a strong supporter of the Pro-Life movement here in New Orleans by supporting the Women’s New Life Center both monetarily and being involved in local marches and rosary rallies. However, I have never felt called to make the pilgrimage to D.C. to participate in the March to the Supreme Court on the anniversary of Roe v. Wade.

But our daughter was. She felt called to go. Trust me: this was no vacation. The archdiocese plans a very well-structured, organized event, which included being on a bus for almost 24 hours each way to D.C. They stopped every so many hours for bathroom breaks and to let the drivers change shifts. Stopping often means that when you have finally gotten yourself to sleep on a bus in the middle of the night in the middle of nowhere, you get awakened and must get off the bus.

However, once she got there, she said it was one of the most edifying events of her life.  She felt so supported by the sheer number of others willing to make the same trek for their beliefs, especially the number of young people.

Admittedly, we were a bit nervous about her going, thinking about the severe weather that area has been receiving, as well as the potential for conflict with Pro-Choice supporters.  Again, I have never been to this March, so I didn’t know whether all the protesting would stay peaceful or not.

We put all our fears into God’s hands knowing that she felt called to go. No matter what, that was her calling, and we supported it.  She had a wonderful experience and got to participate in a peaceful protest for something she believes in. Then, she had to get back on the bus. She said, “Mom and dad, we have to do this as a family, but next time let’s fly.”